Imagine a better world with Unicef
SANDTON - In an attempt to raise awareness surrounding the plight of child abuse, Unicef held a special gathering at the Gautrain Station in Sandton with pupils from a variety of Gauteng schools to sing Imagine by John Lennon on 4 December.
After the recent handover of the rights of the song to Unicef by Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono, the organisation launched the worldwide Imagine campaign through an app called Touchcast. In this app, ordinary citizens can sing the song which will be stored in a central database with other versions from around the world. The different versions will be remixed by House DJ David Guetta into one song that will be released in the new year.
Communications specialist Rayana Rassool commented on the campaign saying, “The idea behind this is to imagine a world where children are safe. Where children are free to express themselves and that their rights are protected.”
She added that the Imagine campaign is also a way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Convention on the Rights of the Child which was held in New York in 1989.
The event saw high school pupils from Dr W.F Nkomo and Bona Lesedi high schools among others take time out of their festive season holiday’s to support the initiative by handing out flyers, conversing with the public and recording their own rendition of the John Lennon classic Imagine.
Acting deputy head of office at Unicef Nadi Albino said, “I think this is a brilliant campaign. It gives us the opportunity to reflect and to try imagine a better world for our children and for them to imagine a better world for themselves.”
With support from Gautrain who hosted the event at their Sandton station, the event was buzzing with positivity, and spokesperson for Gautrain Barbara Jensen said the company jumped at the opportunity to raise awareness for children all around the world.
Granville Whittle of the Department of Basic Education said that it’s important to point out that the rights that have been given to the pupils are balanced with responsibilities. He added, “We call on our young people, especially in this holiday period, to act responsibly, that they are safe and that they understand that education involves them respecting the rights of others.”
