57,000 school students around Australia have united for children in Mozambique as part of this year’s UNICEF Day for Change, an education initiative which brings Australian students together to raise awareness and funds for their counterparts in Mozambique.
This years event was officially launched at Undercliffe Public School in Sydney, with students holding all day celebrations and games to help raise funds. UNICEF Australia's Youth Ambassador, Dev Bhutani, and CEO Norman Gillespie talked to students at the launch about how their donations would help other children their age in Mozambique recieve their right to education.
"Without the chance to go to school and a proper education, the situation for many children living in Mozambique is unlikely to get better in the future. Having the opportunity to learn to read, write and think for themselves is what these children and their families desperately need to improve their quality of life for the future," said UNICEF Australia Youth Ambassador Dev Bhutani.
Children around Australia celebrated UNICEF Day for Change by dedicating the day to the theme of 'change', with schools like Parramatta West Public School dressing in national costume and creating a UNICEF Day for Change mural to learn how important it is for all children to recieve their right to an education. Petersham Child Care also celebrated by having special guests, Fairy Clare and Dorothy the Dinosaur, come to visit on the day.
“This is the most successful year we have seen with over 140 schools registering to take part in the initiative Australia wide,” said UNICEF Australia Chief Executive Norman Gillespie.
“Education is a fundamental right yet 72 million children around the world are not in school. Without an education, the disadvantage facing many of these children is unlikely to get better.”
“UNICEF Day for Change is a rewarding opportunity for Australian children to understand the importance of education, to learn about the challenges facing children in other countries, and to raise money to make a difference to the lives of children in Mozambique.”
All funds raised from Day for Change will go to providing education for children in Mozambique. While the enrolment rate for children in Mozambique is as high as 83 per cent, over half of primary school aged students leave school before completing grade five. Many of them are girls, orphans, or otherwise particularly vulnerable children, such as those affected by HIV/AIDS.
UNICEF is working in Mozambique to establish Child Friendly Schools, which help get children into school and keep them there by providing essential health and sanitation facilities, and also engaging community participation to encourage more children to enrol and stay in school.
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