News & Views

The seventh leg of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour spent four days in the Philippines.

... the last event of the tour was a rugby clinic for 100 children at the Concepcion Elementary School in Marikina City. The activity was delivered by Rugby World Cup 2019 Worldwide Partner DHL in collaboration with the Philippine Rugby Football Union, Davao Durian Rugby Club and ChildFund, through their Pass it Back programme. The children enjoyed rugby-based sessions as well as learning important life skills centred around key rugby values of passion, solidarity, integrity, respect and discipline.

ChildFund Alliance is pleased to announce that Kevin Hyland has been appointed the new CEO of ChildFund Ireland, a member of ChildFund Alliance, effective July 30, 2018.

Kevin is a renowned international specialist in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. His expertise has been shaped by 30 years’ experience as an officer in London’s Metropolitan Police Service, notably as head of the Human Trafficking Unit.

In 2014, Kevin was named as the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner by then-Secretary of State Theresa May. In 2015, Kevin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his outstanding service in combating human trafficking.

Our new member spotlight describes ChildFund Korea's Yellow Carpet initiative, which is saving the lives of school children at dangerous road crossings.

Hanoi (VNA) – Microsoft Vietnam will sponsor 5.4 billion VND (233,676 USD) to aid Vietnam’s efforts in protecting children online as part of a freshly signed agreement. 

The cooperation deal on child protection in cyberspace was signed in Hanoi on July 12 by Microsoft Vietnam, the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the ChildFund Vietnam.

Find out about the High-Level Political Forum — what is it, and why is it so important to the global community.

More than 2,000 representatives of government, civil society, business and United Nations (UN) agencies are meeting at the annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) this week in New York.

They’re figuring out if the world is on track to meet six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015 for completion by 2030.

The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, of which ChildFund Alliance is a member, issued the following statement on 27 June 2018. 

The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action is an interagency coalition of nearly 100 member organizations working to protect children who face adversity. We call for urgent action to rapidly reunify separated children with their families and end detention, in accordance with their best interests.

Based on our collective experiences, lessons learned, and accepted standards of care and protection for children, we urge all responsible parties to:

• Facilitate rapid family reunification;
• Provide mental health and psychosocial support to children and their families;
• Ensure that administrative and legal procedures meet their best interests; and
• Prevent further family separation by ending the use of detention.

ChildFund Alliance members are undertaking a project in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua designed to improve the well-being of children and youth who are at risk of irregular migration.

(ENGLISH)

Preventing Irregular Child Migration in Central America (PICMCA)

Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC) is leading a CAD $15.2M regional project in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua designed to improve the well-being of children and youth who are at risk of irregular migration. The Government of Canada is contributing CAD $12.6 million to the four-year project. The initiative addresses a number of the root causes that fuel irregular migration — from high levels of crime and violence, limited employment and educational opportunities, to social exclusion and a lack of information on the inherent dangers of migrating without following the normal immigration procedures. For this project, CCFC is partnering with two non-governmental organizations: ChildFund International and EDUCO.

Annual UN report names 66 perpetrators for abuse and exploitation of children in conflict, including the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen

NEW YORK, June 26, 2018 – The UN Secretary-General’s latest report is evidence of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s continued disregard for children’s rights in Yemen, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released his annual report on children and armed conflict to UN Security Council members. The report details grave child rights violations in conflicts around the world in 2017, including Yemen. According to the UN’s findings, the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for killing or maiming 670 children in Yemen, out of a total of 1,316 child casualties documented in 2017. It also found that the coalition was responsible for 19 out of 20 documented attacks on schools and nearly half of all attacks on hospitals in Yemen last year.

Right now, as policies and procedures surrounding children separated from their families continue to evolve, a major concern has yet to be resolved: the plight of those thousands who remain removed from their parents. ChildFund International is deeply concerned about their wellbeing. We have been working with children and families on both sides of the border for decades, and will apply that unique expertise and insight to assist these children until they can be reunited.

“These kids are doubly traumatized, first in the dangerous journey from their home countries and then in being taken from the people who love them,” said Anne Lynam Goddard, ChildFund’s president and CEO. “They need much more than basic sustenance. They need emotional support and care. Children who are not in the care of their parents are also even more vulnerable to exploitation and neglect.”

As CEO and Director of ChildFund India, Neelam Makhijani is working to give excluded and vulnerable children the capacity to improve their lives and become adults who bring positive change in their communities.

As a journalist in New York, Neelam Makhijani worked for a leading Asian weekly, where she wrote and commented on South Asian political issues. Her job connected her to many humanitarian initiatives and she decided to take her job on-ground and “be the change she wished to see”.