Evo Morales – Honorary Ambassador for Childhood and the Family
Edson Endara, representing Latin American children, announced the appointment, made in the light of various initiatives on the part of the Bolivian leader to benefit children, among them the Juancito Pinto voucher, designed as an incentive to school attendance.
“The children of Latin America place our trust in you, Mr President, to be our friend and defender of our rights and of the rights of families,” said Endara. The Children of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia, who met at Bolivian government headquarters from 12th to 17th October to discuss their rights, promised that they would support and accompany the first Ambassador in his new role.
Pupils of Franco Boliviano Primary School sang a song for Morales, skilfully playing traditional instruments, and the President thanked the children for the appointment, saying that just watching them and listening to their music, his fatigue and problems faded away. “I am very grateful for this appointment as Ambassador. I don’t yet know the degree of responsibility this entails but I feel that it is a symbolic position.” Morales recalled the long journeys he had had to make as a child to reach his nearest school, having to travel far from the local community where he lived with his family, taking a snack of beef jerky and toast with him.
“One of my great dreams is for all children to be well nourished. In order to realise this dream we will seek to industrialise our food production, as in the case of processed milk. We will oblige mayors to devote the necessary resources to children in order to eradicate child malnutrition” he proclaimed. He recalled the poverty he suffered as a child in Orinoca, a rural area in the department of Oruro, and declared that the most important thing he had learnt from his parents was to always respect the young, but without neglecting the old. “If you really want to be someone in life, respect the young and the old. Today this is my greatest legacy from my parents. This respect brings us friendship, trust and, moreover, humility, which in no way means humiliation of any kind,” he explained to a captive audience of Latin American children.
Children from eight countries shared their experiences with each other. Around 40 children from eight Latin American nations took part in the first Congress, which was held in La Paz, Bolivia, where they exchanged information and experiences about life in each of the eight countries. The meeting was financed by ATD Fourth World and UNICEF, among other organisations.
- The representative from ATD Fourth World, Sandra Ochoa, told “Cambio” that the event had been going on for several days already and would be closing the next day. Ochoa explained that the children talked about their experiences and the situation in their countries by means of games and a participative methodology.
- “Through games the children express what is happening in their countries and go on to analyse the similarities and differences between their experiences”, she explained, adding that the children also had the chance to relax and get to know the different dances and music of each other’s countries as part of an intercultural exchange. She underlined the commitment on the part of children to the struggle for social justice.
The children ask to be listened to. The message of the first Congress of Latin American Children, read by Brayan Darío Alvarado, a child from Guatemala, indicates that it is the task of all governments to protect and to listen to all children.
- “We demand that all our rights be respected, without discrimination, exploitation or rejection. We don’t want to work or live in the street and if children have to work then they should be treated well and with respect,” he declared. In the name of all children, he asked the governments of the world to create decent living conditions for families with scarce resources and stated that if they are to fulfil their role as the present and future of their countries, children need a good education, a safe and healthy environment, to be able to live in peace and friendship with other people, good health and nutrition and security.
- We want to carry out our duties as a right. For us children, there are no borders or barriers. Together we can find friendship all over the world, without asking for anything in exchange, because this is something which comes from the heart.
- He affirmed the right of children to have a family and to live together with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, whether they be rich or poor. They also called for the earth to be looked after, because without the earth there would be no children or humanity. The children who attended the congress in La Paz will return to their countries tomorrow, after having debated all the problems affecting them.
