D.R. Congo - Celebration of the Day of the African Child 2024 at the Gahinja Reception House at Don Bosco Ngangi Youth Centre
Goma, D.R. Congo – June 2024 – The Don Bosco Ngangi Youth Centre, on the sidelines of the Day of the African Child on 16 June, organised two days of activities to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable children in and around Goma. On 17 June, Florentin Kahwa, an expert in child protection, conducted an awareness-raising session for those responsible for the controls of the Don Bosco Ngangi refugee camp. During this session, emphasis was placed on the need to discourage parents from using their children for begging and other dangerous jobs on the street, a problem unfortunately very visible in Goma, especially at this time when several displaced people have settled on the borders of the city of Goma. On 18 June, a celebration was organised at the Casa Gahinja in the centre, bringing together displaced children, street children and other children in difficult life situations. Under the gaze of the authorities of the Provincial Division of Social Affairs in North Kivu, representatives of the Project Office, the VIS, Welt Hunger HILFE and Egee NGOs, these children sang and danced for peace. Father Jacques Balabala, SDB, of the Ngangi Community, presided over the Eucharistic celebration and spoke with the many children present about their rights. Several activities took place after the Mass: raising awareness of children's rights, folk dances, songs for peace and a fraternal meal. The Salesian community thanked Don Bosco Mission Bonn and all the benefactors and collaborators of the Salesian works that support these initiatives for the vulnerable children of Goma.
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