Put Yourself in Children's Shoes to demand Children's rights

Barcelona, March 22nd, 2011. The Put Yourself in My Shoes campaign will be visiting Diagonal Mar shopping centre in Barcelona this week on the occasion of World Water Day to raise awareness on children's rights and engage passers-by in ongoing campaigns on child rights in Spain. 

Put Yourself in My Shoes is an original exhibit displaying worn-down children's shoes from all parts of the world to tell the  stories of day-to-day life of millions of children in the world. Once visitors have read through the stories, they can get actively engaged by visiting www.putyourselfinmyshoes.org and signing up to one or more of the campaigns in their respective countries. The idea behind the initiative is not only to raise awareness on the millions of children that still don't have access to basic education, health or clean water - to name a few - but also to remind civil society that their action is relevant and their engagement can make a difference in holding governments to account on their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

In addition to the exhibit, the stunt will also hold a children's workshop so they are actively participate in leaving their "footprint" for child rights. They will be able to leave their "footprint" by cutting out the template of their shoe on a card-board and address a short message to the President of the Spanish Government.

The campaign was first launched on the International Children's Day in 2010 to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the Millennium Summit to demand stronger political commitment in achieving the eight MDG, particularly those directly linked to children: halve extreme poverty, reduce child mortality, universal primary education and promote maternal health. 

The exhibit, hosted in Barcelona by the Global Movement for Children in partnership with Save the Children, World Vision and Plan International, will be in Zaragoza the first  two weeks of May, followed by Madrid and a number of Spanish cities currently being defined.