World Children’s Day Statement : My Day, My Rights

Most countries in East Africa have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, affirming their commitment to protect and promote every child’s rights and well-being. World Vision East Africa reaffirms this shared mission as we commemorate World Children’s Day, recognising the urgent need to create safe, inclusive environments where children can thrive and participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives.

Across East Africa, children continue to face overlapping challenges: including conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and food insecurity, that threaten their safety, education, and overall well-being. Over 4 million children are currently displaced in South Sudan and Somalia[1], and more than 50% experience physical violence before age 18 in Kenya and Uganda[2]. School attendance rates have dropped significantly, with 28 million children out of school across East Africa[3], largely due to poverty and displacement. Child protection risks including violence and exploitation remain alarmingly high. These realities demand coordinated action from governments, civil society, and communities to uphold children’s rights every day. 

World Vision East Africa champions child rights by ensuring children’s voices shape decisions that affect their lives. Through the East Africa Children’s Advisory Group, children have influenced nutrition dialogues and policies to end hunger and malnutrition[4]. Their participation extends to high-level forums like the Day of the African Child Webinar and the Africa Climate Summit, where child delegates moderated panels alongside policymakers. In Uganda’s Bidi Bidi settlement, James, 13, a refugee from South Sudan, shared his dream during an East Africa Children's Advisory Group forum: “I want to teach children, so they never feel forgotten.” His testimony contributed to a regional call for digital learning kits for displaced children[5].

World Vision has played a key role in strengthening child protection systems across countries in the region, working in collaboration with national and sub-national governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), children, and communities. These efforts have focused on enhancing referral pathways, driving policy and program reforms, reinforcing community-based protection mechanisms, and promoting positive parenting programs. For example, a Change Project in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia engaged communities and children to co-design child-safe spaces and strengthen local referral systems. In humanitarian contexts, we provide timely protection and psychosocial support for displaced children, creating conditions where safety is possible, though never guaranteed.

Similarly, we partner with governments and communities to expand access to education and foster safe, inclusive learning environments. Programs such as Unlock Literacy and Learning Roots help build foundational skills, while AIM for Learning (Accelerating Impact in Early Learning) in Ethiopia improves pre-primary and primary education. Alongside these efforts, we promote health and nutrition through School Feeding, Health Education, Maternal and Child Health Services, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives, creating opportunities for children to learn and thrive in healthy settings. 

World Vision also produced the Children’s Annual Report[6], featuring direct quotes and stories from child delegates across East Africa. This report serves as a key advocacy tool for external stakeholders, showcasing children’s perspectives and reinforcing accountability for commitments made to protect and empower them.

Building on these milestones, we must now strengthen implementation and ensure that every child enjoys these rights fully and meaningfully. The realities of child protection risks demand coordinated action from governments, civil society, and communities to uphold children’s rights every day.

Recommendations for Governments, donors, private sector and Regional Bodies:

1. Incorporate Child Participation in Decision-Making: Embed child-led recommendations in policy frameworks, establish accountability for commitments, and guarantee meaningful participation in decisions affecting children’s lives.
2. Ensure Children on the Move Enjoy Their Full Rights Through Inclusive Policies and Services: Integrate displaced, migrating children and children with disabilities into child rights programs by harmonizing data systems, ensuring equal access to education and protection, and including them in national and regional decision-making platforms.
3. Strengthen Child Protection Systems and Accountability Across Sectors: Lead coordinated, cross-sectoral implementation of child protection plans through inter-ministerial frameworks, dedicated resources for enforcement, and accountability indicators in all sectoral plans.
4. Secure Sustainable Financing for Child Rights and Resilience: Increase domestic budgets for child protection, mobilize private sector and donor partnerships, and establish pooled regional funding mechanisms to sustain resilience programs.

Call to Action

On this World Children’s Day, we urge governments, regional bodies, civil society, private sector, and communities to join us in fortifying the mission on turning commitments into action. Let every child, not just today but every day, confidently say: “My Day, My Rights!” because every child matters and every right counts.