UNICEF Philippines National Ambassador Gary Valenciano lent his ever youthful vibe and voice to celebrate the Foundation Day of KidZania Manila, the first-of-its-kind indoor play city where kids rule. During the event held at Park Triangle in Bonifacio Global City, Mr. Pure Energy delivered a stirring performance calling on the audience to work together to promote children’s rights.
“UNICEF stands with all of you in shaping children to be the best they can be. By unleashing their imagination through the unique power of role-play and giving them life skills to face the real world, children can initiate and inspire change,” said Valenciano, who has been an advocate of children’s rights for the past 17 years as UNICEF Philippines’ National Ambassador.
Sharing the same vision for the welfare of children, KidZania Manila and UNICEF Philippines forged a partnership to further child empowerment. Through KidZania Manila’s unique educational entertainment concept, kids learn their right to healthcare, education, protection, and most fundamentally, the right to dream and enjoy childhood through play. Experts in child development cite the intrinsic connection between play on the one hand, and literacy, logic and mathematics, development of feelings of trust, self-esteem and communication skills on the other.
KidZania Manila’s own set of RightZKeepers—Urbano, Beebop, Chika, Vita and Bache—represent children’s rights: the right to know, to create, to share, to care, to play, and ultimately, the right to be. These are all in line with the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of the Child.
As part of the partnership, a UNICEF booth will be stationed at KidZania Manila starting August 2015 and information on children’s rights will be provided to KidZania Manila visitors.