UNICEF Student Team Leiden: ‘We all have our own role to play here at Leiden University’
20 November 2024 is World Children's Day. To mark this occasion, the UNICEF Student Team Leiden is organising a lecture on children's rights. We spoke to board members Rewina Teferi Hagos and Tugwell Chadyiwanembwa to find out what motivates them.
What is the UNICEF Student Team?
Rewina: We’re a student volunteer organisation that works for UNICEF and organises all sorts of events. For example, this year we’re focusing on a big project to mobilise resources for eco-smart villages in Madagascar to help children cope with the effects of climate change. We’re also raising funds for Ukraine, Sudan and Palestine.
What is the main goal of the Student Team?
Tugwell: Basically, our main focus is to advance and promote children's rights on a global scale. We’re partnering with UNICEF to get these rights onto the global agenda. It’s important for me that people clearly understand and appreciate the importance of children’s rights. We need to engage people in the process of promoting that kind of understanding and we’re trying to do that by building a community.
Rewina: UNICEF is a children’s rights organisation, so the two most important things are to raise awareness for children’s rights and to raise funds for all sorts of projects to improve those rights. Not only for the Madagascar project, but also for other awareness issues. We’re trying to raise awareness of the issues outside of your own ‘bubble’ and to expose people to different projects.
Tugwell: I think we all have our role to play here at Leiden University. After graduating, we’ll be moving on to different ventures and areas throughout the world. So this is the best time to implement a culture of promoting children’s rights.
Which kind of activities do you organise?
Rewina: We’re generally targeting students with local activities and we’re trying to keep it affordable so that everyone can join in. So far, we’ve organised a pub quiz and a bake night. On 20 November, we’re holding a lecture to mark World Children’s Day and hopefully a bake sale across various locations in Leiden.
What was the main reason why you joined the UNICEF Student Team?
Rewina: I used to work at UNICEF in my home country. When I started studying here, it was more like an extension of what I’d been working on in Ethiopia. I was already working and interested in children’s rights, so within the Student Team I could combine this work with promoting children's rights.
Tugwell: For me, it’s purely a passion to promote children’s rights. I’ve been working in this area of work for some time and we both follow the Advanced Master’s in International Children’s Rights. I thought this could be an opportunity to try to motivate others.
You’re both board members on the UNICEF Student Team. What are your responsibilities?
Rewina: I’m the Chair, so it’s my responsibility to coordinate the board. Most of the other board members are responsible for volunteers who are constantly coming up with new ideas for activities. I help with communicating those activities and I’m responsible for the contact with the national board and the UNICEF office.
Tugwell: As Head of Awareness, my main responsibility is to raise awareness for children’s rights. I try to connect all the projects we’re organising to the essence of children’s rights.
20 November is World Children’s Day. What are we commemorating or celebrating?
Tugwell: 20 November is an important day on the United Nations’ calendar. It marks the anniversary of the date the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It’s a day to reflect on where we are now and what needs to be done to ensure that every child in the world has rights. It’s also a day to celebrate how far we’ve come.
Can you tell me a bit more about the lecture you’re organising?
Rewina: Ann Skelton, who is the current Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, will give the lecture on 20 November.
Tugwell: The theme of the lecture is ‘Investing in our children is investing in our future’. If we’re all serious about investing in children, we can solve a lot of global challenges. We want to convey this message to all students and staff at Leiden University as well as everyone in Leiden.
In addition, we want to paint Leiden blue on 20 November. The colour blue represents both children and UNICEF. So, we’re encouraging everyone to wear something blue that day, even if you’re not coming to the lecture.
Text: Wouter Geerts
Image: Tugwell Chadyiwanembwa
The lecture organised by the UNICEF Student Team will take place on Wednesday 20 November from 15.30 to 17.00 in the Kamerlingh Onnes Building, room C1.31. Register here!
To mark World Children’s Day, two other events will take place next week, which Leiden Law School staff will be attending to share their expertise on children’s rights:
- Ann Skelton will be a keynote speaker at the International Children’s Peace Prize ceremony in Amsterdam on Tuesday 19 November;
- Sheila Varadan will be a panel member at The Hague Human Rights Film Festival 2024 on Thursday 21 November.