Day of the African Child Celebrated

June 16 is the day set aside by the then OAU, now AFRICAN UNION, to remember the hundreds of South African children who were massacred in Soweto while on a peaceful demonstration during the Apartheid regime.

Every year a series of activities is organised throughout the continent to observe the day and to sensitise people generally about the rights of children and the need for them to be protected. "The Child and the Family" formed the theme of this year's celebration. In Sierra Leone the President, Alhaji Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, spent the day with school children on his farm at Brama village, near Newton, some forty miles outside Freetown.

Pupils from thirty-one primary and four secondary schools from the Koya chiefdom and its environs were at the president's farm to commemorate the day.

The Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, the FAO and EU Representatives, Ministers and other high-ranking government officials were among the host of personalities who graced the occasion.

Chairman for the occasion, Mr Sultan Kamara, described the day as special, especially for the children pointing out that the child is the most important asset any country can have.
He said the presence of President Kabbah at the ceremony was a demonstration of his concern for the welfare of the children. Mr Sultan Kamara stated, however, that a child cannot grow by himself and that the responsibility lies with the parents to provide them with food, education and the necessary guidance to shape their lives.

He also spoke about the important role teachers play in moulding the characters of their pupils, noting that most children tend to emulate their teachers. In this connection he said teachers must be properly dressed and be well disciplined so they can serve as good examples or role models to their pupils.

The Paramount Chief of Koya, Alhaji PC Kompa Bomboli, in his welcome address praised President Kabbah for his interest and concern for the people of Koya. He said the President's decision to establish a farm in the area served as a wake up call for the people of Koya who have now fully embraced farming as a means of livelihood as well as a commercial undertaking.

He praised the Ministry of Education for the good work done for the people of Koya and called for the establishment of more schools. P.C. Bomboli also thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for its support, health for the eradication of polio and NACSA for the rebuilding of buildings and other infrasrtucture that had been destroyed in their communities.

Minister of Agriculture Dr. Sama Mondeh was happy that the occasion took place at the President's Farm which, he noted, started on a modest scale. He said the President's farm was an illustration of his determination to fight hunger and provide an example in realising his vision of 'food security by 2007'. He commended the people of Koya for embracing farming on a large scale.

Speaking on behalf of the children, Seray Kabbah, recalled the unfortunate incident in South Africa which resulted in the massacre of thousands of children. She said while it was good to remember those killed in South Africa, it was important also to remember the many children who were killed in the rebel war in Sierra Leone.

She said children of Sierra Leone suffered a lot and prayed that President Kabbah's dream of food security and poverty reduction would be achieved so that the children would have a bright future.

Miss Seray Kabbah also spoke of the need for government to address the concerns of the teachers, saying when teachers are not happy their unhappiness is reflected on the pupils and appealed for the prompt payment of teachers' salaries.

Health and Sanitation Minister Agnes Taylor-Lewis said Sierra Leone had received commendation for being one of the few developing countries to have eradicated polio by sixty percent.

She informed the people of Koya that drugs for children and old women were free and spoke about the setting up of an action group for maternal and child survival, with the aim of eradicating malaria which is the number one killer of pregnant women and young children.
Mrs Taylor-Lewis disclosed that the ministry is currently distributing insecticide-treated bed-nets and that every pregnant woman who visits a clinic would be given this bed-net free of charge. The health minister spoke against the use of children for garbage collection and advised them not to engage in sexual activities so as to avoid the dreaded HIV/AIDS disease.

Minister of Education Dr Alpha Wurie said, June 16 is a day for serious reflection on children's lives and what society can do to improve the lot of children.
He stressed that parents have a role to play to provide good health, education and support to help the children grow, adding that if the child does not grow up well it is because the parents do not want them to.

Dr. Wurie stated that there had been an increase in the population of school going children, and that there are now about a million children in primary schools alone.
He further stated that the fact that government is paying school and exams fees and providing core learning materials does not mean that parents should not provide the other needs of children in school.

Minister Wurie spoke of the need for the reintroduction of school gardens, adding that apart from education, our future in this country lies in the soil. He called on the children to assist their parents on the farms after school, so that by the time they grow up they would have got used to the habit of hard work. On the late payment of teachers' salaries, Dr Wurie said the reason was due to the ever increasing teacher population, but hasten to give the assurance that the ministry is doing its best and that by next academic year there would be no more late payment of teachers' salaries.

President Kabbah said he was at the farm on that day on the invitation of the children of Koya, who had extended an invitation to him to spend the day with them.

He explained how he got involved in farming, saying that when he and his wife retired from the United Nations, they resolved to have a farm not too far away from Freetown as a way of contributing to the development of the country.The President spoke about the importance of farming and cited Malaysia, a country that had become an economic giant because of palm oil. He also mentioned that Malaysia got its initial oil palm trees from Sierra Leone.

He praised the Wan Pot Comedians for conveying the message of food security in a very powerful and effective way to the people.

The President noted that by importing rice, we are exporting the opportunity for employment to Asia. " Why should we export the opportunity for employment to Asia and why should we allow others dictate the type of rice we should eat when we have enough water and arable land"?, the President asked.

Just after the Second World War, President Kabbah explained, Sierra Leone used to export rice until mining started and people left the farm for the mines. The President further told his audience that the people in countries like Ghana and Nigeria now eat a lot of rice even though they are not rice growing countries.

He said if we grow enough rice, we could sell some to these countries, which will enhance the capacity of our farmers. The President made it clear that apart from security, agriculture is government's number one priority, adding that through the Ministry of Agriculture government is providing the necessary support to help the farmers. He said children are the future leaders, but they have to remain alive and strong to be able to take up these future roles.

The children, President Kabbah observed, also have an important role to play. And that is, to tell their parents to work harder and spend more time on their work, as most farmers are content with growing just what would keep them and their families going. He advised Sierra Leoneans in general to inculcate the habit of hard work so as to build enough wealth for this country.

The President presented footballs, books and other school items made available by the Chinese Ambassador, FAO and EU Representatives to the children.

President Kabbah's farm area at Brama village is two hundred and fifty acres, of which one hundred and sixty-five acres have been used for the cultivation of oil palm. There is also a large acreage of fruits and vegetables in addition to rice which is the main crop on the farm.

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