Join us on 16th June to celebrate International Day of the African Child 2025!
On this day, we reflect on the challenges facing those protecting the rights of African children, particularly in education.
What is International Day of the African Child?
International Day of the African Child or the Day of the African Child (DAC) was first commemorated by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1991, to be celebrated on 16th June each subsequent year. This celebration day arose to pay tribute to the 1976 student uprising and massacre in Soweto, South Africa.
Since 2002, this celebration day has been spearheaded by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) as a guardian of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).
The aims of International Day of the African Child are to promote and protect the rights and welfare of children in Africa. Examples of children’s rights under the ACRWC include:
- Rights to survival/development, name and nationality, freedom of expression
- Rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, education, leisure, health
- Protection from child labour and trafficking, against child abuse and torture
- Administration of juvenile justice
- Protection of family, entitlement to parental care
- Protection against harmful social/cultural practices, against apartheid/discrimination and from armed conflicts and sexual exploitation
This year’s theme for International Day of the African Child is Planning and budgeting for children’s rights: progress since 2010. The focus will be on assessing the level of progress achieved in mainstreaming children’s issues in planning and budgeting and encouraging assessment and reform of mechanisms in place, ensuring adequate prioritisation of problems relating to children.
The Soweto uprising
On June 16th 1976, approximately 10,000 black school children gathered in Soweto, South Africa, to demonstrate against the poor quality of education they received and demand to be taught in their own language under the apartheid regime.
Students were protesting against the implementation of Afrikaans and English as dual medium of instruction in secondary schools on a 50:50 basis, an initiative that took no account of locally-spoken languages. Afrikaans and English were mostly spoken by the white and coloured population in South Africa. Protesting students wanted to learn in their mother tongues, including Xhosa and Zulu.
The protests were peaceful, but the crowd became intimidated upon the arrival of the police and began to throw stones. The police reacted by firing tear gas into crowds which led to hundreds of students being shot and many killed. More than a thousand students were injured.
Hector Pieterson
Zolile Hector Pieterson (19th August 1963-16th June 1976) is one of the most famous victims of the Soweto uprising. He was shot and killed at the age of 12, falling on the corner of Moema and Vilakazi Streets.
A news photograph by Sam Nzima showed Hector being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo whilst Pieterson’s sister, Antoinette, runs beside them. It captures the pain and terror of the Soweto uprising and massacre. Mbuyisa and Nzima were both harassed by the police after the incident and went into hiding.
Image by Sam Nzima 1
Why does education matter for African children?
International Day of the African Child is an opportunity for those involved in the protection and promotion of children’s rights in Africa to unite, consolidate shared goals and tackle problems impeding the bright futures of African children.
It’s also a chance to spotlight issues surrounding education provision in African countries. Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the highest rates of learning poverty in the world with almost 46 million school-aged children across Eastern and Southern Africa not in school (UNICEF). Children who have been affected by conflict or climate emergencies are at the epicentre of this educational crisis.
Education is a fundamental human right, yet there are many barriers to a decent education for African children, including low household incomes, transport, hunger, poor infrastructure and facilities, unqualified teachers and poor governance.
How does International Day of the African Child align with the values of The Community Revolution CIC?
The team at TCR believes that all children deserve access to education as a basic human right. Attending school enables children to acquire essential skills and build a better future, increasing their likelihood of achieving stability and economic security.
TCR projects that help support rights and education for children
1. Digital Skills and Employability Programme
The Digital Skills and Employability Programme equips underrepresented groups, especially ethnic minorities, women and young people, with key digital literacy and technology training. This opens pathways to higher-quality, safer and more sustainable employment opportunities. Through practical skills development, participants gain the tools required to thrive in today’s economy, increasing the chances of achieving economic security.
2. CERC-DL/African SCENe
The Community Energy Resource Centre for Digital Learning (CERC-DL) initiative brings digital infrastructure and capacity-building programmes to communities lacking access to clean, affordable energy. By creating spaces for community learning and digital literacy, CERC-DL empowers people to take control of their own development through education and technology.
The African SCENe is just one project that forms part of the wider CERC-DL initiative. It focuses on localised, culturally-relevant digital learning that helps communities grow through sustainable energy access and inclusive digital education.
3. Moringa Initiative: Sustainable Agriculture in Ghana
In collaboration with the Ghana Permaculture Institute, TCR’s Moringa Initiative focuses on sustainable agriculture and value-chain development. It aims to empower rural communities, improving child nutrition and educational and development outcomes.
Various names of the moringa plant: saijhan or sajna, marango or murungai, mlonge or mulangay, ben oil tree or even simply drumstick.
Join our community
Celebrate International Day of the African Child 2025 with us today. Join our community in standing up for equal rights for children across Africa.
Follow us on social media for updates. Take part in live community engagement sessions, subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed and motivated, and explore ways of contributing to our ongoing projects.
Help us champion equality of access to education worldwide and build the foundations for a safe and equitable future for all.
- Dzambukira, Proud (November 5, 2006). “Remember, Remember the Fifth of November”. Harvard Computer Society., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27740971 ↩︎