What is the World Day?
The World Day of Prayer and Action for Children promotes spiritual and religious ceremonies and a wide range of year-round actions.
The purpose is to bring together children and adults from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to advance the well-being of children and advocate for the respect and protection of their rights. The World Day is commemorated every year on November 20, which is also observed as World Children’s Day and the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It connects religious and spiritual communities and civil society organizations in a common endeavor to advocate for a world that prioritizes children’s rights and that lets children flourish in caring, empowering and protecting environments.
"Never before did humankind have the capacity to do so much good, to reach so many, to work with the poor and the oppressed, to empower them, and to promote justice and human rights for all, as we do today. Let us commit ourselves, therefore, on the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, to harness the power of our religious traditions and moral leadership to liberate all God’s children from poverty. Let us raise children to their full human potential. This is not just our duty, but the ultimate mark of our great human civilization."
Wear My Shoes Campaign
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we live and interact with others. It has also exacerbated pre-existing harms and created new harms to children including violence, poverty, their limited access to fundamental rights such as to health care and education, the increasing digital divide and online safety.
Building on the contribution of faith actors to children’s spiritual development and respect of their dignity and rights, in 2021 Prayer and Action for Children established the Wear My Shoes Campaign. Wear My Shoes aims to mobilize adults—including religious leaders, policymakers, parents/caregivers, and educators—to become the support system that children need for the realization of their rights and well-being. In 2021, the Wear My Shoes Campaign focused on children’s return to school while prioritizing their social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
