International Day of the African Child

Today, June 16th is the:



 International Day of the African Child

It has been celebrated on June 16th every year since 1991. It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising on June 16, 1976. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children.

In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young students were shot, the most famous of which being Hector Peterson. More than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and more than a thousand were injured.

Today, we pray for African children.

We pray for their education.

Their faith in God, our Savior.

That through challenges, they trust and believe.

For love.

For play.

For dreams.

For self-confidence.

For laughter.

For hope.