Tomorrow, November 20th, is Universal Children’s Day, established by the United Nations to raise awareness about the issues and well-being of children worldwide. The date commemorates the day the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) were adopted.
It is important that all actors in society promote respect for and protection of children’s rights. Religious organizations also have an important role to play in defending children’s dignity and ensuring the rights to health, education, and protection for all children.
In Pauiní (Amazonas, Brazil), the Pastoral Care for Children (Pastoral da Criança, in its original Portuguese name) focuses on caring for children and their mothers to ensure healthy growth and access to all public services.
The central branch of the municipality serves 160 children from the urban area and another 40 from three small nearby riverside communities; but the Pastoral Care for Children has been very important in the lives of many people in Pauiní.
Before its existence, there were many cases of malnutrition and a high infant mortality rate; many children died before their first birthday. Once the Pastoral Care program was established, those who accessed its services were better nourished and healthier. This is because the Pastoral Care for Children focuses on accompanying the growth of young children from the moment of their mother’s pregnancy until they reach six years of age.
All of this is done with volunteers. The Children’s Ministry was founded in Brazil in 1983 and has spread throughout almost the entire country through parishes, which have embraced it as another part of their ministry. It supports pregnant women, and after birth, it provides weigh-ins and personalized follow-up using records to monitor the child’s healthy growth.
Mothers are also trained on basic rules of nutrition, hygiene, water use, waste management, and at each meeting a multi-calorie snack is offered and mothers are taught how to prepare the most energy-efficient meals with the most accessible foods in the area.
Currently, one of the challenges facing pastoral work is finding volunteers, a problem shared by other church services and movements. There is a shortage of leaders willing to work, a situation similar to that occurring worldwide.
In Vila Dedé, a riverside community located a couple of hours by boat from Pauiní, there are 152 people, including 25 children between the ages of 0 and 6. Before the arrival of the Children’s Ministry, cases of malnutrition and infectious and diarrheal diseases were common. The Ministry is working diligently to eliminate these cases.
A monthly gathering called “Celebration of Life” is organized, always following the same format: prayer, music, weigh-in and a snack. Antonio Francisco, 16, has been a volunteer with the Pastoral team for a year.
“I found it very interesting to help children who need us. Now there are five of us volunteers, but we used to be nine; four just stopped. I enjoy volunteering and hope to continue for a long time. I wish we had more people helping.
Children who participate monthly in the Celebration of Life tend to have better character, grow up being cooperative, and always demonstrate good behavior. Conversely, those who don’t attend are often noticeably less cooperative with the community in their daily lives.”
