Thank you for being part of the World Day 2023!
“Caring for Our Children is Caring for Our Planet”
According to UNICEF, climate change is the biggest threat to children, impacting their health, education, and rights. Many children in 33 countries face high risks due to climate effects. Children are more vulnerable to climate impacts, like disrupted education and health. Moving due to climate change raises risks of abuse. Droughts and floods have harmed 149 million children, and 345 million people in 82 countries faced severe food shortages by mid-2022. Climate change also hits water-scarce areas, causing farming issues and more poverty. Faith-based efforts promote climate justice, focusing on fairness for all. This means considering social, gender, economic, and environmental issues. It also involves faith and values to create positive change.
Protecting vulnerable children from climate impacts is a key concern.
This Year, the Wear My Shoes Award Campaign, in its third edition, aims to mobilize children and adults to respond to the climate crisis and its impact on Health, Education, Poverty, Violence, Justice and Migration.
The global campaign will examine the contributions made by faith leaders, faith communities, civil society, and non-profit organizations to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and protect children from climate change’s impact on their well-being.
The Wear My Shoes Award 2023 will recognize ongoing outstanding climate actions initiated and/or promoted by children at the grassroots level. The World Day Planning Comitee aims to support actions that empower children and youth to address the root causes of
climate injustice and focus protecting children’s dignity, including the most vulnerable and at the highest risk.
Meet the Winners!
Colombia - HELPING OUR PLANET THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL EMPOWERMENT AT SCHOOL SYSTEM
The project was initiated in response to the urgent need for environmental education and action within a diverse school system serving populations, including Venezuelan migrants, indigenous communities, and various Christian denominations. The project recognizes that environmental issues affect everyone, regardless of background or beliefs. It seeks to bridge cultural and religious divides to empower students and their communities to become environmentally conscious and responsible. The project's inception was driven by the belief that education and engagement at the school level could instill a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. By nurturing an understanding of environmental challenges and fostering a sense of shared responsibility, "HOPES" aimed to empower students to become active advocates for our planet, transcending cultural and religious boundaries to pursue a sustainable and harmonious future for all.
Cameroon - THE CHILDREN CLIMATE ARTIST PROJECT
In 2019, children from different backgrounds led by Bertsy Nahsang met in Bamenda Town, Cameroon, to discuss poverty-related challenges and climate changes they face and envision a new future together. Among other issues they discussed were norms and practices that may help them overcome these challenges and how learning to live together and education could play a key role. Imagine a tree or grove of trees in every yard, community space, park, public area, school, and university campus with children sitting together. Each tree represents the commitment and responsibility of ensuring a healthy planet for future generations. it’s also about re-greening our communities with native/indigenous plants, pollinator species, plants that provide fruits, food, and medicinal benefits, Agro-forestry, reforestation, and protecting already existing stands of trees.
Romania - PROTECTING OUR PLANET, WE PROTECT OUR RIGHTS - INFORMATION. MOTIVATION. ACTION
The project was started to answer the need for the schools to involve students in specific activities during Green Week regarding protecting nature, according to the new national school curriculum.
This helped us to develop children's capacity while connecting with nature. At the same time, this allowed us to offer a proper space for activities related to learning and growing while empowering children and youth to address the root causes of climate change.
India - ECO-WARRIOR BANDSTAND BEACH CLEANING AT BANDRA
St. Catherine of Siena school is close to Bandstand (Bandra). The children would always talk about the garbage surrounding the Shantis, but they were used to it because their parents never took the initiative to clean. They were bogged down with their home problems, such as alcoholism, poverty, and struggle to make ends meet, so no one was thinking about the outside world. So, Patricia Furtado (Trustee) at St. Catherine of Siena School and a group of volunteers created something to keep the Bandstand area clean. This activity takes place once a month on a Sunday. But the site gets dirty again and again. The Eco-Warrior is an ongoing program at St. Catherine of Siena School, and we will continue to do so until the BMC notices our children doing this wonderful job.
Seychelles - Environmental Practices for a Sustainable Future
The project started two years ago to sensitize and empower our students to become more environmentally conscious about our fragile ecosystem. Every year in the southeast monsoon trade, wind piles of rubbish are dumped on our shores, and the victims are the fish, the marine life we consume as it is being endangered. With other partners, we collaborated to do beach clean-ups, clean our mangroves, and sensitize our students at our school and others about the impact of pollution. Our project is still ongoing. We also work with our school to reduce lit erring and encourage recycling gardening. At Mont Fleuri Secondary School, we also incorporate living values in our work.
Partners
