African Movement of Working Children and Youth

Description

The African Movement of Working Children and Youth, known by its French acronym MAEJT, is a network of associations run by working children and young people across Africa.

Since it was founded in 1994 in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, it has organised local groups of children and youth by location or trade, which come together in regional and national associations and meet in a general assembly every three years. Members are informed, educated, protected and supported, especially working children, so they can pursue their goals safely. The movement carries the voice of working children and youth to authorities and decision makers to promote and defend their rights.

Most members are under eighteen, more than half are girls, and anyone reaching twenty four must step down from leadership so the movement stays child led. It is present in 28 African countries, mainly in West Africa, with about 270,000 active members organised in thousands of local groups. It is supported by the child protection organisation ENDA Jeunesse Action International, known as JEUDA, based in Dakar, Senegal, part of the wider ENDA Tiers-Monde network.