WATCH: Ntombi spreads her message at Commonwealth Youth Forum in London
The Herald caught up with her about her trip and asked her most exciting experience was.
Ntombi Qoyi, from Give a Child a Family (GCF), flew to London recently to represent the whole of Eastern and Southern Africa at the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF).
https://www.facebook.com/givechildfamily/videos/1811621278883022/
Ntombi (28) of Uvongo joined 500 youth delegates from 53 Commonwealth countries with the aim of drumming home the message – ‘Families need help and we need to shift the focus to family-based care and work to strengthen families.’
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The Herald caught up with her about her trip and asked her most exciting experience was.
There were a couple of exciting experiences, first being the fact that I was interacting with different people from all over the world and being in the same room as Prince Harry and Bill Gates. Another one was travelling back in the plane with our president, Cyril Ramaphosa, – she replied.
She also met Prince Harry (Commonwealth Youth Ambassador), Bill Gates (American business magnate), Theresa May (British Prime Minister), Rt Hon Patricia Scotland (Commonwealth Secretary-General) and Danny Faure (Seychelles President).
Does she feel anything was achieved?
I am happy to say that our issue was taken seriously enough to make it to the final draft of the Commonwealth Youth Forum declaration and we were able to talk to the UK Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, about our issue on Thursday, April 19, – Ntombi
The included text reads:
“All member states to renew their commitment to ‘Leave No One Behind’, recognising that many millions of children and young people still live in institutions, denied the love of a family and increased risk of harm, neglect and violence. As part of this commitment, member states should:
1. Allocate funding to end institutionalization by transforming their care system to one that supports families not institutions
2. Gather better data about children’s care status, family environment and the scale of the proliferation of institutions of children and
3. Build the capacity and expertise of youth workers, social worker and health workers to be drivers of change and reform.”
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