To commemorate Day of the African Child, Gamu, a 16-year-old advocate, joined her peers in a creative advocacy event and digital campaign centred on this year’s theme: Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress since 2010. The campaign supported by Save the Children was about amplifying their voices and placing them at the centre of decision-making.
Key to this campaign was a budget simulation activity— where Gamu and her peers took on the role of budget planners, discussing how national resources should be allocated to uphold children’s rights.
“We chose to invest in health, education, water and sanitation, food and shelter, among others,” said Gamu. “These are the issues that affect us.”
Children also made colourful posters with powerful messages calling for investment in children.
“Anything Done for Us Without Us Is Against Us”
“Planning and budgeting for children’s rights simply means proper allocation of resources and funding so that all children get access to their rights—like education, shelter, food, and sanitation,” Gamu explained.
Her message is clear: children have the right to participate—and must be taken seriously in national planning.
Gamu and her peers emphasised that effective planning and budgeting for their rights should not happen in a vacuum—they also need to be involved.
"My government should keep consulting us—the children—because we know what we need, and we also understand the issues that affect us most," Gamu urged.
The #BudgetForChildren campaign was a call to ensure that children are not just seen as recipients, but as important stakeholders in their own development. Through digital stories, artistic expression, and dialogue, these young advocates made it clear that their voices matter.
The campaign's demand was loud and clear:
Budget for children! Plan with children!
My government should keep consulting us—the children—because we know what we need, and we also understand the issues that affect us most.
