The World’s Children Prize (WCP) program, established in 2000, is the largest annual initiative worldwide for educating children about rights and democracy. It specifically aims to empower children as advocates for equality. This program emphasizes that every child has rights, and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure these rights are accessible to every child. The WCP program brings children together from various backgrounds to learn about their rights and understand how to exercise them in different aspects of their lives.

Maiti Nepal, under this program, focuses on promoting child rights, particularly emphasizing girls’ rights and combating child sex trafficking. In the year 2023, the project was implemented in merely Kathmandu Valley with the following programs:

• For this year’s WCP program, Teresa Academy, Babylon National School, Satya Sai Secondary School, and Shambhavi School were selected.
• A total of 423 students participated, with 226 being girls, and they were accompanied by 13 teachers from their respective schools.
• 20 new Child Rights Ambassadors were appointed including 8 from Teresa Academy and 4 each from the respective selected school.
• To ensure high-quality implementation of the WCP program, orientation sessions were held at Maiti Nepal’s venue. During these sessions, ambassadors, WCPRC members, and teachers discussed the WCP, its global significance, child rights, and democracy.
• The children from the selected schools actively participated in the “Round the Globe for the Better World” activity which involved students carrying out actions to promote child rights in their local communities. They organized rallies, awareness campaigns, and other initiatives to effect positive change.
• Organized events and activities on Change Maker Day to raise awareness about child rights and advocate for the rights of children, both locally and globally.
• Got a 15-year-old Nepali child ambassador represented in a global vote in Sweden where Cindy Blackstock, an advocate for indigenous children’s rights, was chosen for the WCP on October 4, 2023.
• The ambassador from Maiti Nepal assisted in presenting the prize.
  

“Courageous whispers and laughter rings, In the melody that equality brings. With open hearts we take our stand, For every child, in every land.”

Written by Kabya
(Child Rights Ambassador from Babylon National School)