We are pleased to welcome the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE) into our Members’ Network; an organisation working to advance agroecology, seed conservation and farmers’ rights.
The organisation decided to join the network to strengthen their commitment to holistic and ethical development work. Although their programmes focus on agriculture, children in farmer families are naturally involved in daily agricultural life.
By being part of our global network, they hope to ensure that their initiatives promote not only sustainable livelihoods, but also safe and nurturing environments for every child connected to their work.
SEARICE’s efforts are driven by a profound belief that safeguarding children is inseparable from safeguarding communities. They explained that child safeguarding is more than a legal or institutional requirement for them – they see it as ‘a moral and cultural responsibility rooted in care, respect and intergenerational continuity. By integrating child safeguarding into our work, we strengthen our vision of agriculture as a space where families can thrive in dignity, safety and wellbeing.’
Within the next year, the team hopes to have a formal child safeguarding policy in place that aligns with international standards while honouring local contexts. They also want to ensure that child safeguarding becomes an organisational practice.
Their message to the world is loud and clear: ‘Nurturing resilient communities begins with protecting the seeds of life: our biodiversity, our farmers and the knowledge they carry. Every seed sown through farmer-led innovation is a promise to future generations – to children who deserve a thriving planet and a secure, nourishing future’.
We at KCS are pleased to welcome SEARICE into the network and look forward to supporting their work in safeguarding children within farming communities.