16/06/2025
Our Advocacy Message for June 16 - Day of the African Child commemoration.
Theme: "Empower Every Child with Education – The Future Begins in the Classroom"
By: Children Advocacy Platform Sierra Leone (CAP-SL)
Today, on June 16, the Day of the African Child, we rise in solidarity with millions of African children whose dreams are held hostage by poverty, inequality, and injustice. We commemorate the courage of the Soweto children who stood for their right to quality education—and we continue that legacy by raising our voices for every child in Sierra Leone and across the continent.
At Children Advocacy Platform Sierra Leone, we believe that education is not a privilege—it is a fundamental right. Yet, too many of our children still walk miles to overcrowded schools, study without books, and leave the classroom too soon to fetch water, marry early, or work for survival.
Today, we call on:
Government leaders to increase investment in free, quality, inclusive education.
Donor agencies and partners to support school infrastructure, teacher training, and learning materials—especially in rural and underserved communities.
Communities and parents to stand against child labor and early marriage—and prioritize the classroom over the marketplace.
Youth and students to rise with purpose, pursue knowledge, and be the champions of tomorrow.
The time to act is now. Let us turn classrooms into safe spaces of hope. Let us equip every child—not just to read and write—but to dream, create, and lead.
The African child deserves a future built on books, not broken promises.
Let us empower them—because when children learn, nations rise.