ChildFund Australia has launched a new campaign highlighting the importance of childhood for all children, regardless of where they are born.

“Childhood has a deadline,” said ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence. “It’s a formative period where life experiences and conditions not only determine a child’s present, but sets their course for the future.

“Too many children experience a childhood scarred by poverty, where education ends too early and their basic human rights are ignored. We want to ensure every child can say: “I am safe. I am educated. I am heard. I have a future.”

ChildFund’s ‘Through their eyes’ campaign was filmed in rural communities in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea, and features children the organisation is supporting.

“Without adults to protect them, the children are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation,” said Spence.

ChildFund Australia supports disadvantaged children by working with local communities to increase access to quality education, improve income-generating opportunities for parents and raise awareness of child protection issues.

“The best way to support [these] children is to improve conditions within the community so that they can attend school,” said Spence.

“These are the kind of community development programs ChildFund supports in countries like Cambodia, Laos and Papua New Guinea. Our work is focused on ensuring that every child is safe, encouraged and valued, with opportunities to learn and play, because these childhood experiences will shape and impact their future.”