“My Day, My Rights” : Children Draw The Future They Desire, Deserve
- Par Kimeng Hilton
- 01 Dec 2025 14:54
- 0 Likes
Though celebrated belatedly in Yaounde on November 29, 2025, the International Day of the Rights of the Child was spiced by art work from children.
The event was jointly organized by Plan International Cameroon, the Centre Regional Delegation of Social Affairs and the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR. On a breezy Saturday morning in Yaounde on November 29, 2025, laughter echoed across the fifth-storey conference hall of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC Health Services Resource Centre. Located in the Mvan neighbourhood. Tables had been neatly lined with sheets of paper, boxes of crayons, markers, and water colours. Beneath the shade of air conditioners, children - refugees, Internally Displaced youngsters, and their Cameroonian peers - leaned over their drawings with the intense concentration of young artists on a mission.
And They Were
This year’s celebration of the International Day of the Rights of the Child, jointly organized by Plan International Cameroon, the Ministry of Social Affairs, MINAS, and the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, was not just another official commemoration. It felt deeply personal - joyful, expressive, and profoundly symbolic. The theme chosen by the United Nations, “My Day, My Rights,” found its truest meaning in the hands of these children who translated their hopes onto paper.
Morning Of Colours, Voices, Courage
From drawings of girls holding schoolbooks, to images of families reunited, to boldly-coloured symbols of peace and protection, each child expressed something uniquely theirs. Some drawings were playful, others painfully realistic. A few carried quiet resilience - stick figures escaping conflict, or classrooms rebuilt in hope.
After each artwork was proudly displayed, the children took turns standing before guests to explain the stories behind their pictures. Their small voices carried big truths.
“We Don’t Joke With Children’s Rights”
For Beri Gaelle, Plan International Cameroon Child Protection Specialist, said firmly, watching the children present their artwork. “This day reminds us of our commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our role is to ensure that whether Cameroonian, displaced, or refugees - all children - know their rights, and can claim them.”
She explained that too often, society underestimates children’s capacity to reason. “Children should not be expected to think like adults. They need guidance. But they also deserve respect for their opinions.”
Learning Rights Through Dialogue
Elsewhere in the hall, Mr. Ngue Badje Noé Théodore, psychologist and child rights expert, gathered groups of children into circles. With gentle authority, he guided them through discussions about their rights - identity, education, protection, health, and recreation.
Each group debated challenges and solutions before presenting their recommendations in plenary. The sight of children confidently voicing what they think adults should do differently was striking. A guest whispered, smiling, “They speak like future leaders.”
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