Preparations to host this year’s International Day of the African Child launch, also known as the Day of the African Child (DAC) in Kitui County are in top gear.
The event which is celebrated on June 16 , shall be held at Ithookwe Primary School in Kitui Central Constituency.
The International Day of The African Child is celebrated every year nationwide and internationally since it was first intitiated by the Organization of African Unity ( OAU) since 1991.
The day honors and celebrates those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 and raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of education provided to African children.
According to Wikipedia, in Soweto , South Africa on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and and demanding their right to be taught in their own language .
During the protest hundreds of young students were shot, the most famous of which being Hector Peterson. Sadly, more than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and more than a thousand were injured.
Kitui County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto who is chairing DAC Kitui Committee ahead of the event says atleast 1500 children mobilized from Kitui County will be expected to attend and celebrate their day, which will kick off with procession from Kitui’s Ithookwe Airstrip.
The theme for this year’s Day of The African Child and the pre-launch of the African Union’s theme for 2024 is ” Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”
