day of the child

We have been laughing all week, every time one of us accidentally says ´´the day of the child´´ in English. Día del niño just doesn´t translate with the same feeling.

Today is el día del niño here in honduras. Last friday the princess stopped by my house, this time in much better spirits. We ate dinner and then she was telling me about what they do to celebrate the holiday. She washed all of the dishes and i paid here $1 so that she could buy a bottle of soda to bring to the party at school so she could participate in the celebration. She told me that she would be in the drama because the teacher always chooses her because she is good at acting. She will play the part of the sister of the child with no name. The drama illustrates the Rights of the Child. According to her memory, these are the rights of the child:

The right to a name
The right to play
The right to education
The right to be loved
The right to a house
The right to food
The right to be protected and safe

It is sad to know that each of these rights is a delicate and often missing reality in her life and in the lives of many other kids in my neighborhood and in the world. Her right to play is often taken away because she is responsible for cooking the food for her brothers and sisters and often has to do the wash too. Her right to be loved is jeopardized by the broken relationships with her family and the abandonment of her father. Her right to a house is a fragile reality, the wood home with a dirt floor is vulnerable to floods each time it rains. Her right to food is often just a dream. There may be several days a week when she doesn´t eat. Her right to protection and safety are absent.

Check out these two photo essays from UNICEF about the Rights of the Child