PRESS RELEASE
Human chain link around Barbados
Barbados. April 28. On November 30 1979, an estimated 90,000 in Barbados joined hands to form
an unprecedented human chain link around the island during the United Nations International Year of
the Child.
Now almost 30 years after, as the country joins others around the globe to observe the 30th
anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, another
attempt is being made to form another symbolic human chain link around the 366 square-mile island.
A group of public-spirited individuals, companies and organizations, including the UNICEF Barbados
and Eastern Caribbean Office, are joining in the effort which is aimed at having at least 100,000
children and adults come out on the morning of June 1 to form a 96-kilometre chain around the
island.
Errol Griffith, one of the movers behind the project, said ‘One People, One Barbados’ is not just an
event, but the beginning of a process through which the country will seek to become the number one
place to live, work and visit, making it a better place for all, including children.
Participants will be encouraged to write personal and national pledges and at the end of the event
the pledges will be compiled and used to create the draft transformation plan for Barbados.
UNICF Representative to Barbados and the eastern Caribbean, Tom Olsen, endorsed the chain link
and follow up events, which he said would have a transformational effect on the country and assist in
securing a better future for all children.
“As the UN agency guided by the Convention of the Rights of the Child, we think it is important that
we once again unite for children, not to historically achieve an unbroken human chain around the
island, but symbolically as the start of a process where we pledge to do better, where we act on
those pledges, where we work steadfastly on those pledges and where we create a better Barbados,
a better future for our children,” he said.
Olsen said Barbados and the countries of the Eastern Caribbean are making impressive strides in
meeting many of the Millennium Development Goals. However, many of the challenges confronting
the country can easily stall or even reverse those gains.
“The responsibility to protect those gains does not rest only with the state and special interest
agencies, but is a collective responsibility. By being part of the human chain and making the pledges,
everyone can signal their intention to accept that responsibility,” he added.
The last human chain link was organized by the Rotary Club and organizers passed on the 2009
baton at a recent launch event.
CAPTION
(From left) UNICEF representative Tom Olsen, organizer Errol Griffith, Project Manager David
Reeves and Reverend Lionel Gibson accept the baton from Maurice Foster (right), one of the
organizers of the 1979 chain link.
For More Information please contact:
Elaine King, Adolescent, HIV/AIDS Specialist, UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern
Caribbean. Tel. (246) 467-6165
Patrick Knight, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
Tel. (246) 467 6162
Tom Olsen, Representative, UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern. Tel. (246) 467-6151
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in 155 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from
early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing
countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic
education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.
UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and
governments.
Learn more at www.unicef.org/barbados