#EurochildGA 2023: The Eurochild network now reaches 41 countries
The Eurochild community held its annual gathering with the membership and children online on 16-17 May 2023. The membership voted on key aspects of Eurochild’s governance and membership, which now totals 195 members in 41 countries! Read more highlights from the gathering below.
Some changes in the Management Board
We welcomed two new Eurochild Management Board members:
- Sérgio Costa Araújo, from Portugal, is an expert on child rights and child poverty who has been working to fight poverty and promoting social inclusion for more than 20 years.
- Ulla Siimes, from Central Union for Child Welfare in Finland, is a strong defender of children’s rights and has been doing advocacy work and policy influencing related to children and families for more than 10 years.
We would like to thank Sean O'Neill, from Children in Wales, for being a Board member and supporting the work of Eurochild for so many years!
Welcome to our new members!
Eight new members joined the Eurochild network. Six organisations and two individuals were admitted as full members:
- ASEAF, National Foster Care Association, Spain, brings together 23 foster family associations, totalling approximately 2,000 families from all over Spain, with the objective to make foster care the preferred measure of child protection in the face of institutionalization.
- Child Protection Network, Armenia, is a national coalition of child-centred NGOs with more than 40 member organizations operating in various regions to advocate for the improvement of laws, procedures and practices in the field of child protection and awareness raising on child rights.
- NGO Parents (NVU Roditelji), Montenegro, works on promoting changes and reforms to support families and children in the country by advocating for optimal conditions in institutional care and for protection against all forms of violence.
- National Association of Intellectual Disabilities (Þroskahjálp), Iceland, brings together approximately 6,000 members and works for the rights and interests of people with disabilities, with a specific focus on disabled children and young people and people with intellectual disabilities.
- ENTE, European Network for Traveller Education, Germany, is committed to ensuring that children of parents who are occupational travelers, such as showmen or circus artists, receive an adequate and good quality education and leave school with recognised and high quality school certificates.
- Fundacio Privada Pere Closa, Spain, dedicates its efforts and enthusiasm to promote the school success of Roma children and young people, promote their personal growth, and improve the family and community environment so that they can have highest possible quality of life.
- Ann Rem Loraine Rava-Lynn, Sweden, has been an educator for 16 years, a school leader, and member of the International Baccalaureate Educator Network. She believes that education should be a right for all, especially for children often marginalized in developing countries and gender-unequal societies.
- Fidan Abdullayeva, Azerbaijan, has over 10 years of practical experience working with local and national government actors in the field of children’s rights based on UNCRC and UN Guidelines on Alternative Care.
In addition to these official proceedings, the General Assembly offered a space for members, children, the board and the secretariat to share and reflect on the amazing work done over the past year. Eurochild also launched its Digital Annual Report of 2022 showcasing the network’s many achievements of the past year.
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