From 5 to 9 September 2022, the National Child Development Agency in collaboration with the National Electoral Commission and Local Governments organized the elections of the committees of children forums countrywide at the levels of the village, cell, sector and district.

At each level the elected committees are composed of six members who are the president, the vice president, the secretary, two advisors and the representative of children with disabilities.

The role of the children’s forum is to continuously give every child a platform to express his/her opinion and be heard on matters concerning his/her life, family and country.

In their campaign, children focused on issues affecting them and expressed how they plan to solve them. The issues include violence against children, school dropout, street children phenomenon and discrimination against children with disabilities.

“I will advocate for you in any way possible and make sure that any issue affecting all children is addressed” Said Ikorabyose Evelyne, the Vice President of children’s forum committee at Rulindo District level while requesting her peers to vote for her.

Other key plans that were raised by children during the campaign are establishing children’s evening sessions (Umugoroba w’abana) and saving groups for children, promoting children’s talents as well as introducing platforms to support vulnerable children.

As stipulated in the Ministerial guidelines establishing Children’s Forum, elected children are between 6 and 15 years of age while eligible voters are children between 6 and 17 years of age. The committees are set up for three years from 2022 to 2025 through children’s fair and free elections.