CLIMATE CHANGE, EDUCATION AND CHILD PROTECTION ON AGENDA AT AFRICA CHILDREN’S SUMMIT

By Happiness Zwane

• A member of South Africa’s Children’s Parliament from Limpopo expressed her excitement at meeting other children from across the continent at the second Africa Children’s Summit.
• Mashayi Moore described the summit as an important platform for the children of the continent to share their experiences and find solutions to common challenges.
• Key to this was for the children to treat one another with respect, Moore said.

It is important that the children of Africa treat one another with respect, one of the delegates noted at the Africa Children’s Summit 2025 taking place in Johannesburg this weekend.

Mashayi Moore (17), is a child parliamentarian from the Office of the Premier in Limpopo.

As a member of the Children’s Parliament, Moore helps advocate for children’s rights, including the fight against child labour and other forms of exploitation.

Sharing her excitement at being part of the second biennial Africa Children’s Summit, Moore described the summit as a vital platform for the continent’s children, which provided them with the opportunity to discuss a range of issues that impact children, from climate change to education to child protection.

She was excited that the summit allowed children to take part in raising issues pertinent to them and then allowing them to seek solutions.

Attending the summit had shown her the importance of equality among young people and that they needed to treat one another with respect.

Moore, who is a South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) recipient, spoke about how the R560 Child Support Grant she received every month helped her in meeting basic needs such as clothing, food, and other essential items.

The four-day summit continues to ensure the African child is not only seen and heard but is also involved in shaping the Africa they want to see.