Nominees 2011

To read the press release of the announcement of the nominees click here

Liza (17 years) – Palestine

Liza is a seventeen-year-old girl who is promoting peace between Israeli and Palestinian youngsters through sports. She especially fights for the empowerment and participation of Palestinian girls and young women in the male dominated Palestine society. Using football as a tool, Liza is committed to stop the cycle of violence and aggression and in this way she hopes to contribute towards peace between Israel and Palestine. She is successfully promoting a Peace Sport Schools program; she started a girls football team and with that introduced women’s football to the Palestinian society.

Malala (13 years) – Pakistan

Malala is a brave thirteen-year-old girl from Pakistan who fights for the right for education, especially for girls. During extreme Talibanisation in the Swat Valley, where she lives (from 2003-2009), this was prohibited. She was one of the few people who stood up for the rights of girls. When the Taliban banned girls education, she raised her voice through the national and international media. She became an inspiring icon for the right of children – and in particular that of girls - to education. All this when she was only 11 years old. She wrote a blog for the BBC during the most dangerous period of Taliban rule and volunteered to be on two documentaries by the New York Times.

Michaela (17 years) – South Africa

Michaela, Chaeli, is a seventeen-year-old girl from South Africa who was born with Cerebral Palsy. Because of this she has limited function in her legs and arms. When she was nine years old, Michaela and her friends and sister started a project to raise funds for a motorized wheelchair for Chaeli. This project has grown to become the Chaeli Campaign, a professional organization which assists disabled children in South Africa with assistive devices, therapy and advocates for the rights and inclusion of disabled children. Michaela inspires children to start social projects and therefore she set up a young ambassadors programme.

Nikolay (17 years) – Armenia

Nikolay is a seventeen-year-old boy from Armenia. He has participated in several trainings and workshops on human rights and demo-cracy. He organizes discussions and presentations for other children to share his knowledge and experience and to encourage them to do the same and by doing so to make a significant change in Armenian society. With his workshops, Nikolay already reached 200 children and they share their knowledge again with others. Nikolay believes social media is a great tool for spreading the message. He therefore has developed a website and keeps a blog.

Winfred (14 years) – Uganda

Fourteen-year-old Winfred from Uganda is a young girl who fights against violence against children in schools and communities. She closely monitors the situation of child abuse and neglect and documents cases of violence against children. To help children who have been abused she created the Kamuli Children’s Counselling Club, where children receive counselling on various challenges they are facing. Winfred also set up a Tree Planting Club to plant more trees and create a green environment for the school. She also set up a Children’s Court which settles disputes amongst children without interference of adults.