OurChildren2010

Published February 22, 2010

While You’re Watching the World Cup –
Who Is Watching Our Children?

ourchildren2010

We’re Launching A Campaign!

You cannot escape the soccer mania in South Africa- there are posters and advertisements everywhere you turn.  Although there is widespread excitement, many South Africans are dreading the implications of hundreds of thousands of visitors – from traffic to inflated prices.

There will no doubt be inconveniences and opportunities made available through the World Cup, but not everyone will be benefiting.  One of the dark sides to any international events is the growth of black market activity- from drug trade to human trafficking.  In the case of South Africa, there have already been reports of increased trafficking internally, to supply new brothels that will be used by soccer fans visiting for the World Cup.  As traffickers increases their operations in the region, effective and sweeping child-safety initiatives are needed. (Learn more about trafficking in South Africa here).

My grandmother, a social worker by training, has lived and worked in South Africa for over 80 years.  She has consistently been involved with young people and is also an extreme pragmatist.  When the government of South Africa announced they were going to extend the school holiday over the time of the World Cup – she decided something had to be done about childcare (and apparently we needed to get everyone in the entire country involved in the effort).  So my grandmother and I have launched a new campaign:   OurChildren2010 Campaign.

What’s It All About?

During the 2010 World Cup South Africa will be filled with visitors, most of them well intentioned sports fans. Some, however, will not be so well meaning. From 11 June to 11 July millions of children will be left at home without childcare.

Since the government extended the holiday break, children will be out of school for an entire month.  For families that cannot afford the cost of childcare, the only option will be to leave their children unattended at home, or with a watchful neighbor.  We are calling on every community to open their doors to children during this time, in order to ensure that the kids don’t fall prey to those who may want to manipulate or take advantage of them.


A Call To Action

Learn More & Help Us Spread The Word!

Learn about counter-trafficking efforts in South Africa, and  download educational and other training material from these organizations.

You can watch the campaign videos on  YouTube, become a fan on Facebook and learn more at www.ourchildren2010.com

NEW: OurChildren2010 is now partnering with Vine Associates so that you can make a tax deductible donation to the campaign to help us get the word out! Learn More Here.