December December the month to remember... in El Salvador

How many of us wish that we could send a message directly to the government? That we could tell them the things we think are important, and highlight what needs to change? Well in a community playground in the heart of El Salvador’s capital city, 400 children let the leaders of their country know exactly what was on their minds.

For this particular Christmas Party our local network partnered with the Ministry of Social Inclusion, and together they developed the idea of allowing the children to send messages back to the wider government. So amid the chaos of games, clowns, face painting and presents, a giant mural was created with hundreds of messages for the country of El Salvador. Every child at the Party was encouraged to write or draw on the mural, which was delivered to the local government offices in the week following the party.

El Salvador is home to more than 7 million people, approximately 36% of which are under the age of 14. Yet despite their youth, this group seem to have a pretty good grasp on the things that could help their country become a better place. Roberto, aged 12, wrote that “we should have no children on the streets” and 9-year old Nancy wrote “let there be no violence and crime”. Nubia, at only 11 years old, was very direct in saying “the President should do good things for the country” and a surprising environmental awareness was shown by Ramos, aged 10, when he wrote “Do not cut down trees, and you will have a better El Salvador. We must look after our country for the future” and illustrated his message with colourful forests and rivers.

So although the party is over, who knows what changes we might see this year, now that the El Salvadorian government have a clearer picture of what a third of their country thinks is important…