Report Preparatory Roots Meeting 2003

Transkript

1 Report Preparatory Roots Meeting 2003 A prestudy to an exchange program between Lake Victoria Region and Swedish Municipalities connected to the Baltic Sea. Roots Meeting in Nairobi in cooperation with Children s Meeting Place UNON in cooperation with Page 1 of 87

2 At the Preparatory Roots Meeting, the Children are preparing the exhibition in their tree at the Childrens Meeting Place at the grounds of United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya, April Text: Kajsa Dahlström and Sam Samuelsson Foto: Sam Samuelsson / Globögat Picture in front page: The Acacia tree at the Children s Meeting Place, The Preparatory Roots Meeting with financial support of Forum Syd/Sida, Swedish Ministry of Education, Swedish Institut and Swedish Association of Local Authorities. Globträdet Globetree Bergsgatan 2 (3tr) Stockholm Sweden Tel: Fax: globetree@globetree.org Homepage: Page 2 of 87

3 Content Page I. Foreword 5 II. Executive summary Background Preparatory Roots Meeting April Children and Youth Workshops 2.2. Teacher's Seminars 2.3. Mayor's Meeting, April The National Museums of Kenya 2.5 Meetings and dialogues under the Children s Tree 2.6 Excursions, Study Tours, Field Trips and Final Ceremony 2.7. Conclusions and recommendations About and for the children About and for the teachers About and for Mayors (Local Leaders) Problem issues of interest 3.0 Follow-up April-September Visits to 6 cities in the Lake Victoria Region Tanzania - Mwanza Kenya - Kisumu Uganda Busia, Mukono, Kampala and Entebbe Networking between the Lake Victoria Region and the Baltic Sea Youth Exchange Program to Sweden UNEP Deputy Exec. Dir. visits Sweden 3.3 Follow-up of the Swedish participants 4.0. Future Plan of Action Acknowledgements 21 APPENDICES APPENDIX A. Participants 26 Mayors, Chiefs and Experts Schools and Children Centres APPENDIX B. Facts and figures 4 12 of April Activities day by day 4 12 th of April Program Preparatory Roots Meeting 4 12 of April 2003 APPENDIX C. Workshops, Seminars and Dialogues 37 Teacher s Seminars at the National Museums of Kenya Mayor s Meeting 6 8 th of April Our Common Future - A speech by the Mayor of Kisumu Mr Otieno Karan Meeting under the Tree - At the United Nations Children s messages in the tree From the Opening Ceremony at the Children s Meeting Place Dialogues between the Mayors and the Children Children s questions APPENDIX D. Lake Victoria Youth Exchange Program 45 Diary by Fatuma Wamala, Kampala, Uganda from Anifa Amada, Mwanza, Tanzania APPENDIX E. Chlldren s Garden An idea for further discussion by Jacky Foo, Stockholm 50 APPENDIX F. Reflections by Dr. Gunnel Dalhammar, Royal Institute of Technology 51 APPENDIX G. Evaluation/Personal Reflections (only in Swedish) 53 APPENDIX H. Children s Meeting Place - Children s Declaration, Conclusions and Recommendations 82 Page 3 of 87

4 Kenyas Assistant Minister for the Environment Wangari Mathai and the UNEP Executive Director Dr. Klaus Töpfer is presented to the children s United Water and Soil Ceremony. UN-Habitat Executive Director M/s Anna K.Tibaijuka in dialogue with the Mayors of the Lake Victoria Region and Municipality leaders and representatives from Sweden The Chief of Habitat Partner & Youths Section, Mr. S. Ananthakrishnan and the Program Officer Children, Youth and Sport Programmes, Mr. Theodore E.A. Oben in dialogue with the children. Page 4 of 87

5 I. Foreword The first Preparatory Roots Meeting took place on the 6 th - 12 th of April at the United Nations in Nairobi, Kenya in cooperation with UNEP, Habitat and National Museums of Kenya. 200 children, youth and adults from four nations participated in the Roots Meeting; 50 persons from 11 cities and municipalities of Sweden, 70 from the Lake Victoria Region and 80 from Nairobi. More than half of the participants were children and youth. Among the adults were teachers, experts from universities, museums, local authorities, NGO s, artists and cultural workers. Mayors and Municipality leaders from 13 cities/municipalties took part in the Mayor s Meeting. Especially invited Guests took part in the program at the Children s Meeting Place, UNON; UNEP Executive Director Dr. Klaus Toepfer, UN Habitat Exec. Dir. M/s Anna Tibaijuka, Assistant Minister for the Environment of Kenya Prof. Wangari Maathai, the Swedish Ambassador Bo Göransson, the Mayor of Nairobi, Counselor Joe K. Akech. The reason for the Roots Meeting in 2004 is the commitment made under the Acacia Tree at UNON during the inauguration of the Children s Meeting Place in September A tree without roots cannot grow and the roots are concerned adults who wish to share knowledge and listen and learn from the young. At the inauguration of the Children s Meeting Place, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan wrote to the children and said it s a tradition in African life to meet under the tree and he looks forward to hear what is shared at the Children s Meeting Place. The roots of the tree remind us of hidden and forgotten wisdom, knowledge and insights. Under the tree we learn with all senses, not only the rational mind. Children invited everyone to their tree with dances, music, poetry, songs and drama. The mayors and especially invited guests were also invited to join children in Our Uniting Water and Soil Ceremony. Everyone was asked to bring a symbol of something they deeply care for and children brought artful messages which they hang in the branches of the tree. All these preparations were important steps to prepare for the dialogue which took place between children, mayors and the specially invited guests. When the mayor of Kisumu received the invitation to Roots Meeting he hesitated to join. To be away from office for three days is a very long time. The last day of the Mayor s Meeting at the office of Mayor of Nairobi, where all mayors shared their impression, the Mayor of Kisumu said: These days have changed my life, I will not be the same. We conclude the First Prep. Roots Meeting was successful. Mayors, teachers and experts all agree it s important to listen and learn from children and the children appreciated they were listened to and respected. The mayors commited themselves to establish Children s Meeting Places close to the City Hall where the dialogue between children and mayors will continue. At the Globetree s Yearly Globedays the children s questions were discussed. How can the children s concern for water, firewood and survival be supported? The idea of a Children s Garden in close connection to the Children s Meeting Place was discussed and received Page 5 of 87

