by Malaika Kirkwood, Communications VolunteerBuilding Cities for ChildrenThis year we celebrate 3 decades of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ratified in 1989, the UNCRC was a milestone in human history and development-- establishing the first internationally recognized, legally binding statement on child rights. Now, thirty years after its inception, the …
by Julia Everett, Development InternAugust 7th 2019 marks national Play Day in the UK. This year’s theme, ‘Play Builds Children’, highlight the benefits of play for children's development. Protecting and promoting the right to play, given its importance in childhood and growth, is something which we at Cities for Children put at the centre of …
In Summer 2018, we organised our “Hansti Basti” or “Happy Hoods,” programme in collaboration with Pehli Kiran School System and the Community Support Programme at Bahria University in Islamabad. The program was designed to ensure that over the course of six weeks, Pehli Kiran students worked with volunteer mentors to build social emotional skills and …
This article first appeared in Dawn, the oldest English newspaper in Pakistan.By Madeeha Ansari, FounderON Tuesday, Nov 12, the Sindh government imposed a ban on child beggary, directing the social welfare department to ‘round up’ child beggars and place them in welfare centres, including in an upcoming facility in Korangi.On one hand, this might be seen …
This article first appeared in print as "Street kids' hope" in Dawn, the oldest English newspaper in Pakistan.By Madeeha Ansari, FounderA COUPLE of years ago, I visited a drop-in centre for street children in Peshawar as part of a mapping exercise. The children there were generally ‘of the street’, i.e. they did not return to their …
As part of our "Right to Play" strand of work, on 21st April 2018 we supported a special Sports Day event for over 400 children and parents from the urban slums of Islamabad. These are communities served by our partner, the Pehli Kiran School System, a network of open-air, non-formal schools in settlements across the …
This article first appeared on the Promising Practices in Refugee Education website.By Madeeha AnsariHow do refugee children live?Often, the image that comes to mind if asked that question is of a settlement like Jalozai camp in Pakistan, with rows of tents sectioned by UNHCR canvas sheets. Or what is now the sprawling Dadaab refugee complex …
By Jetske van DijkLooking back, 2017 marked a milestone in the world of child rights. The United Nations General Comment No. 21 on Children in Street Situations was published in June marking an important step towards protecting street-connected children. While children are recognised as rights holders under the Convention of the Rights of the Child …
By Jetske van DijkOn 9th November 2017, the Cities for Children team attended the Consortium for Street Children (CSC) Annual Research Conference, I BEND BUT I DON’T BREAK: Exploring Street-Connected Children’s Resilience.The day involved panel discussions and presentations of academic research, as well as hands-on workshops where practitioners shared their experiences of working with children …
Adapted from post on team member's personal blog, "The Write Thing" and refers to incidents from December 2016.The pilot phase for CfC has, of course, focused on teacher capacity building with our partners Meditrina and the Pehli Kiran School system. We're going to follow up and do many new, fun things with the PK schools.Now, we're looking to create a …