National Children’s Month is celebrated every October here in the Philippines. Mandated by Presidential Proclamation 267, it is a time to recognize the value of Filipino Children as the most valuable assets in the society. Observed by Government and Non-Government agencies around the Philippines, the month-long celebration is also a campaign to end violence against children and to promote their physical, emotional, moral, spiritual and intellectual well-being.
Stairway celebrated the month-long event with a series of Children’s Rights and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention workshops for Stairway scholars and their parents. A team went up to Manila to create Child Friendly Spaces in ten police precincts around Metro Manila. In Stairway, the children enjoyed many different activites through out the month of October from learning about foreign countries to making clay ovens.
At the end of the month, we celebrated with an impressive display of music, poetry, dance, theatre, drawings and sculpture. The children were given awards of encouragement followed by games and lasagna!
“Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” -Anonymous