Hand in hand for the sake of children
After six months of training, 40 Unicef Young Envoys are ready to do the best they can to promote children's rights in Hong Kong.
They made the pledge in the appointment ceremony last Sunday that they will help bring about a child-friendly city.
Dr Maggie Koong, council member of the Hong Kong Committee for Unicef, said the Young Envoys Programme is a long-term educational effort that lets youngsters spread the message of children's rights.
'You need to have global awareness. There are children dying every minute in some parts of the world. As a children's rights advocate, you need to know what is happening,' she said.
Envoy Daniel Li Ka-chun, 16, said he joined the programme because he wanted to make friends and help promote children's rights.
He said the young envoys have organised different activities, such as photo and drawing competitions and debates in schools, to raise awareness of children's issues among students.
Another envoy Wong So-ho, 15, said that while making friends was one reason he joined, he was also determined to spread the message of children's rights.
'A lot of children in some developing countries do not have enough food and clean water. And there are many orphans in those countries, too,' he said.
The young envoys will be visiting some poor villages on the mainland this summer to learn first-hand about the lives of children there.
