November 20 marked the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. That historic global agreement heralded a new era in how the world treats its children.

Over the past 25 years, significant progress has been made in advancing the rights of the world’s children. But there remains much to be done, in Africa and around the world. Far too many young people lack access to basic education, healthcare and the freedom to be children.

In Rwanda, we’re working hard to ensure that every child has the right to good health. Our community health insurance scheme, which covers 82 per cent of Rwandans, has made healthcare affordable and accessible.

Childhood mortality has reduced at the fastest rate in history thanks to rigorous implementation of national programmes, and the country’s vaccination campaigns ensure 98 per cent of children are protected against life-threatening illnesses.

Rwanda was the first sub-Saharan African country to introduce dual measles and rubella vaccine and the first low-income country to provide universal access to the HPV
vaccine. But challenges remain, in Rwanda and elsewhere.

Food security

Although Rwanda is food secure, nutrition security remains precarious for many Rwandan children under the age of five.

To combat this, the Ministry of Health has put in place a wide-reaching programme that includes regular assessments of malnourished children by the country’s 45,000 community health workers, the provision of livestock to families in need and the distribution of Vitamin A, folate and iron supplements for mothers and children at key stages of antenatal care.

The “1,000 Days” campaign raises awareness among mothers and caregivers, about the importance of proper nutrition from pregnancy through to the first two years of a
child’s life — the 1,000-day period critical to a child’s long-term mental and physical development.

These efforts aim to provide our children with the best start in life.

In 1994, the genocide against the Tutsi left Rwanda’s education system destroyed. Schools were looted and burned to the ground and many teachers and students
were killed.

Twenty years later, Rwanda is on track to achieving universal access to primary education by 2015, having already attained gender parity at the primary level, with 98 per
cent of girls enrolled.

The next challenge is improving the completion rate, currently at around 70 per cent, and the quality of education provided. This unwavering commitment to education for
our children is based on the belief that “real wealth is in the head, not in the ground,” as President Paul Kagame recently put it.

Child labour

Another important global challenge is child labour. It is estimated that over 160 million children around the world are involved in some form of labour. However, progress is being made, with the number declining by a third since 2000. In Rwanda, the government has adopted a national policy on the elimination of child labour.

The policy includes child protection committees from the district down to the village level. These committees are responsible for ensuring that no child does work that deprives them of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, or is harmful to their physical and mental development.

In addition, 10 national protection officers, supported by 48 social workers and psychologists, travel the country to deal with issues including child labour. These initiatives complement the work being done by the national taskforce on child labour, as well as labour inspectors in all 30 districts.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we held the 10th annual National Children’s Summit.

The meeting brought together over 500 children from Rwanda and East Africa to celebrate the progress that has been made, and work together to find solutions to the challenges that remain.

The summit is unique because of the way it provides a platform for children to be heard by government, civil society and the private sector.

In the lead-up to the summit, the National Commission for Children facilitated workshops around the country to find out exactly what children wanted to discuss.

Through national children’s forums and local community bodies, participants decided on the themes and topics for the summit as well as the format.

Zaina Nyiramatama is executive secretary of the National Commission for Children.