Yuran is running for gender equality.
“I gave the introduction this morning because I wanted to teach other children about our rights. I mainly wanted to talk about the inequalities between girls and boys. One important goal for the UN by the year 2030 is that there shouldn’t be any difference between the rights and value of boys and girls. But boys and girls are treated differently here. Daughters in a family sometimes don’t get the chance to go to school because they have to work, while the sons in the same family go to school. That’s a breach of children’s rights. And sometimes girls are sexually exploited by teachers in exchange for good grades and test results. That should never ever happen. It damages girls’ mental health forever!
   As a boy, I feel ashamed. Girls and boys have the same rights and should be treated equally. That’s what we showed our community today during the Round the Globe Run for a Better World and a better Mozambique. My own dream is to be an engineer.”

Running for children who are differently abled

“Today we ran to show everyone here in Macia that we are fighting together to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As a WCP Child Rights Ambassador, I share the same goals as the UN. I think the goals are really important because they are about the survival of the world.
   If I had to choose a goal that feels particularly important, it would be number 10. It says that everyone should be treated the same and have the same opportunities, including children who are differently-abled. A boy at our school uses a wheelchair and he finds it hard to get into the classrooms. He either gets to school early because everything takes him so long, or he has to hope that a classmate will help him. But not everyone is kind. He has the same rights as me, but he has to fight so much harder to go to school. It’s not right!
   “We need to adapt all schools, and the whole of society, so that the rights of children who are differently-abled are respected. I think there should be free buses to and from school for all children who are differently-abled, who find it hard to get to school by themselves. As a WCP Child Rights Ambassador, I can make a difference in how people view children who are differently-abled.”
Ângela, 14, WCP Child Rights Ambassador, Macia Secondary School

I’m a changemaker!

“For me, the Round the Globe Run shows society that we children demand to be able to live in a peaceful world where there is no violence, and where children are not taken advantage of. We demand an end to the sexual exploitation of girls, and we are showing that we young people want to achieve something when we participate.
    We Child Rights Ambassadors taught our school friends about children’s and girls’ rights, and about gender equality. It’s one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and it’s particularly important for us because there is no gender equality between girls and boys here. After all, the Round the Globe Run is about teaching society about the UN goals. And it’s vital! All the goals are being breached today and if we don’t do something, our world will not survive. Each person needs to do everything they can to make sure the goals are achieved. Us children really need to take the goals seriously because it’s our future.
We Child Rights Ambassadors meet every Saturday and Sunday. We visit families and talk about girls’ and children’s rights. As a Child Rights Ambas­sador, I can be part of changing things for real. My dream is to be a social worker and protect children.”
Aline, 13, WCP Child Rights Ambassador, Macia Secondary School