Baruani: The Boy Who Changed the World

The Children’s Peace Prize has been going around since 2005, rewarding awards for wonderful and potential children who have strived to change the world by just doing one movement that will really matter in the later future for kids and this world. Baruani is a bright 16 year old boy from Tanzania, Africa that has made a big difference in this world. He has done that one movement that will change the future of kids living in poverty and was awarded the peace prize in 2009. His story was very despairing. Baruani lost and was separated from his parents during the Civil War because the rebels burned his and the other victims’ houses down. Fortunately, he found a way out to escape from death and luckily lived. He later fled to DR Congo to find some place to live which where he found the refugee camp located in Tanzania. Baruani, like any other refugee kids, was very innocent when he first arrived. But as the years go by, he is used to the poor habitat and learned that he himself can create a big difference that will change the refugees’ lives forever. After 9 years of a sorrowful life living in a refugee camp with limited sources in Tanzania, Baruani realized it is unfair for children whom lost their parents from a war or some other sad experiences to be separated from them. From this experience, he resolved to create a big difference that can help fathoming this problem by creating a radio program so children who lives in refugee camps will have freedom of voice, rights to speak and get back together again with their parents.

Through his radio program, Baruani is fighting for refugees to have a greater voice in the management of refugee camps where they are staying. Creating a radio program was his main focus. He believes that if developing a radio programme in his local area, it will produce a significant difference to all the refugees in Africa. “He tries to convert his life experience into positive action, by actively helping fellow refugee children. His radio show is one of the key ways in which he tries to help his peers. The radio show, called ‘Sisi kwa Sisi’ (Children for Children), airs on Radio Kwizeria in Tanzania, Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.” Baruani created this radio program is because he wanted those children who live in refugee camps and poverty to be given hope by giving them a chance to speak about human rights and communication with their parents that are separated from them in the Civil War on his radio show. “In his radio show, Baruani discusses the problems and challenges refugee children face in the camp. For many children it is already a big help to talk to someone and to be able to share the problems they experience.” Helpless and innocent describes the refugee camps that Baruani and other children live in. That is why Baruani created the radio program to help make the refugees’ future better and brighter and give them hope.

Most of the refugee children that live in camps do not have as many rights as the other children that are not living in refugee camps. Baruani, as said before, created ‘Sisi kwa Sisi’, a radio program that will solve this problem out. He wants to give every refugees hope and to make them believe that they have as much rights as the other children do. “In certain refugee camps there are still some children who are denied their right to education. This situation impels children to randomly roam in village streets, as a result most of them end up with resorting to involve into substance abuse, theft and the like.” This quote was written in Baruani’s personal blog. It explains that a lot of children are never watched or taught for education and they don’t even have the rights to learn. This is because the refugee camps that handles the refugees do not have enough resources that are needed to build a proper and decent education for the kids. To unravel this problem out, Baruani talks about ideas that may help and affect the refugee camp that he’s from in order for it to have a better future. “His radio programme, provides a platform for discussions about the problems encountered by children in the refugee camp. Furthermore, thanks to the programme’s wide appeal, he has helped to reunite many children with their parents and families after they were separated by the war.” This quote elucidates how Baruani’s radio program works. Not only it discusses about how he and the other refugees can make camps better, but it also has reunited refugee kids with their families and parents.

Eventually, Baruani has accomplished his two significant goals that will help generate a better future for the refugee children in Africa. Those three consequential goals were giving freedom of voice for the refugees and getting all of them back together with their families and parents. He achieved these goals by creating a radio program called ‘Sisi kwa Sisi’ (Children for Children). This radio program were pretty important for the refugees because they really have no clue what to do to make their lives better and how to get their families back. Fortunately, Baruani came to save them with his radio program. Thanks to this, the radio program has brought back more than 50,000 refugees to get back together with their families again. Without Baruani, most refugees that live in camps will not be returning back to their families again. Even worse, with the limited resources the refugee camps have, the refugees would have starved to death! All in all, Baruani really deserved the Children’s Peace Prize in 2009.


1. http://www.kidsrightsmdgsconference.com/index.php?redirect=/baruani.php
2. http://www.kidsrightsmdgsconference.com/index.php?redirect=/baruani.php
3. http://childrenspeaceprize.org/2010/05/31/childrens-life-in-refugee-camps/
4. http://childrenspeaceprize.org/2010/05/31/childrens-life-in-refugee-camps/