World Children’s Day: What is Important to You?

November 20th is World Children’s Day. The United Nations declared World Children’s Day a UN holiday in 1959 and has used this day ever since as an opportunity to discuss and promote the rights of children. We asked the children we work with: “What is Important to you?”

We believe that every child deserves a healthy, happy life.

For over 100 years, CMMB has worked to bring healthier lives to children around the world. But we still have a lot of work to do.

Among the 68.5 million people around the world who have been forced to leave their homes, nearly half are children. The consequences of economic insecurity, violence, and war mean that too many children are forced to go without access to basic resources like food, clean water, healthcare, and education.

Imagine being a mother who knows her child is sick but has no access to healthcare. Imagine being a child born with a disability, but never having access to life-saving therapies. Imagine being a child who, because of the circumstances of war, was forced to be a child soldier; unaware of what he was fighting for and unable to escape. For too many of the children we serve, these are the realities they live in.

CMMB serves children across Haiti, Kenya, Peru, South Sudan and Zambia. Despite different hardships and circumstances, one thing remains the same: Children see the good in every situation and they know what a better world looks like.

Building a better world for children, through the eyes of children.

Children are far wiser than they often get credit for. They see the good in the worst situations and ask for peace over conflict, despite only ever experiencing the latter. They know what is important to them, their families, and their communities. And so, we asked them to tell us: what is important to you? Some of their answers surprised us.

The following images are their responses through illustrations.