Zambia, 15 August 2012: The power of youth - celebrating International Youth Day
'Beyond School Books' - a podcast series on education in emergencies
By Rudina Vojvoda
NEW YORK, USA, 15 August 2012 – The number of young people globally has never been higher. According to the United Nation’s Population Fund (UNFPA), there are 1.8 billion young people in the world today. For most of them, life is not easy. About half of young people survive on less than $2 a day, millions are out of school and many more face unemployment.
AUDIO: Listen now
To mark International Youth Day on 12 August, which this year has the theme: ‘Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth,’ podcast moderator Kathryn Herzog spoke with four young people who have changed the world for better: Baruani Ndume, Samuel Kissi, Thandiwe Chama, and Sonam Phuntsho.
Education equals a better life in a more developed country
Born in a poor neighborhood of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, Thandiwe Chama’s chances of succeeding in school were slim. Her school closed down when she was eight, which threatened to leave Thandiwe and her friends without an education. Refusing to stay out of school, Thandiwe led a group of 60 children in a walk to find another school.
Her determination paid off and the children were accepted into another school. Thandiwe received the International Children’s Peace Prize for her achievements in children’s rights, in particular the right to education.
“I believe the right to education is one of the most important human rights”, said Thandiwe. “When a child is educated, he or she will live a better life, a better future and the country will be developed”. Now 21-years-old, Thandiwe continues to work for a world “where children are free and have access to education.”
Giving a voice to the refugee children and youth
Baruani Ndume lost his parents at the age of seven, while fleeing from the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the age of 14, he set up a radio program in a refugee camp in Tanzania aiming to help refugee children unite with families and to address the problems encountered by young people in the refugee camp.
“Something in my heart was telling me that there is something to be done for children who are living in difficult circumstances,” said Baruani. “I could see myself when I looked into their eyes and decided to involve myself in child advocacy.”
Giant strides in youth participation
Samuel Kissi is the President of Curious Minds Ghana, a youth and media coalition committed to bringing youth voices to the mainstream press. For Samuel, youth participation means meaningful involvement in all steps of decision-making, including designing policies and programmes.
Sharing some of the achievements of his work, Samuel said, “Recently I was able to work in capacity building of young people in Zambia, Senegal, Kenya and Ghana. In Kenya, young people were able to make specific recommendations to their national planning commissions.
In Ghana, young people were able to have an input into the global development agenda. I think these little steps are what excite me the most. We are not at a point that we can celebrate yet, but we are making giant strides.” Samuel is also a member of the UNFPA's Media Advocacy and Communication Network in Ghana.
Media programing for youth
Sonam Phuntsho is a television producer for the Bhutan Broadcasting Service. His program, ‘Tashi and Sakteng’, was one of the finalists at the recent Prix Jeunesse International Festival, where it won the UNICEF Prize.
“Youth forms the majority of the population in my country,” said Sonam on the importance of youth participation. “It is very important that young people are involved so that they can understand things better and build a better future for themselves.” Sonam called out to his government and donor community to invest in a television station dedicated to youth.
More stories from Zambia
More on young people
State of the world's children 2012
Download the full report [PDF]