Building relationships

Creating opportunities for children to participate in community development

Although Guinea Bissau is among the countries that signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, decision-makers, parents and children don’t have a clear idea what it really means. The Convention lists children’s rights to an education, adequate health care and other basic rights, such as that of an official birth certificate.

To increase awareness about this Convention, a series of radio shows were put together last year by Plan and community members. A children’s theatre group was trained in radio production and 19 stories were recorded on cassettes and CDs. Radio stations are now broadcasting the sketches, debates and discussions in two national languages, Portuguese and Creole.

The children involved in the radio production and those who have heard the shows are now talking about the sketches and talking among their families about their rights.