Cape Town – Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has told members of the fourth annual Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament that they must be the change they want to see.
The Minister said this when she hosted about 108 young people, aged between 11 and 17 years, for a dinner at the Pepper Club Hotel on Tuesday night.
The dinner was held ahead of the sitting of the children’s parliament in the Old Assembly in Parliament on Thursday morning.
The Minister said she was proud of how child ambassadors of the third Parliament – hand-picked from all nine provinces – went back to their areas of birth to run several campaigns they were passionate about to improve the lives of their peers.
Minister Dlamini said she was impressed and in some instances, touched by what the children had achieved.
“We also heard about programmes for abused children. We are going to work together with you to ensure that we instil programmes of change so that you can be the change that you want to see,” she said.
Some of the programmes child ambassadors participated in during the third session of the children’s parliament include tutoring Grade 11 and 12 learners in maths and science, and teenage pregnancy awareness campaigns, with some being aired on live radio.
The Minister said these and other programmes that young people undertook were commendable, and that her department would consider regulating them in the future.
She urged all members of the children’s parliament to never give up when confronted with life’s challenges when growing up.
While many of them came from different backgrounds – some from elite families while some from previously disadvantaged households – they should all aspire to work towards burying the pains of previous generations and walk on a path towards unity and nation building.
“Life… can have its challenges but if you fall, you must pull yourself up.
“What I have learnt from old people is that when they participate in a race and they fall, they pick themselves up and continue running.
“So what I want to tell you is that when you fall, pick yourself up and finish the race because that is a great accomplishment,” she said.
Sibongile Mkhabela, the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, said while many children are born in dire poverty, they should not allow their situations to define them.
Instead, they should aim to be innovative in everything they do and to build a better future for themselves.
She urged members of the children’s parliament to deliberate on the future they want for themselves.
“It is good for us to give you the basics but it is up to you to live up to the basics.
“As you come today, take the role of leadership seriously,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
