A Child Protection Week celebration
Children, parents and the community of the Makause Informal Settlement come together for Child Protection Week.
The Makause Informal Settlement sports grounds was a hub of activity on Friday as the community, and various stakeholders came together to celebrate Child Protection Week.
This year Child Protection Week ran from May 27 to June 3 under the theme: “Let us protect all children to move South Africa forward”.
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The SAPS, Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) members, the Department of Social Development and a number of NGOs gathered in Makause for a day of fun.
“Today we are celebrating our children.
“We are not here to talk and to give speeches, instead we are here to let the children speak and we will support them,” said community development worker Lunga Mhlahlo.
Mhlahlo further explained that the event was not organised by the government but rather by the community.
“We assisted the community in hosting this event and felt it was vitally important for the event to be held within the community so that children can see the good in their own backyards.
“The community really came together to make this day a reality with many local shops making donations for the hosting of the event.
“It really shows us that through unity we can achieve so much,” she said.
Children from 15 local crèches and their parents attended the event, with the children taking turns to entertain guests and also teach their fellow learners and their parents about children’s rights.
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“The event was not just limited to the children from the local crèches, all the children of the community were invited to join in the festivities,” said Mhlahlo.
Mhlahlo believed that it was important to have parents and guardians at the event so that they could learn more about children’s rights and how to better protect their children.
“If parents, guardians and community members turn a blind eye when a child is victimised, who will help?
“That is why it is so important that they learn to stand-up and protect the most vulnerable of our nation,” she said.
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