Written by Eda Hoxha, Communications Officer, Save the Children Albania
In the Race for Survival event held in Tirana on September 11, 2015, more than 400 children and young people, from ten districts of Albania, called to government authorities to end preventable child deaths and ensure access and quality to health care services for every child. This event was a great opportunity for children and young people and an important boost to their awareness and advocacy campaigns and efforts to improve children’s rights situation in the country.
The Race for Survival event in Albania had children in the centre and ensured their meaningful participation and voice being heard from highest level authorities including Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Education, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare and Youth and Deputy Mayor of Tirana.
Through the children race and messages and the national advocacy summit, children and young people called on government to make a real difference to child survival by ensuring access and quality to health care services for every child, improving health care institutions infrastructure, ensuring medical supplies and providing free medications and free dental care for children, improving hygiene and sport infrastructure in schools as well as promoting healthy nutrition & feeding practices for children at all relevant settings. Race for Survival event and messages were widely covered by national and local media.
The event marked and achieved a large participation of children and youth and involved all the groups we support from different rural and urban districts, such as representatives of Child Led Groups, Children’s Governments of primary schools, and representatives of two youth centres, roma young leaders, children with disabilities, roma children and children living in street situation. An amazing value to the event was also that children and young people, of different ages and different locations, talked and had fun being together with friends. They felt safe, important and enjoyed interacting with each other and authorities during and after the event.
This national child led advocacy event started with the race, where about 60 children (ages 12-15), ran in the main boulevard of the capital holding baton messages with their demands and recommendations for the authorities. The celebrity, and well known actor Florian Binaj, joined children race and supported the entire event.
The national advocacy summit of children with authorities, held soon after the race, had the child representative presentation and children questions and youth to authorities in the centre. Children presentation focused on the child rights situation survey findings. The survey involved 460 children, from different locations, who expressed their issues of concern mainly in the field of child survival and education.
Children active participation and messages in the campaign were supported also by other invitees such as US Ambassador, UNICEF and Italian Embassy reps.
In this campaign, Save the Children in Albania highlighted the need to increase public investment for children especially in the field of health care, welfare and education which contribute to a better future for children and the whole society; ensure access to quality health care services for all children and in particular for children in need, such as Roma children, children with disabilities, children in rural areas, children in street situations; ensure multi-sectorial cooperation and better coordination of services that affect the well-being and holistic development of children.
The advocacy objective of the event was furthered by children interview in media and a dedicated national coverage TV Show that related to the Race for Survival event and children health issues.
The Race for Survival national campaign event was fed by the four Local Forums outcomes of children with districts authorities in 4 cities of Albania held during April-May 2015. In these forums more than 200 children and parents participated and discussed with the Local Authorities issues of concern in health and education for children.. The participation and involvement of children and young people during the local forums and the national day event was facilitated by a leading group of children and young people, a total of 16, who functioned and played the role of a steering committee of children. This committee was selected based on a set of criteria and candidates proposed and elected by children themselves. The main role of this steering committee was to ensure that children’s messages and issues are gathered and well covered during the Race for Survival National Event.
After this busy and exciting campaign, Save the Children staff shared reflections and highlighted the importance of ensuring the meaningful child involvement which encouraged participation and was crucial to the quality and credibility of the campaign. As well as it was expressed the need for a follow up of authorities’ commitments to ensure that children’s voices are heard and advocacy objective fulfilled.