Children pledge towards a ‘Clean and Green’ world

It was on June 5, World Environment Day that children from Madanpur Khadar took up the responsibility to challenge the community and themselves in bringing a new green revolution in their area. Residing in a resettlement colony in the outskirts of Delhi, they have grown up witnessing the issues of sanitation and struggle for green spaces.

Shivani, the current president of children club expressed her opinion and raised a concern on including children voices. She said, “In the planning and promises authority make, we the children are unheard, unseen and ignored. Empty plots are lying for construction of market, for dispensary and many other plots is just lying empty and neglected. We the children don’t know whether among these empty plots we have a place for us to have as a park or play ground?”

The children decided to take up the issue and start a new journey to make the area clean and green. On 5th of June 2012, the youth club and children club formed by World Vision India took their first step of initiation and raised their voices together for their right to have safe, clean and Green Park to play and grow positively. They organised an event which was attended by more than 340 children, parents and CBOs members. They also invited the deputy mayor of the area to grace the occasion.

A special feature of the event was that children took up the challenge of reporting and recording the event using various media tools. Following write up by the children, best expressed and captured in their own words and angles.

Deputy Mayor inaugurated the event. We tied green band on his wrist which symbolises ‘go green and make our khadar green and clean and pledge to be part of our mission’. We also presented him a green plant.

We presented a petition to deputy mayor Bir singh along with 340 signatures of children. In petition we made an appeal for a park, as the empty plots were becoming garbage dumping ground, occupied by gamblers and alcoholics, for defecation, pigs slaughtering etc. As children don’t have place to play and to use their energy in positive way they are inclining towards wrong practices. In the petition we stated that it’s our right to have a playground and it’s your duty to provide us because our parents have chosen you to be our representative. And if a place is provided we the children assure you that we will keep it clean and take care of it.

With more than 340 children we carried out a rally with slogans, flash cards around the community to generate awareness and to let people know of our drive for cleanliness.

Members of youth club and children club divided into 4 groups, with brooms, hand gloves, masks, disinfectant and bins. Each group was allotted an alley. This drive was to clean a particular area to make people realise that cleanliness is the basic and most important step towards healthy life and clean environment. This exercise was very interesting and exciting; we worked as a team with one goal.

The youth club presented a role play on deforestation and requested to plant trees and ended with a message “if we keep our houses , our alleys , our community clean and green there will be no disease due to lack of hygiene. So there would be no extra expenses on treating diseases, then happy families, happy Khadar and happy earth”.