The Stand UP Take Action campaign is an annual event that is organised by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) as a platform for ordinary citizens to demand that their governments redouble their efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 [read more]. Since 2007, Art of Living [read more] has partnered with the UNMC.
This year, 2009, over 173 million people participated worldwide, including over five million in Kenya, adding their voices to this global movement. Art of Living volunteers answered the call to action to participate in this campaign for the third year and create awareness amongst the Lamu Archipelago inhabitants.
Lamu
Lamu is an island of contrast: on one hand it is known as a world heritage site off the Kenyan Coast and a holiday destination where tourists rejuvenate and recharge their batteries. On the other hand Lamu inhabitants live in poverty, are faced with high unemployment, health challenges, environmental degradation, gender disparity, a crippling drug culture and low infrastructure development.
One unique aspect that makes the island famous worldwide is the transport used. Donkeys or Dhow (wooden sailboat) are the main means of getting around, with only one car, for the District Commissioner. Dhows are the main means of transport for the inhabitants of the island for their daily activities.
The Stand Up Campaign
Inspired by the Art of Living, we decided to carry the campaign to Lamu. In 2007, Art of Living organized a human chain from Lamu to Shela for the Stand Up. Again in 2008 we organized the planting of trees. This year, despite very limited funds, we had lots of ideas, and plenty of enthusiasm.
As a symbolic action, and to get the schoolchildren involved in the campaign, we used the dhow sail-cloth to travel to all the schools in the Lamu Archipelago, some islands more than six hours sailing! We asked the children to put their handprint with red soil on the dhow cloth as our petition to the government that all children in the world not only have the right to Universal Primary Education (MDG#2), but also to a dignified life safe-guarded in a good and healthy environment. We also invited all the schools to take part in a poetry competition, writing poems about the three MDGs that are our focus.
As we traveled from school to school, and from island to island, our sail-cloth went by motorbike, by speedboat, by dug-out canoe, by foot and by donkey. And as we traveled with it, we began to realize that this was the beginning of a much longer journey.
The poems the children wrote were beautiful. They understood the issues implicitly, and expressed their demands for change more eloquently and with more passion than most adults, even the ones in power.
On the day, we stood up in Lamu with 8,123 people, more than 30% of the population. We sailed with our sail, and with the children who won the poetry competition. The sail, now covered by more than 3,000 handprints from our children, helped us congratulate ourselves on bringing awareness to those around the islands. It had become an unforgettable journey and we realised that we should do much more than only Stand Up!
We know that we have something unique in our hands. Not just a beautiful sail-cloth, which has already brought thousands of children together. Our children’s education is also in our hands, and we need to help them to get the best out of it. We are responsible. So, now it is time to speed things up. Now put our hands up to show that we are still here, that while we wait for governments to take action we also take matters into our own hands. We reach up and reach out. We make a change. We are waiting for your own outstretched hand to join with ours.
Hands Up … For Kids.
