Fred Nyabera, the Director of Arigatou International – End Child poverty has been elected to serve in the International Partnership on Religion and Development (PaRD) steering group for the period 2021 – 2023. He is among 6 individuals elected in the new steering group, drawn from Faint Based Organisations, Civil Society and Academia, representing various organisations around the world. The organisations include; Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa, Islamic Relief Worldwide, United Sikhs, World Council of Churches and World Vision.

Election of the new steering group took place earlier this month (November), followed by PaRD General Assembly where a formal hand over between the current and the newly elected Steering Group took place.

Aside from the handover, the General Assembly provided an opportunity to share experiences and lessons learned, discuss current challenges in the field of religion and sustainable development and set priorities of work. It is in this view that the Director, Arigatou International – End Child Poverty took part in the panel on Ending Extreme Poverty & Ensuring Food Security, during the Assembly. He further sought opportunity to present the nascent Sustainable Development Goals Academy for Children; a safe learning space and programme for children to contribute to the global development agenda.

PaRD is a unique and dynamic global multi-stakeholder partnership. It brings together religious and other civil society organisations, intergovernmental and governmental entities and academia. It focuses on the positive potentials and contributions of religious actors to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

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During the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children 2021 on 19^th November 2021 held in Dubai, the GNRC Secretary General, Dr. Mustafa Y. Ali, was invited to moderate a dialogue session on, “Prioritizing children’s social, emotional, and spiritual well-being in times of crisis.” The topic of discussion, which was within the overarching theme of the event (Wear My Shoes Campaign), sought to analyze the challenges children and young people undergo, especially during COVID-19 period.

Participating in the panel discussion was Ms. Muzoon Almellehan, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; Dr. Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Peace Nobel Laureate; Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, JD. Vice Chair, The International Conference of Rabbis and Executive Vice President, The New York Board of Rabbis; Dr. Husna Ahmad, Secretary-General, World Muslim Leadership Forum; and Dr. Reham Abdullah Salamah, Al- Azhar University.

It was evident that prioritizing children’s social, emotional and spiritual well-being in times of crisis was key in promoting children’s wellbeing, in particular, how the world can adapt sustainable solutions to address the mental health of children and young people as the world campaigns for children to return to school.

At the onset, Dr. Ali noted that Arigatou International and its initiatives believes that all children are equal and should have equal rights including access to basic needs, quality education, healthcare among other rights. “It is because of these rights that Prayer and Action for Children hosted a meeting not only to commemorate the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children but also to discuss on the welfare of children. We owe children that much,” he stated.

During the discussion, it was noted that the pandemic immobilized the operations of schools and learning institutions which made students loose significantly in their studies and interaction with friends. The pandemic also opened opportunities for children to be exposed to different forms of violence including recruitment to gang groups, and domestic, sexual, emotional and physical violence.

In her presentation, Dr. Ahmad talked about mental health holistically as an increasing problem that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. She underscored that the world needs to acknowledge that mental health is a reality and everyone has a role in addressing it extensively. She added that it is because of this negligence that the youth are resorting to drugs and substance abuse or joining violent groups because there is no one to listen to the them.

Both Dr. Esquivel and Rabbi Potasnik attributed to the purity of children noting that it is the role of adults to make sure that every child is treated with dignity and protected from any form of exploitation or violence. “What we expose children to today will determine the adults and leaders we produce tomorrow. Let’s act responsibly,” noted Rabbi Potasnik.

In her presentation, Dr. Abdullah noted that the world needs to go back to the teachings and practices of religious scriptures in its entirety. She noted that religion in its purest form, advocates for the protection and nurturing of children and their wellbeing. She added that the rights of a child begin from as early as in the womb and are enshrined in every faith and spiritual tradition across the world. “It is up to us to conform to these already existing teachings,” she said.

Concluding the discussion, Dr. Ali noted that every child has the right to shine and thrive in life and this can only be achieved if their growth is nurtured. He added that aside from negative aspects of the pandemic, the world had witnessed positive moments worth noting including the fact that the pandemic had promoted relations between siblings, parents and their children, and promoted coexistence within the community. He also noted the positive progress made in the development of vaccines against the virus. He added that working remotely enabled the world to advance in online technology. As he celebrated these milestones, he acknowledged that there was still a long way to go before we could create a better world for children.

