International Red Hand Day

EVENT REPORT

Date: 16 Feb, 2021

Report date:
18 Feb 2021 Reporters name and contact details: Ghulam Rasool Wakili
Project Coordinator
WISE
wakili@wise.org.af
0093798111773

Name and Type of Event International Red Hand Day:
Campaign name: Fighting against the Use of Child Soldiers
Organized by: WISE
Places: Herat
Funded by: TDH & BMZ
Number of participants
Herat: 47 participants (31 females and 16 children)

Herat: 50 participants (36 males and 14 children)

Major Activities 1. Welcoming
2. Recitation of Holy Quran
3. The mission of the organization for child protection
4. Poetry and article reading by participants
5. Giving information about Red Hand Day
6. How people can cope with the use of child soldier
7. The rights of children from social and Islamic perspectives
8. Conclusion
9. Doing collective work by participants (Using red paint to make a handprint on a sheet of paper and add personal comments)
10. Taking photographs
Key facilitators 1. Ghulam Rasool Wakili, Project Coordinator
2. Mrs. Yahyazada, peace-building consultant
3. Peace club members and volunteers
A brief outline of key issues addressed in the event
The issues addressed included:
1. On February 16, 2021, the project team in a collective effort along with volunteer peace groups in Kahdestan, celebrated the International Red Hand Day for 47 participants including 20 females (mothers) and 17 children. The project coordinator initially talked about the mission of WISE Organization regarding child protection and the share of BMZ Project in supporting and protecting children from all categories of communities. Meanwhile, he talked about the effective role of parents in protecting children and particularly mothers in fighting against use of child soldiers and the ways they can or should train and behave their children so that to keep them away of such destructive phenomenon within their society.
2. The peacebuilding consultant talked about the history of the International Red Hand Day Event and the reason behind celebrating this event and the use of child soldiers in wars. She also spoke about the responsibility of all society members particularly mothers for advocacy for the rights of children and protecting them against exploitation or abuse of any kind.
3. Based on the agenda, two participants read poetry programs and appropriate articles on fighting against the use of child soldiers, that highly appreciated by the audience.
4. One of the peace club members who is also a civil activist talked about the rights of children from Islamic and social perspectives and what their family must do for their protection and respecting their basic rights.
5. At the end of the program, the project coordinator concluded the program and thanked the participants and particularly peace club members and peace volunteers for coordination and conduction of such an important event.
6. As a practical work and showing a sign of advocacy and support for children, the project team together with all participants used red paint and made a handprint on a sheet of paper and wrote their comments on it in support of children and fighting against use of child soldiers.
Challenges • The only challenge for the conduction of the program was the lack of enough space for keeping a social distance of participants.
Remarks • During the program, all participants particularly the females were given masks both to respect the international hygienic protocols and also to agree for taking pictures or any other document.
• Refreshment was distributed among all participants.