The nonprofit organisation One Child One Family recently gave children a chance to creatively express their issues and rights. The organisation has also established networks to identify at-risk households to keep children safe.

On 20 June at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, children had a chance to creatively express themselves about their issues and rights. A drama piece focused on parents with substance abuse issues.

The event was hosted by One Child One Family - Hope and Homes for Children South Africa, a nonprofit organisation.

"The purpose of today is to provide a platform for the youth. We have a programme called Our Voices Matter, and in this programme, we look at creating platforms for youth to be able to exercise their freedom in an inclusive way, in a way that they can share whatever they feel in a respectful and responsible way," said Melissa Cannell, operations manager at One Child One Family.

"There is a lot of learning happening in the community and it is amazing to see the energy when they are debating around critical issues."

Awanda Godongwane from One Child One Family said that Our Voices Matter "is a programme where we grant young kids a platform to raise their voice, identify social challenges, and to actually propose solutions to responsible stakeholders like government, local municipality and community leaders".

The organisation's Thato Moeng said, "More than anything, we are giving kids...