6 positive respons. The Children s Garden can be an area where old and new ideas can be tried out and inspire the education and involve the municipality at large. In Globetree we are convinced the faith of the future will not only evolve by programs, projects and aid. We are certain the first and most important step is to feel our own commitment and listen to our own concern. Money is a vehicle for change but money without concern will only last as long as the money lasts. That is why we took time in the Roots Meeting to allow all to share their own personal views, dreams, ideas, worries and expressions of beauty, joy and laughter. We are now moving ahead to the Second Preparatory Roots Meeting. We look forward to hear the voices of the past unite with the voices of the future. We know Africa has a deep soil of wisdom. There are dimensions of sharing knowledge which are forgotten and in all cultures there are deep roots speaking to the longing of a way forward where poverty, abuse, neglect, destruction of nature and all aspects of unequality is gone. We look forward to see the wisdom of the past unite with the best of the world s examples of appropriate technology. We are many coming together for the second Roots Meeting which will be a Children s Meeting Place and Networking in the Lake Victoria Region November/December Stockholm, Sweden, September 2003 M/s Kajsa B. Dahlström President Globtree Initiator of the Roots Meeting At the ground of the Museums of Kenya, Nairobi a Children s tree are inaugurated by the participating children who invite the Mayors and Municipality leaders to a Soil and Water Ceremony Page 6 of 87

7 II. Executive summary 1. This document reports on the activities of the First Preparatory Roots Meeting in Nairobi, its follow-ups and visits in Africa as well as activities in Sweden. The report will also be available on the web-site of Globetree 2. In September 2001 the Children s Meeting Place was inaugurated with the Mother Tree at the grounds of United Nations, Nairobi. The Children s Meeting Place is a sacred place where children and the World s leaders can meet and learn from one another. It was decided that children will return to the Mother tree to meet world leaders at the Roots Meeting in The preparation of the Roots Meeting consists of two preparatory meetings. At the 1 st preparatory meeting (April 2003), 203 children, teachers and Mayors from the Lake Victoria region and from Sweden participated and contributed to several types of activities: a. Under the Mother tree of Children s Meeting Place at the United Nations grounds in Nairobi, leaders of various organizations and Mayors of cities meet and interacted with children on different occasions to discuss their concerns and to work out recommendations and future activities. b. The study-tours for Swedish participants provided a direct contact with the real life in the slum and poor areas of Nairobi, schools and a special field-trip to the Children s Garden Center. Six 6 cities were visited Mwanza (Tanzania), Kisumu (Kenya) and Busia, Mukono, Kampala and Entebbe (Uganda). c. A tree at the grounds of the National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi and the Entebbe City Hall were inaugurated as the 2 nd and 3 rd Children s Meeting Place in Africa. Children created and provided programs of songs, music and dance for the opening ceremonies. 4. The first Preparatory Roots Meeting was a unique arena of making friends over many boundaries of age, professions, nations and cultures. Children were happy to sit together with Mayors from so many cities and feel their respect and concern. The Mayors were impressed when listening to children and youth realizing they are indeed valuable partners in the work for a sustainable future. All Swedish participants, young and old, came home with a realization the world problem has a completely new meaning. 5. Several commitments were made at the final session of the 1 st Preparatory Roots Meeting a. The Mayors of the Lake Victoria Region will share the idea of Children's Meeting Place with all the other 35 mayors of the Lake Victoria region through their network LVRLAC (Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation). b. Mayors from the Lake Victoria Region decided Children's Meeting Places will be established at other cities and they will meet with children to have dialogues on regular basis. c. Children, youth, teachers and experts all agreed they wish to continue the cooperation and networking in each of their cities/municipalities and between cities/municipalities in the Lake Victoria Region and the Baltic Sea Region. d. Globetree would coordinate follow-up activities in Sweden with youth organizations and municipalities. 6. The following activities were organized in Sweden as follow-ups and in preparation of the 2 nd Preparatory Roots Meeting (Nov. 2003, Nairobi). Page 7 of 87

