-In Observance of African Child Day
BOMI COUNTY, Liberia — The Bomi regional office of the Campaign for Liberia’s Economic and War Crimes Court used the Day of the African Child on Tuesday to demand safe drinking water for every child in Liberia.
Children, community leaders, and civil society activists gathered in Bomi County. They called for urgent action to address the water crisis affecting young Liberians.
Consultant John Stewart spoke on behalf of the campaign. He tied his message to this year’s theme: “Accessing Safe Drinking Water for Every African Child.” “Children cannot thrive, learn, or reach their full potential without safe water,” Stewart said. “Clean water is not a privilege. It is a basic right.”
Stewart described the harsh reality in many Liberian communities. Children walk long distances to find water. Families suffer from preventable diseases. Young students struggle to learn while fighting waterborne illnesses.
He challenged policymakers to invest in sustainable water infrastructure, especially in rural areas where children are most at risk. “The future of our nation depends on our children,” Stewart said. “No child should walk miles for unsafe water or suffer from diseases that clean water could prevent. We have a moral duty to guarantee this necessity for every child, no matter where they live.”
He ended: “Investing in safe water means investing in the health, education, dignity, and future of Liberia’s next generation.” The Day of the African Child is observed each year on June 16. It honors the young protesters killed during the 1976 Soweto Uprising in South Africa.
Participants left the event with a shared pledge. They vowed to place children’s needs at the center of national policy and to push for the interventions that will deliver clean water to every Liberian child.
