I was born into a wealthy and caring family. A child from the DYP might be born to drug addicted parents or into a neglectful family. The difference between us? Luck.
When I was 10, I thought family vacations, gymnastics classes, and birthdays with friends were normal. I thought that’s what all children did. But children from the DYP? At 10 years old, they watched other young people have fun with their families, win medals, be celebrated. And they’ve known for a long, long time that their lives are very different.
I want to use my voice and say that they exist, that they are there and that they need us. You know me, when I speak my heart races and I often say things that make people react. But I will never speak loudly enough when it comes to saying that we have to stand up for these children. Let them be reminded that they are not the sum of their parents’ mistakes.
I dream that each of the young people of the DYP will be surrounded by tender love, like the love I experienced during my childhood. Like the love we give to our children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces … And I am convinced that together we can make it happen. We can say to these children, loud and clear: “You are important too!”