8 a. In May, 2003, a delegation of 7 youths from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda did a 10-days study-tour in Sweden to establish Swedish contacts and to discuss cooperation with the Baltic Sea region. b. A conference Young Voices of the Baltic Sea was organized by the City of Kalmar and involved the 7 youths from the Lake Victoria Region. c. Mr. Shafquat Kakahel, UNEP Deputy Executive Director, visited Globetree in June. d. At the Globetree s annual Globedays (Sept 2003), three workings groups with the focus on Lake Victoria and Baltic Sea cooperation provided the following key recommendations for the 2 nd Preparatory Roots Meeting in Nov. i. to create and develop cooperative and long-term projects where networking will foster the sharing of knowledge and innovation with opportunities to learn from each other. Sweden will assist on providing computers to link schools in the Victoria Lake Region or in the Baltic Sea Region via Internet. ii. in cooperation with the Royal Institute of Technology, it will investigate the idea of creating Children s Gardens as a workplace and learning of environmental education with the use and demonstration of environmentally sound technology. iii. to revive indigenous technology and introduce new ideas on how to clean and save our global water for the future iv. a study of the interest among the cities in the Lake Victoria Region will be made in conjunction with the inaugurations of Children s Meeting Places and the seminar on Children and Youth Networking planned for in Nov/Dec v. to foster sustainable relations using Story Telling" as a method to get children interested in tracking their own roots and history. Storytelling is more than just telling stories. It is weaving your own life experiences into the traditional telling. It includes everybody instead of excluding a person from the history. vi. To discuss and plan the World Championship in Cooperation as an International meeting in Sweden (2006). 7. We end this summary by a quotation of Associate Professor in Environmental Microbiology Dept. of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (See Appendix F): In Nairobi, April 2003, I had the privilege to become part of the children s meeting with the Mayors under the tree. The children put a lot of extremely important questions to the Mayors. These questions are all seeds of thoughts that should be taken very seriously. There are no easy answers but when we all start to work with the questions, improvements for the children it will inevitably happen" Page 8 of 87

9 1.0 Background The origin of the Roots Meeting started with the letter from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in July 2001 stating: Globetree has been authorized by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to run a Children s Meeting Place at the United Nations grounds in Nairobi, Kenya. The Children s Meeting Place is a big area around a beautiful Acacia Tree. The inauguration of the Children s Tree took place in September 2001 with 250 children and adults from seven nations. Dr. Klaus Töpfer (Director General, UNON and Executive Director UNEP) welcomed the children to their Tree. It's really a pleasure for United Nations to make this gift to you children. This is your tree! Use it!" At the inauguration all agreed on a common vision which stated that the Children s Meeting Place is a sacred place where children and the World s leaders will meet and learn from one another. The document worked out during the inauguration (Appendix F) of the Children s Meeting Place was the base of the discussions in the Mayor s Meeting. The basic conclusions for the Children s Meeting Place are: There is a need for children to meet and learn from one another. Children want adults to listen to them and respect their opinions. By listening to children we will achieve sustainable democracy also including the small citizens not yet being able to vote. The message to the adults is to take the children s determination to find ways for a better future seriously and support their spirit. All agreed upon the importance of establishing local meeting places where children can dialogue with decision-makers, experts, scientists and adults with different life experiences: Informal meetings. A meeting and dialogue under The Children's Tree shall be informal. The delegates shall make all efforts to explain the official agenda so that children understand what it's all about. Family gathering. All meetings under The Tree shall follow the idea that we are all moms, dads and children - one family - in order to make it easy for children to address or rather dialogue together with the adults. Adults need to come down to the children s level and make them feel welcome to join! Under The Tree there is a win-win. The children get to know the problems that are discussed today on the highest level and are invited to share their opinions and give their recommendations to matters that will affect them in the future. The official delegates, working on agendas for the future, will get the opportunity to meet and learn from the ones who will live with the decisions they make. Globetree urge people of the world to find their way back to The Tree! The world needs innovative solutions to the problems stated in the UN Declaration of The Rights of the Child and Agenda 21. The Children s Meeting Place supports bridges over the boundaries of age, gender, professions, nations and culture. At the inauguration many leaders of the world shared their concern for the Children s Tree. Secretary General United Nations Kofi Annan wrote a long letter in which he said: in African life a tree can have great spiritual meaning and serve as a place where people gather to discuss issues of common concern. This tree on the ground of the United Nations is now a place where you and your contemporaries can voice your dreams, concerns and suggestions for the future United Nations eagerly looks forward to what you, my dear young ambassadors, will do to make your difference in this world! Page 9 of 87

