Gaza: Celebrating Universal Children’s Day

"We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind."

Excerpt from “We the Children: End-decade review of the follow-up to the World Summit for Children Report of the Secretary-General (2001)”

The United Nations’ (UN) Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. Universal Children’s Day is a day to educate children on their rights according to the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

iYouth members celebrated this day with about 30 children, those children are from families who are living under very bad circumstances.

Friday, 2^nd of December 2011, Youth went to Gaza Central Park with the children to spend the whole day with them playing together. We arrived to the park, getting to know each other “we and the children” by some games, and then we had our launch with the children.

Then we started our day activities, we made a Q & A competition between children, everyone who answers a question gets a prize, after that the children show their talents to others by singing and reading poems. Then we went with the children to games zone, playing together was the most interesting part to both children and youth. After that we went back to our corner to play some games with children.

After we finish playing, we left the park to get children to their homes, before they leave the bus we gave each child a gift. The children and youth enjoyed the day very much and they asked for more fun days.

Overall 10 iYouth members participated in the action. And 30 children were reached.