KidsRights announces finalists for the International Children's Peace Prize 2016
Today, KidsRights has announced the three finalists for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2016. From a record
number of 120 international entries, the Expert Committee chose Divina (12) from Cameroon, Kehkashan (16) from the
United Arab Emirates and Muzoon (18) from Syria. According to the Committee, all three have improved the rights and
position of children in unique and tangible ways.
In line with tradition, the Children’s Peace Prize will be awarded by a Nobel Peace Laureate. This year, Nobel Peace
Prize winner of 2006 Muhammad Yunus will present the prize in the Hall of Knights in international city of peace and
justice The Hague on 2 December, in the presence of the world press and numerous prominent guests.
Divina Maloum (12 years old, Cameroon, theme: peace)launched the I am standing up for peace movement in Cameroon after learning about the impact of extremist violence in her region. Divina educates other
children on the dangers of violence and radicalisation, urging them to fight for peace. Although the programme has
already reached 5,000 children in her own country, Divina remains ambitious. She aims to use her nomination to continue
her actions beyond the borders of her own country. In this, Divina is backed by the organisation that nominated her for
the Children’s Peace Prize: Réseau des Jeunes Leaders des Nations Unies.
Kehkashan Basu (16 years old, United Arab Emirates, theme: environment) began campaigning to protect the environment at an early age. At the age of just eight, she organised an
awareness-raising campaign for the recycling of waste in her neighbourhood in Dubai. In 2012, she founded her own
organisation, Green Hope, which runs waste-collection, beach-cleaning and awareness-raising campaigns. Through a series
of campaigns and lectures, she has demonstrated to thousands of school and university students how important it is to
care properly for the environment. Kehkashan has addressed various international conferences and Green Hope is now
active in ten countries with more than 1,000 young volunteers. Kehkashan was nominated by her father.
Muzoon Almellehan (18 years old, Syria, theme: child refugees) was nominated for the Children’s Peace Prize by Children’s Peace Prize winner and Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai
and The Malala Fund. Muzoon comes from Syria, but the ongoing war forced her to flee her home country with her family
three years ago. In a refugee camp in Jordan, she soon set up a campaign to provide girls in the camp better access to
quality education. She also campaigned against the forced marriage of very young girls. In the refugee camp, Muzoon went
from tent to tent to talk to children and parents. She succeeded in convincing many parents to send their daughters to
school. Her courageous work has attracted international media attention and she has met several world leaders to discuss
the problems in refugee camps. Since the summer of 2016, Muzoon and her family have been living in the United Kingdom.
KidsRights is an international non-governmental organization that promotes the wellbeing of very vulnerable children
across the world and advocates the realisation of their rights. KidsRights strives for a world where all children have
access to their rights and are enabled to realize the great potential they carry within them. KidsRights sees children
as changemakers with the power to move the world, and facilitates in voicing their opinions and taking action in order
to bring about change. www.kidsrights.org
ABN AMRO has been a partner of KidsRights since 2006, working together to enable the International Children's Peace
Prize. www.abnamro.nl/partnervandetoekomst