10 2.0 Preparatory Roots Meeting April 2003 At the inauguration of the Children's Meeting Place in September 2001, the roots of the tree were put in the focus as the most important. Without roots the tree will not live. The roots of the tree represent concerned adults around the world. The idea of a Roots Meeting was discussed with Ph.D. Mr. George H.O. Abungu, former director of the National Museums of Kenya. Mr. Abungu shared personal reflections and said children have a central place at the Museum and a society not knowing its past is a poor society. In December 2002 and January 2003 discussions were held at UNEP, at the National Museums of Kenya and with the Network of teachers in Nairobi; The Pillars of Hope M/s Margaret Mwaura, M/s Jane Wanjiku Ruvaga, M/s Grace Muluta, Mr. Moses N'dungu, M/s Jane Ene Ramu and Mr. Zack Thiongo. Mr. Joseph L. Cheruiyot, chief curator of the museum joined the group. It was decided that prior to the international Roots Meeting, two preparatory meetings should be held, one in April and the other one in November Thanks to a financial support from Forum Syd/Sida it was possible to expand the Preparatory Roots Meeting not only to the Nairobi meeting, but also to make a follow up in the Lake Victoria region and let young people from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda join the conference "Young Voices of the Baltic Sea" and a study-tour to Sweden. An International Roots Meeting will take place at the Children's Meeting Place The Preparatory Roots Meeting in Nairobi took place during six days in April children, youth and adults from four nations participated in the Roots Meeting: 50 persons from 12 cities/municipalities of Sweden, 70 persons from the Lake Victoria Region and 80 persons from Nairobi. More than half of the participants were children and youth. Mayors from 13 cities/municipalities joined the Roots Meeting for three days. As part of the preparation, all the participants were asked to: please bring something which is a symbol of your personal concern. It can be anything; a stone, a poem, a picture, something you find on the streets, a memory, a song or something you received from a friend, relative All children were also asked to bring a cup of water and a handful of soil from a place they care for. The water and soil were united in ceremonies around the Children s Meeting Place at the National Museums of Kenya and at the United Nations. The Preparatory Roots Meeting program in Nairobi divided the participants into 3 groups with its own special focus: A: Children and Youth Workshops B: Teacher's Seminars C: Mayor's Meeting. All were interrelated and had meetings of practical interactions. Participating experts came from National Museums of Kenya and others from Sweden: The Children s Ombudsman, International Playground Association, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm City Museum and Swedish Association of Local Authorities. The experts were invited to join any of the 3 groups. A meeting and dialogue between the children/youth and specially invited guests took place under the tree at the United Nations. Page 10 of 87

11 2.1. Children and Youth Workshops At the National Museums of Kenya, the children worked hard to prepare for the questions to be asked to the Mayors at local, regional, national and international level. They also worked out statements to be exposed in the tree at the Children s Meeting Place. Among the statements were: We need more teachers, we are too many. Stop sexually harassments! Stop drugs, they are killing us! It s a women s right to refuse! We have right to education. Think about the next generations and say we want to make a better place for our children and our children s children, so that they know it s a better world for them. They (children) need love! Looking for tradition. How do you know that the system for education is right? Protection of the child from physical and mental violence - injury or abuse. At two occasions the children had an official dialogue with the leaders; in the garden at the National Museums of Kenya and at the Children's Meeting Place, United Nations. Many of the questions from the African children were related to HIV, child abuse and why girls don't have the same rights as boys. The Swedish questions were focused on the environment and water. The six most important questions that the children agreed upon were: o How can you stop child abuse? o Where will we get wood if we can t cut trees? o How will you see to it that all children get food? o How will you see to it that all children get education? o What are decision makers going to do to stop circumcision? o What are the measures to make sure that every child has education, food, water and possibilities to influence the society? After three days of informal meetings with the Mayors during meals and breaks and the official dialogues many of the children expressed their appreciation: "It's nice the mayors listen to us. It's nice to talk together. We hope they will do what they promised!" 2.2. Teacher's Seminars and Workshops The assignment for the teacher's seminar was to reflect around three questions - in relation to education. 1. What was good and what was bad in the past. 2. What is good and what is bad today. 3. Can the good of the past and the good today unite for a better education in the future? Summary of reflections and statements from the 4 groups The past, the present and the future; a chain of values. Cultural heritage is still respected and valued amongst most societies. Swedish people as well as Kenyans and others from East Africa are today more preoccupied with personal commitments and scheduled programmes; hence have less time for each others and to interact. Page 11 of 87

12 Time has change to the better when it comes to interaction without regard to age or sex distinctions. The youth have benefited a lot because they are listened to by adults and they are freely counselled in open forums on social and moral development. Most societies today have opened up different cultures meet and interact. In the African community a child was taken care of by the whole clan/ community. Urbanization has contributed a lot towards modernization of the youth. Cultural practices which respect the dignity of the child should be continued Children today have misinterpreted democracy to mean independence and disobedience to parental authority. The adults need to provide guidelines. Parents in the world have a lot to do. They are occupied and have no time to play. To reduce child labour and abuse we should promote social values and ethics. Children leave school if the parents ask them to work. Children from 8 years get employed to earn money for the family. Children should be taught to love and protect the environment. Children in the world should be educated on matters of sustainable development. Parenting should be seriously observed; the parents should come out as role models for their children and not mere observers of changes in their children. Laws on children should be enforced to give the children their rights. Eradicate female genital mutilation amongst teenage girls! Provide equal opportunities for education of girls and boys. The female child was overburdened in the past but the present has liberated her. Stop arranged marriages of our children. Let our children freely explore the choice and idea of marriage. Marriage across cultures. The youth have forums for discussing issues affecting them in the form of workshops coordinated by experienced personnel of child related issues and experiences. Today some people have a lot while many have nothing. Improve the family s economic strength A child is everybody s concern Good traditions for the future are to raise a child without punishment! Parents are to accept the support of the child. Children s act should be enacted and put into full force. The Children s Department should organize workshops and seminars to enlighten both parents and children. Teachers are to organize workshops and seminars involving parents, children and other stakeholders. Teachers Conclusions TIME has drastically changed. In the past parents and others of the community spent more time with the children. Today parents need more time to get income and for other scheduled programs. This is a fact not only in East Africa but also in Sweden where children often are left by themselves. Human values of the past disappear and the society at large needs to look deeper into the consequences of this change Mayor s Meeting, April 6-8 For three days 13 Mayors from 13 cities/municipalities of four nations participated in the Roots Meeting. From Kenya: Mayor of Nairobi, HW Clr. Joe Akech; Mayor of Kisumu, Clr.C.O. Karan; Mayor of Kiambu, James Gicheru Karanga; From Tanzania: Deputy Mayor of Mwanza, M/s Maria Hewa; From Uganda: Mayor of Entebbe, Mr. Stephen Kabuye; Deputy Mayor of Kampala, Dr. Takube Kabuye; Mayor of Mukono, Mr. Johnson Muyanja Senyonga; Mayor of Busia, Mr. Mugeni Michael. Page 12 of 87