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On the occasion of the 2021 World Day of Prayer and Action for Children commemoration held on 19^th November 2021 in Dubai, U.A.E, the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Secretary General, Dr. Mustafa Y. Ali, convened a roundtable for coordinators and contact persons from the GNRC in the Middle East and the North Africa region. The meeting, which was hosted by GNRC member Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities, was attended by Dr. Reham Abdullah from Al Azhar University, Egypt; Mr. Khaled Batarseh, from Arab Woman and Child for Training & Development, Jordan; and Mr. Faraz Hashmi from the host organization. Other coordinators that attended included Dr. Shazmin Rafeeq from I CAN Malaysia, and Dr. Husna Ahmad, Secretary General of World Muslim Leadership Forum, and CEO of Global One 2015. The event was graced by the Director of Arigatou International End Child Poverty, Rev. Fred Nyabera.

During the meeting, the GNRC Secretary General, welcomed members and explained that the meeting aimed to strengthen all its networks which includes building and strengthening the network in Middle East region with key focus on nurturing interfaith coexistence. He noted that in its efforts to build a robust network for twenty years, the GNRC had expanded in its grassroots work and reach and is coordinated by a team of 61 coordinators and contact persons in 61 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America. He thanked the GNRC coordinators and grassroots volunteers for their tireless efforts, in ensuring the network is working with people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to build a better world for children. He specifically welcomed Dr. Husna Ahmad from United Kingdom to the GNRC to consider forming a network in her country.

In his presentation, Dr. Ali introduced the GNRC Assessment Report and the results of the survey, contained in the summary report. He shared that in the year 2020, the GNRC Secretariat carried out an extensive assessment covering the entire GNRC network around the world. He noted that the process involved an analysis of data collected throughout the network in a very thorough and broad-ranging process using multiple quantitative and qualitative methods. He added that the secretariat hopes that the results of the assessment and implementation of the recommendations shared in the summary report will help to reinvigorate and strengthen the GNRC, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members commended the effort of the GNRC secretariat and noted that the impact of the network has been felt by countless children worldwide more specifically during the pandemic. They recommended that the summary version of the report be shared widely to amplify grassroots work.

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On 25^th November 2021 the GNRC Secretariat through its Network in Kenya convened a roundtable meeting in Nairobi for partners to respond to the multi-dimensional impacts of COVID-19 on children and youth. The partner’s roundtable gathered together 20 participants from the Network in Kenya including representatives from the Department for Children Services, Islamic Foundation Kenya, The Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa – Elim Church, Mombasa, World Vision Kenya, Bare Care, Partnership for Economic Policy, Centre for Sustainable Conflict Resolution, National Muslim Leaders Forum, The Cry Of A Young One, and Kesho Alliance.

Discussions at the roundtable centered on experience-sharing on the impact of COVID-19 on children in Kenya and neighboring countries. The meeting came up with recommendations for action, that could be spearheaded by the partners and other like-minded organizations. The discussions were guided by the 2020 Arigatou International Global Week of Faith in Action for Children, which highlighted the need for interfaith action in mitigating the problems affecting children during the pandemic.

Participants highlighted the challenges children faced including lack of quality education, mental health, and nutrition; noting that the pandemic had exacerbated inequalities and other forms of poverty and violence against children. It was further observed that radicalization into violent extremism had spiked during the pandemic period.

The roundtable echoed the need for concerted and collaborative efforts, including awareness raising, social protection, and research and advocacy, in responding to the impact of the pandemic. Some of the suggested actions were food donations, provision of hygiene packs (masks, sanitizers, and soaps), awareness creation on risk-reduction, providing psychosocial support, and mobilizing financial support to support the livelihoods of underprivileged families and other vulnerable groups in the community including children with disability.

Discussions concluded with members committing to strengthen collaborations among partners and move forward in implementing the recommendations made, and building upon the 2020 Global Week of Faith in Action for Children and the GNRC Panama Declaration on Ending Violence Against Children.

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