For the first time in Lebanon, children will have the opportunity to speak up about their own rights thanks to the 'Children Council' project, one of the many advocacy projects of World Vision Lebanon.

The two-year project consists of forming a 'National Children Council' composed of 60 children from 8 to 17 years old from different denominational, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including six children from each of World Vision Lebanon's nine community development programmes, and another six children from the Palestinian refugee program.

'World Vision Lebanon has a strong commitment to consulting and to engaging children in its decision-making process. To this aim, we established the Children Council to equip children and young people with tools, knowledge and skills to involve them in influencing their communities and peers to contribute to a more just and peaceful society,' said Patricio Cuevas-Parra, World Vision Lebanon's advocacy and protection manager, about the council that began on February 1st.


'Throughout the Children Council we connect our policy work with grassroots participation. We believe that no advocacy initiatives will succeed unless children and communities affected by an unfair situation become aware of their rights and fully exercise them. The Children Council is the link to the reality of children and ensures inclusiveness and ownership,' said Cuevas-Parra. "The main focus of our advocacy strategy is to change policy and practice to ban all forms of violence against children and enhance awareness of child rights.'


The National Children Council is formed through elections (peer voting) within World Vision's community development programmes. This first voting process was conducted during a childrens consultation in December 2006. The members of the Children Council elect the Board Council, which is composed of six members: three girls and three boys.

The Board Council's function will be to represent children at the national level, attend meetings with stakeholders, and participate in planning and evaluating activities at the national and community level.