13 From Sweden: Municipal Commissioner of Borlänge M/s Mariann Nordlöf; Chief Executive Officer of Kalmar Mr. Roland Karlsson; Municipal Commissioner of Robertsfors Mr. Hans Lindgren and Chief Executive Officer of Strängnäs Mr. Dag Tingsgård. The City of Stockholm was represented by Museum Director, M/s Berit Svedberg. A special seminar was held to share experiences of the Lake Victoria region. The Mayors of the Lake Victoria Region plan to share the idea of Children's Meeting Place with all the other 35 mayors of the Lake Victoria region through their network LVRLAC (Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation). Summary of statements: Concern is a basic word. Without concern there will be goals without any substance. Instead of sitting in offices, you can actually move out and listen to people. A mother can have many children Should we have children-trees in our cities and villages? Give the children a continuation in their own villages. There should be a meeting place for children coming from different tribes and backgrounds. PEACE is most important to give the children. How can we teach them to cherish peace and work hard to keep it? In Uganda there are peace-trees in almost every city and village. This is a place where elderly people sit. We must also focus on the needs of the children. We must on a local level deal with the Rights of the Child, and we can be inspired by the tree. To help Africa you have to move resources from one side to another. This is not so much a question of money, but to share ideas and experience. We are all human beings; our common goal must be to create a better humanity. To share ideas and exchange good ideas to co-operate to make the world a better place. This trip has changed my life in a whole new way. The hard part is when you are back in business. It is hard to keep track of the ideas and to continue the work. This meeting brings peace, real peace. This is the way to do it, not to sit in big hotels and talk about peace which is actually war. The friendship between us, between the mayors, is crucial for peace. Mayor s conclusions Most important children should be listened to! Forms for how this should be done has to be found first on a local level and then on a regional, national and international level. We could start having an exchange between children by drawings, songs and other ways of expressions. We have to start from the family- and school-level in the roots-meeting. Child labour is also a question for the private companies. Children and young people should be able to take part in decisions. Inviting mayors are of crucial importance. Most important is to identify forms for the dialogue with children and youth. Rights and responsibility for children must go hand in hand. It is important to start from a really early age with the involvement. Children are a major part of today s society. Find forms to give children power in the school system. We should join and prepare important steps to make a program for including children we should even put it in our budgets. Page 13 of 87

14 2.4. Opening Ceremony at the National Museums of Kenya Ag. Director General of the National Museums of Kenya, Mr. Augustine Lomon'gin welcomed all to the Museum. A tree at the grounds of the Museum was chosen to be the Children's Tree. It was inaugurated with Our Uniting Water and Soil Ceremony. Ceremonies that were such an important part of life earlier have in the modern time been aborted and lost its potential of reaching a deeper level of human interaction. To the ceremony, children created the program of songs, music and dance. A handful of soil and a small bowl of water were presented to their Mayors. The Mayors together with the children gathered around the Tree and after one minute of silence the Mayors brought the United Soil and Water to the Roots of the Children s Tree. 2.5 Meetings and dialogues under the Children s tree UNEP Executive Director Dr. Klaus Toepfer and Executive Director of the UN-Habitat M/s Anna Tibaijuka, participated in the Opening Program under the Acacia Tree at the Children's Meeting Place together with Assistant Minister for the Environment of Kenya, Prof. Wangari Maathai, the Swedish Ambassador Bo Göransson and the Mayor of Nairobi, Counselor Joe K. Akech. All especially invited guests shared their concern for the Children's Meeting Place. Dr. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, UNEP: "Sustainable development is not charity but an instrument for the future" M/s Anna Tibaijuka, Ex. Dir. of the UN-Habitat "We have been using children for entertainment - we should invite them more seriously - let them take part in an active way". H.W. Mayor of Nairobi, Mr. Joe Kotonya Akech spoke of the special problems of big cities and the importance to work together. The Ambassador of Sweden Mr. Bo Göransson said "it's important to work together over the globe. The rich shall help the poor. Why? Because I m certain other countries would help Sweden if we were the poor. Also - the whole world will benefit when all help one another". The Assistant Minister for the Environment, Prof. Wangari Maathai, brought two pictures of trees. One picture showed the roots deep in the soil. The other picture showed the roots bare in the open. The tree with bare roots will die! We need to care for the roots! "I'm certain this day will forever be in your memory. You will remember that we met today and you will be inspired as I am inspired by my mother who taught me the importance of trees and roots". The Children performed their concern for a better future and presented Our Uniting Water and Soil to their Guests of Honor. They formed a circle silently around the tree and shared their personal wishes before they brought the water and soil to the roots of The Children s Tree. The Guests of Honour and the Mayors joined the children under the Children's Tree for a dialogue in the morning and the directors of the UNEP and Habitat Youths Programs in the afternoon. The children presented their six most important questions were presented: o How can you stop child abuse? o Where will we get wood if we can t cut trees? o How will you see to it that all children get food? o How will you see to it that all children get education? o What are decision makers going to do to stop circumcision? o What are the measures to make sure that every child has education, food, water and possibilities to influence the society? Page 14 of 87

