George Herald | Protect our children today

Translate to:


News	Classifieds	Directory

Protect our children today
12:00 (GMT+2), Thu, 24 May 2012

Organisations like ACVV continue to highlight the needs and rights of children during this year’s Child Protection Week. Here the kids form the familiar HIV/AIDS bow in honour of AIDS Day earlier this year.

GEORGE NEWS - In their aim to strengthen families and impart positive discipline, the George branch of the ACVV (Afrikaanse Christelike Vrouevereniging) will be presenting life skills groups to their clients during Child Protection Week. This annual campaign started on Monday 21 May and concludes on Sunday.

As green represents child protection, the ACVV George also decorated their offices in this colour and wore green ribbons.

They are also planning a march for International Children's Day, Friday 1 June, to highlight children's rights and the protection of our children. The march will start at 10:00 from the ACVV premises.

Children are precious gifts that add that extra sparkle and complete a family. They need to be protected, especially in times when they cannot protect themselves and they rely on their parents or guardians to keep them alive. Everything from walking, talking and becoming someone that adds value to our society is learnt from a responsible adult very early in life.

In South Africa we have a large number of children that are abandoned and left alone to fend for themselves. Where do these children go? How do they feed themselves and how do they learn to be someone that can grow up to be a parent themselves?

A parent is not someone who simply creates or gives birth to a child, they are the ones who should be there for a child that they have brought into the world, someone that that child can rely on and learn from. Unfortunately, more cases are reported every day of babies being abandoned, cast into toilets (George Herald, 17 May) and rubbish bins.

Not only this week, during Child Protection Week, but every day we should take time to think "what if this was my child?" or "what if this was the child of someone I know?".

With our busy lifestyles, juggling between a 40-hour working week and spending time with our own families, many of us think that there is nothing we could do; we simply do not have the time to step in and assist the thousands of children that need assistance.

What about making it a family outing? Visit an orphanage and play with the children for a morning?
Your children will learn so much from these children and grow up having the insight to carry on good deeds, not to mention what the orphans would derive from being acknowledged.

(Compiled by LeeAnne Pratt)