Regardless of culture, stature or creed, children are children and they all bleed.....

 

 

In a bed, in a makeshift hospital,

a little girl, barely four years old,

silently endures while a bandage is being applied,

she doesn't complain, she takes it in her stride.

 

She is but one of many children,

caught in a conflict entirely bewildering.

A little girl, barely four years old,

knows nothing of the grown-ups world.

 

But she knows she must run,

at the sound of a gun,

she knows she must hide,

when the tanks roll on by.

 

She knows endless hunger,

and nights without slumber,

and at the ripe age of four,

.... she can cry no more.

 

Regardless of culture, stature or creed,

children are children, and all of them bleed,

when a bullet, a bomb, or a UID,

hits the target, does its deed.

 

This insanity, it really must cease,

we must try harder to work for peace.

To find words rather than weapons of war,

to settle our differences, to settle our scores. (Citizen Z)

"Creating a world that is truly fit for children does not imply simply the absence of war. It means having the confidence that our children would not die of measles or malaria. It means having access to clean water and proper sanitation. It means having primary schools nearby that educate children, free of charge. It means changing the world with children, ensuring their right to participate, and that their views are heard and considered. It means building a world fit for children, where every child can grow to adulthood in health, peace and dignity." (Carol Bellamy)