15 All were deeply impressed by the children's questions and their concern for our common future. At times children stood up and gave their own answers to the questions. Both children and adults applauded the sharing atmosphere of the dialogue! In a dialogue between Executive Director of Habitat M/s Anna Tibaijuka and all the Mayors some of the conclusions were: Try to help local mayors to be more international and to mainstream the work of UN. There is a committee of mayors that work as a reference group to Habitat. Globalisation in itself is also putting a new and stronger focus on the local level. We should join in making important steps for how to make a program including children even put it in our budgets. We should also look for the possibilities on how children and young people can have a place in the organisation of LRVLAC Excursions, Study Tour, Field Trips and Final Ceremony A field-trip to The Bomas of Kenya, an outdoor Culture Centre, connected all participants with traditional dances, music and drama from many parts of Kenya. At the end of the program the professional artists invited children and adults on stage and the final dance became a joyful Prep. Roots Meeting! Study tours were done to projects and programs in the slum areas of Nairobi. Homes and centers for disadvantage children, Nairobi Abandoned Baby Centre and Al-Jaza Center Home (for orphans), Centers for blind and deaf children, children with HIV/Aids and a home for street children were visited. Meeting with the children with so different life experiences will forever be imprinted in the Swedish participants. Another study tour was made to the Children's Garden which is situated in between the two slum areas of Kibera and Dagoretti. Mr. Moses Ndungu is the leader of Children's Garden and Globetree supports the program with the help from private donors. After the welcome program the children brought all visitors to their homes. The impressions had a strong impact on the Swedish participants. Many of the written and spoken reflections share a feeling of waking up What you see on TV is here and now. How can one live with a family in such a small place and with literally nothing? How is it possible?" But the deepest impression on all Swedish participants was the joy; "In the midst of miserable life conditions how come so poor children can inspire me, enlighten my heart and give me a feeling of hope?" A safari optional for the Swedish participants was made to the Masai Mara National Reserve to experience Rift Valley and the wild-life of East-Africa. The tour also included a meeting with the traditions of the Masai-people. The last day of the Prep. Roots Meeting a ceremony was held around a tree at the place, where most of the participants had their accommodation. M/s Margrethe Brynolf invited everybody to unite the Children s Tree at the National Museums of Kenya with the tree at the Children s Meeting Place, UN. Page 15 of 87

16 2.7. Conclusions and recommendations The first Preparatory Roots Meeting has been a unique arena of making friends over many boundaries of age, professions, nations and cultures. Children were happy to sit together with mayors from so many cities and feel their respect and concern. The Mayors were impressed when listening to children and youth realizing they are indeed valuable partners in the work for a sustainable future. The Mayor of Kisumu, Cllr.C.O. Karan, expressed his experiences of the Roots Meeting: "These three days has totally changed my life". All Swedish participants, young and old, came home with a realization the world problem has a completely new meaning. At the final meeting the Mayors decided they will have a Children's Meeting Place close to the Mayor's Office/City Hall, where they can meet with children and have dialogues on regular basis. The Mayors of the Lake Victoria Region plan to share the idea of Children's Meeting Place with all the other 35 mayors of the Lake Victoria region through their network LVRLAC (Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation). Children, youth, teachers and experts all agreed they wish to continue the cooperation and networking in each of their cities/municipalities and between cities/municipalities in the Lake Victoria Region and the Baltic Sea Region About and for the children Education ( Life skills ) - Cooperation oriented knowledge: How do you discuss, how do you debate, how do you face your fellow human beings? ("Cooperation") World Orientation - What do we know about each other, what do we want to know, what do we need to know, and what is it like in our surroundings, where and how are the decisions made and how can we have influence? Writing letters - Between each other, so we get to know each other better. Involvement - The children needs to be involved in the decision making. E.g. directly in the society where the decisions are made, but also via youth councils, youth parliaments, etc. Influence - The children need to know that they really can have influence. Respect - Respect of the Rights of the Child and bring it to real action About and for the teachers Use the schools more in education and preparation for the Roots Meeting To respect the children as independent individuals and take them seriously. Think about how the teacher s discussions (during Roots Meeting 2004) can change so that you avoid subjects from being repeated and at the same time make them more deep and rewarding. The teachers must make sure that the children get opportunities to write down their thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. Do this without the teachers trying to interview or influence the children About and for Mayors (Local Leaders) Use their influence to get support to the Globetree, by promoting and through direct financial support. A proper level of the discussions, so that everyone can follow them and understand. To respect the children as independent individuals and to take them seriously. Be more concrete and tell children (and the others) what needs to be done and what can be done. It is important to be clear. Reporting back: telling what has happened on the local level, etc. Page 16 of 87

