Child to Child celebrates its 30th birthday at 11 Downing Street

November 2009

Child to Child celebrated 30 years in pioneering children’s participation at 11 Downing Street on 3 November 2009. The event, hosted by Maggie Darling, was attended by Sarah Brown and representatives of international NGOs, funders and supporters.

Sarah Brown shared her support of Child to Child, stressing the importance of children’s participation. She also said a few words on behalf of Baroness Kinnock, Patron of Child to Child, who was unable to attend the event; the latter commended Child to Child as the organisation of choice for all child-focused agencies seeking to improve their child participation strategies.

The Child to Child approach “recognised the power children have to change their own lives by providing them a platform to have their voices heard and enabling them to be involved and take action on matters of concern to themselves and their communities,” were Baroness Kinnock’s words.

Patricia Ray, Chair of the Board of Trustees, also lauded the Child to Child approach, as she referred to UNICEF’s prestigious Maurice Pate Award which Child to Child received in 1991; “Child to Child was said to be a new, effective and revolutionary idea to educate people to lead a better, healthier life through children.”

Finally, our co-founder Dr. Hugh Hawes recalled fond memories of children around the world who, through a child to child approach, had surprised him, impressed him, inspired him, by their actions and confidence.