Eddy Musoke is a 2014 Delegate Speaker and child rights activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eddy founded the Happy4Life Network after attending the 2014 Summit in Dublin last year. Eddy is currently a member of Children in Green Nature Network and has been recently nominated Goodwill ambassador of Maisha Project.
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It was 17th October 2014 when I created a group for young ambitious people with the mission of educating and empowering youth to acknowledge their rights- just days after attending the One Young World 2014 summit in Dublin, Ireland. I named it the Happy4Life Network which on its one year anniversary celebrates over 450 volunteers from over 23 countries. On a daily basis, these volunteers mobilise friends, families and their communities to empower disadvantaged children and youths from slums and refugee camps.
As a former refugee who spent my childhood fighting for children’s rights, I have been driven by the spirit of making this world a better place for children because of the future possibilities for them. Happy4Life Network has enabled me and fellow young people to put a smile on the faces of so many children.
Since February 2015 a lot has been done. The network was able to put in place 7 children’s rights clubs and gathered over 350 children who are mentored on a weekly basis and learn about their rights, transforming them into children’s rights advocates.
Happy4Life provides full scholarships and meals for 29 children in the underserved neighbourhoods of Kibera and Kayole in Kenya. Over 1,000 children have participated in our public activities where they get to share experiences with children from different places, eat and dance together, and in short, smile together.
It was a year ago at the Summit in Dublin that fellow Ambassador and delegate Speaker Malibongwe Xaba said “Just because I am from a disadvantaged community that does not mean I am disadvantaged.” This also goes for the youth involved in Happy4Life. These youth have the right to smile just like all other children around the world. And that is exactly where Happy4Life wants to provide support so they can and they will rise and shine just like everybody else who works hard for his/her right.
Last Weekend, exactly on 17th October 2015; Happy4Life celebrated 1 year of putting smiles on children’s faces, 1 year of teaching them their rights, 1 year of supporting the most vulnerable children to access quality education. We held an event in one of the poorest settlements of Nairobi at the Destiny Educational Centre where we now support children with scholarships and also hold children’s rights sessions at. Volunteers spend the whole day with those wonderful children singing, dancing and eating. We donated a desktop to the school for their data and covered 2 months of the school’s rent.
Mentorship and guidance can change someone’s life. Just like Paul Lindley mentored me, my team and I are doing our best to inspire these future world leaders not only how to live a decent and happy life but also how to be “Happy for life”. Join us in the fight and make a difference. Contact us on [email protected] or [email protected] and we will be happy to have you part of us putting smile on the faces of these kids and transforming them from saying “there is no hope, no food and no education in slums” to saying “Keep hoping, I know my rights and deserve to be educated and KEEP SMILING”
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