17 More team work/team building between Mayors and also between Mayors and children to make it easier to have discussions and make the participants more open hearted. Invite more colleagues Problem issues of interest: E.g. ideas for discussions and visits Aids/HIV The tree problem firewood and logging Street kids, kids in the slum Free Secondary School in East Africa The water problem The financial problem The illegal killing of wild animals Child abuse Equal rights Women s influence Influence for children and youth Circumcision 3.0 Follow-ups 3.1. Visits to 6 cities in the Lake Victoria Region There are plans for co operation between schools and municipalities around the Lake Victoria region and the Swedish cities/municipalities of the Baltic Sea region. To find out the needs and wishes for a future cooperation Globetree visited 6 cities in the Lake Victoria Region Tanzania - Mwanza During 3 days Globetree made a follow-up visit to Mwanza in Tanzania, where Globetree met with the Roots Meeting participants and joined them to their school. Project-leader Christopher Mafuru made a brief presentation of the Wet-land project situated by the shores of the Lake Victoria. Globetree also met with the head of Mwanza secondary school and an interesting discussion with the Malihai Club members. H.W. the Mayor of Mwanca City Council, Mr. Leonard B. Bihondo had been informed of the Roots Meeting program by his Deputy Mayor M/s Maria Hewa, who participated in the Mayor s Meeting in Nairobi. We agreed on future cooperation Kenya - Kisumu Another follow up was made to Kisumu, Kenya, where Dr. Phoebe Nyawald introduced Globetree to Asenath Bole Odaga, Exec. Dir. of Gender and Development Center and to a center of street children, inspired by the Mucii Wa Childrens Program in Nairobi. H.W. the Mayor of Kisumu, Cllr.C.O. Karan invited us to a formal dinner together with ten counselors of the Kisumu Municipal Council. Several ideas for cooperation were discussed during the evening. Globetree also made two excursions on the Lake Victoria during the three days visit in Kisumu Uganda Busia, Mukono, Kampala and Entebbe. H.W. the Mayor of Busia, Michael Mugeni, took personal care of us during our two days program in Busia. Globetree met with counselors of Busia, headmasters, teachers and pupils in six schools. Among the officials and at all schools there is a strong interest for the Rights of the Child and environmental programs and education. An urgent need for Busia is to get computers. Page 17 of 87

18 H.W. the Mayor of Mukono, Mr. Johnson Muyanja Senyonga took charge of our two days follow up in Mukono. The main concern for Mayor Johnson Muyanja Senyonga is to develop the educational system. "We do not only need theory - we also need a lot of actions!" Globetree visited St John's Educational Centre, which is under the patronage of the Mayor and where new ideas are tested. A tree planting ceremony was held in the middle of the schoolyard The follow up program in Kampala had focus on visiting the school that joined Roots Meeting in Nairobi. Plans for the future were discussed with the Deputy Mayor Takube Kabuye. H.W. the Mayor of Entebbe Stephen Kabuye, invited us for dinner at his residence and presented us to other counselors of the Entebbe City Council. Globetree were invited as Guests of Honour for the inauguration of The Children's Meeting Place, a tree, on the grounds of the City Hall of Entebbe. Among the branches of the tree children shared their personal concerns and important messages to the City Council. Children, counselors and headmasters of all schools participated in the inauguration ceremony. A dialogue between the children and the mayors/counselors took place under the Children's Tree. Also the Deputy Mayor of Kampala joined. The City of Entebbe officially announced their concern for the children and their commitment to be in dialogue with the children at the Children's Meeting Place. Another meeting was held with the Secretary General of LVRLAC (Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation), Dr. Julius Ajo Odonga Networking between the Lake Victoria Region and the Baltic Sea Youth Exchange Program to Sweden With the support from Forum Syd/Sida the possibility opened for an exchange program. Already in May a delegation of 7 youths from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda did a 10-days study-tour in Sweden as a follow-up of the Preparatory Roots-Meeting in Kenya. The studytour gave the opportunity to establish new contacts and cooperation between schools and municipalities in the Lake Victoria and Baltic Sea regions. The study tour included visits at The Children's Ombudsman, International Playground Association and Keep Sweden tidy and to the schools that joined Roots Meeting. The youths also participated in the conference Young Voices of the Baltic Sea organized by the City of Kalmar, where Chief Executive Director of Kalmar, Mr. Roland Karlsson invited the youth group to dinner and a dialogue together with the Youth Advisor of Kalmar Charlotte Gustafsson UNEP Deputy Executive Director visits Globetree To prepare for the Roots Meeting 2004 at the Children s Meeting Place at UN, Nairobi Mr. Shafquat Kakahel, UNEP Deputy Ex.Dir., visited Globetree in half-a-day program at the end of June. Lord Mayor of Stockholm, Mr. Barry Anderson, welcomed Mr. Kakahel in his office at the Stockholm City Hall. The Roots Meeting program and the Lake Victoria Youth program were discussed as well as future plans for a Global Event in Stockholm. 3.3 Follow-up of the Swedish participants The Globetree s annual Globedays was held in the Stockholm City Hall and at the Stockholm Institute of Education. The Globedays was a follow-up of April'03 Prep-Roots Meeting and preparations for the continuation. The working groups gave the following recommendations: The creation and development of cooperative and long-term projects must be based on equal opportunities. That means all participants will share kowledge and innovation and get oppurtunities to learn from each other. All of us, young and old - living south Page 18 of 87

