The document this Book of Bellamy is taken from has many important elements not covered elsewhere in this Testament, and is therefore a worthwhile inclusion. The name of the Book is taken from the person who prepared the report, Carol Bellamy, who was the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund in 2002.

Chapter XII
Chapter XII Educate every child, The dreams of Nagaland.
On the remote, hilly north-eastern corner of India bordering Myanmar lies Nagaland, a tiny state embroiled in nearly a half century of continuous conflict. The population of 2 million is tired of violence, threats of extortion and living in fear. A fragile ceasefire has existed for the last three years. One college student today writes, "I can recall peace only when I was a small child - not after that."

With the support of the Chief Secretary of Nagaland, the highest-ranking bureaucrat in the state, a series of action research workshops were initiated in Nagaland early in 2001 to create change. In the workshops, individuals are asked to 'Imagine Nagaland' by focusing on what they want for their state rather than on the problems they currently face. Participants move through a four-phase cycle of interviews - Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny. Over 1,000 interviews have already been conducted and 20,000 more are planned. Each interview is to generate six additional interviews, setting off a ripple effect that will reach into every corner of Nagaland society, engaging adults and children in the common cause of creating their new society.

In April 2001, more than 70 participants drawn from diverse stakeholder groups and originating from eight districts gathered for a "Discovery Phase" workshop. They represented 'Nagaland glue' - junior, middle and senior government officials, media, teachers, legislators and NGOs, including church leaders and human rights activists. But importantly, almost one third of the participants were children and young people from different tribal origins. For many of the adults, this was their first experience of interacting on an equal footing with the younger generation.

Initially young people and adults began visioning exercises separately. When asked "What gives life to Nagaland?" adults spoke of their sense of pride in their rich cultural heritage, their stoic acceptance of the current situation, their classless and casteless society and strong religious convictions and their yearning for peace and development.The younger group appeared more clearly focused on the future rather than the past. Children were concerned that "Nagaland needs more freedom from violence."

They spoke about community development as being more important than individual development. They appealed for parks and sports fields. And they expressed the need for primary education because, as they put it, "even a building without a strong foundation can fall." One student wrote:

O' future Nagas, let's stop this evil
Let there be peace again
Stop the gun culture, it's not ours
For we cannot survive in this pool of
Hatred, conflict and corruption.

By the end of the first day, the young people's honesty and eloquence, represented in paintings, slogans and poems, had jolted the adults. Children summed up what they had "more of" in comparison with the maturity, experience and responsibilities of adults. "We're more educated, more creative, more sincere and courageous and we're more action-oriented." Their wish-list was clear - peace, unity, reforestation, more state advances in science and technology and guaranteed employment on leaving school. Writing in the local Northeast Herald newspaper, a group of participating journalists commented, "Some of us who thought we knew what the problem in Naga society is discovered that we didn't know nearly enough." Listening to schoolchildren and college youth, they realized "these are the people with the biggest stakes in the future.... Many of them were quite clear about the kind of future they long for and the clarity of their thinking zapped us! Clearly we were hearing and experiencing their cry of anguish."

In a second workshop, two polls of both interviewers and interviewees were conducted on the 10 imperatives of the Rallying Call for Children. 'Educate Every Child' was foremost in everyone's mind, followed by 'Care for every Child', 'Fight HIV/AIDS' and 'Listen to Children.' "Children are the leaders of tomorrow - so we must educate them properly if we are to be led properly," wrote one respondent.

And a student echoed with, "I imagine a Nagaland where people have less complaints and criticism, children [are] eagerly involved in school because of the good facilities and extra-curricular activities, villages [are] involved in their own development and everyone [is] involved and aware of their cultural heritage."

Will the dream stories that are told, retold and interpreted ultimately influence the inner dialogue of the people of Nagaland, and will such internal change give greater momentum to the social change that is needed? Yes, according to one college youth who wrote in a letter, "Obviously, what we are facing now would be the consequence of what our predecessors had already committed. So it is the right time to reshape our society again. Or else the future situation will again be the result of the present, and we will be held responsible for that."