Twenty CCP children joined the rest of African children in celebrating the Day of the African Child held at Dagoretti Constituency Office Grounds, Nairobi, on June 16th, 2010. Various stakeholders including Minister for Public Health and Sanitation who is also the Dagoretti Member of Parliament, Beth Mugo, Dagoretti Children’s Office, Dagoretti Children’s Assembly, District Commission, National Health Insurance Fund, Coptic Hospital, Equity Bank, District Education Office, and various schools and Non-governmental Organizations joined children to mark the day whose theme was ‘Planning and Budgeting for The Well Being of Children: Our Collective Responsibility.’ The day begun with a 4 kilometer procession from Dagorretti District Headquarters through Kawangware as children agitated for their rights. The children braved the chilly day to present their petitions to the government to increase bursaries for orphaned, vulnerable and disabled children to access education. “We appeal to the government and well wishers to sponsor orphaned, vulnerable and disabled children so that they can also acquire education,” said Maxwel Waiyaka, a child and also the Governor of Dagoretti Children’s Assembly. Children also advocated for their rights through songs, dances, acrobatics, poems and skits. The minister cited poverty, child neglect, murder, lack of access to education, malnutrition, Female Genital Mutilation, forced early marriages, drug abuse, sexual abuse, sexually transmitted infections, violence, kidnapping, child labor, poor hygiene, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Diarrhea, Pneumonia among others as the biggest obstacles to government’s efforts to improve children’s livelihood. Despite of the challenges, free primary and subsidized secondary education enabled a Kenyan child access education. The minister said that poor planning and budgeting for children would derail realization of the Millennium Development Goals, a global road to a better future “which have a direct link to the rights and welfare of children.” Planning and budgeting for children begins at the family level. Parents were responsible for the upbringing of their children while the community should provide the societal needs of children such as playing facilities. The minister promised that the government would build a model Health Center with infant, children and maternity units in every constituency to improve maternal and child health. She called upon families, communities, Non-governmental organizations, civil societies, private sectors and the media to continue fighting for and protecting the rights of children. “The government of Kenya is committed to ensure and protect the children’s right to life, survival and development,” she concluded. Other stakeholders directed their speeches on the children’s education, peace, insecurity, violence and rights to basic needs such as food, education and shelter. The Day of the African Child, initiated by the Organization of African Unity (now African Union) in 1991, is observed annually in commemoration of children who died in the Soweto Uprising on June 16th, 1976, South Africa. Hundreds of children were shot as they demonstrated against poor education and the right to be taught in their own native language as opposed to the apartheid regime. This year, the day coincided with the first World Cup being held in Africa in South Africa.