19 or north - need to develop old and new ideas on a sustainable development and skills how to clean and save our global water for the future. Municipalities/schools will get started by getting linked to schools in the Victoria Lake Region or in the Baltic Sea Region. All kinds of technical equipments can be used. In all long-term projects you also need to develop sustainable relations. In order to create and maintain susstainable relations Story Telling" will be of good use. It can be used as a method to get children interested in tracking their own roots and history. Storytelling is more than just telling stories. It is weaving your own life experiences into the traditional telling, including everybody in the history. Cooperation with experts of different skills, eg.institute of Royal Technology and others, are a prerequisite for success! The idea of a World Championship in Cooperation planned as an International meeting in Sweden 2006, is important to accomplish this challenging project, by engaging more Swedish Municipalities in the work with the Lake Victoria Region! The base for the continuation is the Children s Declaration (Children s Meeting Place at the UN, Nairobi, Kenya September 2001 Appendix F)) and the six most important questions formulated in the dialogue at the Mayor s Meeting (see page 8). A practical conclusion is to integrate the Children s Meeting Place with a Children s Garden, a small scale trying out area, where the thoughts and discussions under the tree can be implemented in practical actions. (Ref: Children s Ecological Garden, Brazil) Expert participation is to guarantee sustainability by using local materials and know-how in working out practical solutions. The Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Mayors connection with the Swedish Municipality leaders is both to find twining projects and to exchange ideas and experiences. The Swedish leaders have achieved skills in communicating with children and the East-African Mayors have a very close and direct connection with the language of symbols and traditions In the follow-up of the Swedish children/youth there were general observations on how the children from the slum areas had such a high energy level, were filled with joy of life and had big plans for the future, though the conditions were very poor. Questions about values of life were often raized by the Swedish children/youth. I have heard their words, seen their playing, known how they are crying and heard their laughther. Their stomachs are empty, buth their souls are filled with life! The youth participants from the Municipality of Borlänge are trying to find ways of continous support to the poorer areas visited during the field-trips. Kulturcentrum (The Culture Centre) Asken has established cooperation with NaturResursCentrum Dalarna, situated in the city of Falun, trying to get all the Municipalities in Dalarna to cooperate on the local level with questions of the future. The name of the project is Dalaskeppet (Vessel of the Dalarna County) developed as a result of the evalutation from seven municipalities of the County of Dalarna, Sweden, who participated in a former Globetree project - Future Vessel The aim is to create a close connection between decision makers and children/youth to integrate the young people in the democratic process. The core is to create exchange of experiences both national and international. Borlänge and NaturResursCentrum Dalarna have expressed their wish to continue the work with Lake Victoria Region. The Municipality of Kalmar is focused on the cooperation between Kalmar and Entebbe, which in May 2003 signed a twining agreement between the two cities. To interlink the youth network of the Baltic Sea with a similar network of the Lake Victoira region became a result of the youth exchange to the conference Young Voices of the Baltic Sea (see page 10). Preparation for this has made progress by the youth delegate from Mwanza, Tanzania. Page 19 of 87

20 The Municipality of Robertsfors is prepared to develop an exchange program with the city of Busia, Uganda The Municipality of Strängnäs participated in the inauguration of Children s Meeting Place in Nairobi and in the Preparatory Roots Meeting in April The model, BUFF- Barn och ungdomars framtidsfrågor (The children and youth questions of the future), that Strängnäs have developed - to learn and listen to the children - can be used as a way of learning from one another. That model can be introduced at the inauguration of Children s Meeting Place and serve as a background to how the model can be applied in different activities. The Municipality of Strängnäs is eager to learn from their colleagues in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania when they try a Swedish way of letting the children be involved. Can we, the adults, share our wisdom of life in a way that we can help and escort our youth? We get our energy in many different ways and a deeper conversation of our values in life can give us and our confederate the children stable roots for the future. The City of Stockholm The City Council of Skärholmen. The pupils of Bredängs school were reporting to the City Council directly after the return from Africa which was highly appreciated. The Director of the City Council, Mr. Jan Johansson, commented Often as a director for a County Council you most of the time receive complains, but this kind of feedback shows how invested money bring back values that is important for the future. Preparation of making a touring exhibition to the surrounding schools and a slide show which will be shown in classes at schools is on the program. A closer cooperation between the capital of Uganda, Kampala and Stockholm has been further discussed. Further cooperation between The Royal Intitute of Technology KTH and the Globetree is in preparation. The Globetree pilot-project "Children's Garden" will work as a model and become a sub-project of the Lake/Sea effort Future Plan of Action The follow up of the Roots Meeting is already taking place in schools, NGO s, children centres and city halls both in the Lake Victoria and Baltic Sea region. Preparations are also taking place in Nairobi in the Pillars of Hope Network and at the UNON. In the six cities of the Lake Victoria Region numerous young and old are preparing to receive a Swedish delegation to the inauguration of a Children s Meeting Place in Nov/Dec One important part of the preparations is to invite elders who are respected by the people and ask them to share knowledge and wisdom of the past and how they envision the future. Children share their experiences in reporting in newspapers, radio programs, exhibitions and other artful presentations for schools, parent groups and the city councils. A three days seminar is planned to take place in Entebbe 2 nd 4 th of December. Both children and adults are invited as speakers from both Sweden and the Lake Victoria Region. The seminar will give guidelines to the continuation of the cooperation on local, regional and international level. The International Roots Meeting will take place at the Children's Meeting Place 2004, UNON. It will be opened by a dialogue between children and respected elders from the Lake Victoria and Baltic Sea Region. The Swedish delegation of children, youth and adults with different skills and professional background participated in the Globetree Yearly Globedays in September and shared with 90 persons of the Globetree Network their preparations for interactions and sharing of knowledge Page 20 of 87