Meet Sharifa, our Our Day of the African Child blogger. Cheeky and confident, she is a children’s rights advocate in the making. An orphan who had to depend on teachers for food, she could easily have been among the millions of girls who are left behind, unable to access a quality education. A network of community support transformed her life. (Photo: Daniel Hayduk/CAMFED)

I will make sure every child’s right is given

By SHARIFA, CAMFED scholar, Tanzania

“I want to be a lawyer. In today’s world, there is so much injustice, and most of the time the ones who are marginalized are the ones who are missing their justice”

For 25 years, the 16th of June has marked the Day of the African Child — a time for the world to reflect on the grave injustices inflicted on the most marginalized children and the incredible potential wasted every day that a child is denied his or her right to a quality education, and a safe and independent life. CAMFED celebrates the power and determination of young people across Africa every single day. Meet Sharifa from Bagamoyo, Tanzania, our Day of the African Child blogger. An orphan who had to depend on teachers for food, she could easily have been among the 28 million girls who are left behind, unable to access an education. Today she is cheeky and confident (“I am just charming,” she says of her popularity among children at her school), and a children’s rights advocate in the making. Her resilience and strength come from the network of support CAMFED galvanizes around the most marginalized — with parents, alumnae, teachers, officials and traditional leaders giving whatever time and resources they possess to change the context for children to learn and thrive…

…continue reading on camfed.org