The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 13 (Caraga) has formally launched activities and competitions that highlight the rights and protection of children in the region amid the pandemic.

“These activities and contests are aimed to boost the advocacies of DSWD-13 and its partners on the campaigns for the protection of children and promotion of their rights,” DSWD-13 information officer Marko Davey Reyes told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday.

He said the activities and competitions were formally launched on Thursday during the kick-off ceremony of the 29th National Children’s Month (NCM) in the region.

Different line agencies of the government that serve as members of the Regional Committee for the Welfare of Children (RCWC) also joined the ceremony that was led by DSWD-13 Director Ramel Jamen and other top officials of the agency, Reyes added.

The DSWD-13 and RCWC also organized the Kid’s O’Clock campaign in the region dubbed as “Isang Minutong Hugong ng Desperador” (A minute buzz of the alarm clock) aimed at inviting different groups and organizations, as well as Caraga residents, to help address the needs of the children, especially during the pandemic

The activities and competitions for this year’s NCM include online quiz shows, poetry activities, and kids’ festivals that will feature children’s advocacy videos.

This year’s 29th NCM celebration carried the theme, “New Normal na Walang Iwanan: Karapatan ng Bawat Bata Ating Tutukan.” (PNA)