|
|
 Malal Diam Sow, 15, from Dakar, the capital of Senegal knows first hand, exactly how poverty impacts on families. He lives apart from his four brothers and two sisters because he attends a school for children who would otherwise have to earn money by begging on the streets.
His school was far from home so Malal lived with other students and visited his parents during school breaks. But he created a family life in school. As one of the oldest children, he looked after his younger schoolmates and organized sports activities for those who could not go home to visit their families. He also became an activist, speaking out at every opportunity on the problems that prevented so many children in developing countries from living a full and productive life.
Malal came to New York for the United Nations Special Session on Children, the most important global conference on children in a decade. Scores of world leaders, hundreds of international delegations and thousands of children's organizations attended the high level meeting to address the important issues facing children and adolescents and to make investment in them a top priority for governments.
"If we want to overcome poverty and the instability it breeds, we must start by investing in our young people," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). "Children are the key force driving human development and global stability."
Despite his family's economic conditions, Malal was given the opportunity to travel internationally to participate in meetings and forums on behalf of children before. In 1999, he went to Geneva as a delegate to the Children's Forum that was set up to highlight the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This experience inspired Malal to get involved in the fight to end the grinding poverty that held back millions, including his own family. Once back in Senegal, Malal shared what he had discovered with his classmates and started to speak out.
He became a member of the Senegalese Children's Parliament; ATD Fourth World , an organization that worked against extreme poverty; and ATD Fourth World's children's branch, the Tapori Movement. During a meeting organized by Senegal's Family Minister, he also addressed the President of the National Assembly to emphasize the need for laws against child labour.
Malal was concerned with many different issues that impacted negatively on children. Armed conflict, HIV/AIDS and education were particularly important but, he said, "I find no issue that we should not address, as all the things we address can only help in advancing the world."
During the UN Special Session, Malal spoke at a roundtable attended by Heads of state on the input young people should have in the decisions that shaped their lives. But he insisted, "that doesn't mean adults can shirk their responsibilities".
"Following our Geneva meeting, we made an appeal to the world's leaders that they help us build a better world," Malal explained. "The time has come to ask 'big people' to lend a hand to build this better world."
FIND OUT MORE about how the UN works to support children’s rights. Go to the links next to Malal.
|
|
  |
