At the United Nations in Nairobi, Globetree, an international children's organization promoting children's meaningful engagement in the urban environment, hosted in partnership with UN-HABITAT and UNEP the anniversary celebration of the organization by presenting a play entitled "My Life" or "Maisha Yangu".
Maisha Yangu is a performance about the life of a young girl who is forced to live in the streets and how she manages to survive. The actors are four children and two young adults from the Dandora slum in Nairobi. The young actors and the over 300 youth attending the event brought a message of unity and the shared determination of the youth to unite across boundaries and fight for the rights of young people to access good health, education, shelter, water and sanitation.
Senior Advisor on Youth Mr. Anantha Krishnan, speaking on behalf of UN-HABITAT Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos, called on young people to take advantage of the opportunities that exist, and work towards making the planet a better place to live. "Your energy, creativity and imagination must continue to play an important role in the different sectors, contributing to the progressive transformation of our communities. Your ideas, hopes and dreams are a reflection of the world's hopes and dreams".
Parallel to this event, UN-HABITAT participated in the Eco-Schools Kenya the Education for Sustainable Development workshop at Brookhouse School in Nairobi. This goal of this event was to launch a strategy of mainstreaming Education for sustainable Development (ESD) into schools in Nairobi through the Eco-School Programme. Eco-Schools is a programme that guides schools on their journey to sustainability, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life.
"Sustainability and youth are at the core of UN-HABITAT's mandate," stated Douglas Ragan, representing the agency at the event, "We encourage and support Brookhouse and the Eco-school movement in educating youth on issues of sustainability, especially as it relates to cities." |
