Universal Children Day

Universal Children's Day
Saturday, Nov. 20, is Universal Children’s Day, as declared by the United Nations, and a new survey of children illuminates the wants and needs of kids living in poverty. Children's Day is celebrated on various days in many places around the world, to honor children globally. It was established in 1954 to protect children working long hours in dangerous circumstances and allow all children access to an education. The UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should establish a Universal Children's Day on an "appropriate" day. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation. Children's Day is often celebrated on other days as well. International Day for Protection of Children, observed in many countries as Children's Day on June 1 since 1950, is said to have been established by the Women's International Democratic Federation on its November 1949 congress in Paris.
The Small Voices, Big Dreams survey questioned children ages 10 to 12 in 30 countries throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas. Conducted by ChildFund Alliance, which is comprised of global child development organizations, the survey found that one in three children goes to bed hungry at least once a week; more than 25% spend half of every day working, including household chores and other work but not counting school or homework.
Regardless of where they live, the children spoke of bootstrapping themselves up through education. In the fortunate yet unlikely event they end up as president of their country, 57% said they would make sure to offer all children an education, improve existing schools and build more. “If I were the president of India,” responds one Indian child, “I would provide good education and study materials such as pen, copies, pencils, uniforms, etc. to children.” (Of U.S. kids, 31% said education would be their top presidential priority. Perhaps, say those who’ve analyzed the study, the lower number doesn’t indicate a lack of interest in education but acknowledgement that U.S. children can attend school for free.)
What do you need most?, the children were asked; one in three answered food, with 45% saying they’d spend a spare dollar on food or water. One motherless child from Cape Verde said, “I need food. My father is a fisherman, but he can’t get enough money to buy food.”
“This survey serves to amplify [children's] voices so that we can direct our work in the most appropriate way,” said Anne Lynam Goddard. In countries such as Ecuador and Zambia, for example, ChildFund is trying to figure out how to enroll more children in school and keep them there longer.

Interestingly, when polled about fears, snakes took first place, followed by death and disease, then falling victim to war or violence. “I am mostly afraid of death,” responded a Sierra Leone child. “I don’t want to dream of dead people. The muddy water…is dangerous for children because muddy water has germs.”
The survey was administered individually from July through September 2010 to about 100 children in 30 developing nations and 318 children in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Done By : Mahdi AL-Dailati
Grade:10-F
Submitted to: Ms.Hanaa Eid