09.01.2023

World Children’s Day: Workshop in Mentawai

GKPM takes children's rights seriously: Workshop in Tuapejat Sipora. Foto by: Ridho Simamora, UEM

Inclusion for Every Child: Under this motto, 37 adults and 120 children met for a five day workshop on the United Nations World Childrens’ Day on November 20 in Tuapejat Sipora, which belongs to the Mentawai islands in Indonesia. The workshop was organized by the UEM in cooperation with our member church, the GKPM*. Participants included children’s and youth leaders from five different UEM member churches on Sumatra, as well as volunteers from the Mentawai Childrens’ Forum, Sunday schools and other church institutions.

Ridho Simamora, coworker of the UEM Regional Office in Asia, reports on the workshop: "First of all, it is important to create awareness of the fact that not all children in the world grow up safe and protected. But then it’s also about how we can work here in the community to create a child-friendly environment."

For the children, the workshop was an opportunity to play and follow their creativity. Competitions in painting, drawing, dancing, singing and reciting poetry gave them opportunities for that.

The result is called Child Friendly Church: The workshop participants are convinced of this concept and recommend it to the UEM member churches. It includes, among other things, cooperation with government authorities and indigenous communities to create a child-friendly environment, but also the strict implementation of child protection guidelines in all church institutions. A meeting with the Mentawai district administration within the workshop marked the first step in this cooperation. The promotion of digital skills is also part of the concept of a Child Friendly Church, in order to meet the challenges of digital media appropriately.

*GKPM = Gereja Kristen Protestan Mentawai (Christian-Protestant Church of the Mentawai Islands)