While Namibia is celebrating the Day of the African Child under the theme 'Planning and Budgeting for Children's Rights: Progress since 2010', young voices called for more than just promises.

They are urging the government not just to allocate funds and resources toward youth and education but to do so in a way that no Namibian child is left out.

This year's theme is aimed at assessing the level of progress achieved in mainstreaming children's issues in planning and budgeting, as well as assessing and reforming mechanisms to adopt a child rights-based approach.

Last year, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) projected Namibia's child population between the ages of zero and 17 to be approximately 42%, which translates to 1.29 million.

Speaking on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation's Inside The Chambers programme, Young national representatives Abubakar Funtua and 3rd Junior National Council Chairperson Anna Andimba said ineffectiveness in the management of national resources also affects children's budgets.

They urged the government not only to work for the Namibian child but also to work with them. 

Children also want African countries to invest in their well-being just as much as they spend on maintaining peace and security.

The AU says Africa will have about 1 billion kids by 2055, or 40% of the world's population.