To celebrate Universal Children’s Day on 20th November, The British Asian Trust is paying tribute to our charity partners’ roles in promoting the rights and welfare of children.
The poverty-alleviation work of all of our partners benefits disadvantaged children in South Asia and the UK by helping them to reach their full potential. Five of our nine charity partners focus specifically on meeting the needs of children in the crucial areas of education and health: Developments in Literacy, Pakistan; Mumbai Mobile Crèches, India; Bharti Foundation Schools, India; Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust, Pakistan; and The Princes Charities in Burnley, UK.
November 20, 2010 marks the 21st anniversary of Universal Children’s Day and the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Universal Children’s Day is one of the oldest UN days, and carries particular significance in the 21st century because of the prominence of children’s issues in the Millennium Development Goals.
In 2000 world leaders outlined Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – for all humankind, but they are primarily about children. They range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015.
