Advocacy

For too long, children and young people like Foday Bangura have been left out of conversations that shape their futures. Decisions are made for them, not with them. 

When children are not given the opportunity to participate in their own development, their voices, views, and lived experiences are excluded from the very processes meant to protect and empower them. The result? Disempowerment, ineffective policies, and missed opportunities for real change.

Child Participation is Key to Effective Advocacy

Child participation is central to effective advocacy. Children are more than beneficiaries—they are agents of change. In Sierra Leone and beyond, ChildFund supports platforms that amplify children’s voices and build their capacity to take part in decisions that affect their lives.

One powerful example of this belief in action is Foday, the former Vice President of the Children’s Forum Network. With support from ChildFund, Foday represented the children of Africa at the Inaugural Africa Children’s Summit in Nairobi, Kenya in 2023. Standing tall among his peers, Foday delivered a message that resonated deeply:

“As children, we want a seat at the table. We want to be included in making decisions that directly impact us. We appreciate this child-led summit because we have been able to voice our issues. To governments and NGOs that deal directly with children, we will appreciate it if this happens more often.”

Foday led children attending the inaugural Africa Children’s Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, to present a position paper on the Status of Children in Africa to United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child representatives Dr. Najat Maalla M’Jid and Dr. Philip D. Jaffé.

Foday speaks at the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)

Foday’s advocacy didn’t stop in Nairobi. His voice carried further, as he was invited to present the Outcome Statement of the Summit at the 41st Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in Maseru, Lesotho.

“During the Inaugural African Children’s Summit in Nairobi, we discussed pertinent issues affecting children on the continent. Child participation was one of them,” he told the Committee.

Since then, Foday has continued to lead by example. Back in Sierra Leone, he engages with the media, mobilizes his peers, and advocates for policy reforms. His mission is clear: raise awareness on child protection issues, promote children’s rights, and hold policy makers accountable to act on legislation that uplifts the voices of children and puts an end to violence against them.