A 15-year old Cameroonian wonderkid named Divina Maloum has made her country people proud by clinching the International Children Peace Prize award for her work with young people who have suffered extremist violence, particularly in the north of her country.
In response to the terror inflicted by the dreaded terror group Boko Haram over the border in Cameroon since 2014, Divina Maloum founded the Children for Peace movement, an organization that works with child victims of terror.
Children for peace Movement is aimed at warning and educating young Cameroonians to shun against being used as tools to perpetuate violence and terror, in light of the dreaded group often recruiting children – particularly girls – to carry out attacks.
A video produced by KidsRights shows Maloum displaying a cartoon, with the title “I’m not a hero when I carry bombs”, which shows a young girl refusing to wear a suicide vest.
KidsRights also acknowledged that the young Cameroonian has organized an inter-community children’s peace camp, established peace clubs in mosques, and together with other children, made a children’s declaration against violent extremism.
“to end violence and peace we need children, I invite my fellow children around the world to stand up for their rights,” she said while accepting the award in The Hague on Wednesday, November 20.
The prize was awarded by Dutch organization KidsRights, which says it wants children to be recognized for their efforts to improve their own situation. Swedish 16-year old environmental activist Greta Thunberg also won the award alongside Maloum.
Maloum would end her speech by dedicating her award “to all children who are suffering atrocities due to war”.
