A total of 10 delegates from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Kenya presented the Kigali Declaration at the African Children Summit, held from 10th to 12th April 2023 in Nairobi, Kenia.

The African Children Summit was a child-led conference for strengthening the visibility of children and their rights, following the motto: seen. heard. engaged. The Summit brought together children from across Africa and beyond to share their experiences on matters of children rights and protection; the unique challenges they face; interventions by their governments and share recommendations or solutions. The summit was organised by Mtoto News and supported by many differed actors like Nelson Mandela Children´s Fund, World Vision and giz (click here for more information). At the end of the Conference, a Outcome Statement was adopted, including the demands from working children and youths from Dialogue Works Kigali Declaration.

A total of 10 representatives of Dialogue Works from Zambia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Kenya participated in the Summit and presented the “Kigali Declaration” and its five core demands in a kreative session: 1. poverty reduction, 2. protection against exploitative child labor, 3. free and better education, 4. protection against violence and discrimination and 5. participation of affected people. Batsheba, one of the participants from Kenya said: “We are forced to work so that we can add on to what our parents are providing. If parents have decent jobs, we can focus more on our education.”