We must have all come across television news items, radio broadcasts and ads in the newspapers about lost children. A child getting lost could happen to any family, even the most careful and hawk-eyed parent.
It actually happened to me in this post: The Day I Lost My Son in a Shopping Mall.
I spoke to child safety expert Maryana Munyendo of Simba-Safe Kenya, a Personal Safety Education Programme (PSE) for children about what information we can equip our children with. She shares these eight age-appropriate tips:
1. Parent’s Name: Make sure that your child knows your full name.
2. Telephone Number: As a parent, make sure that your child has mastered your telephone number. You can even consider sewing it on a clothing item. A tyvek security band could also be very helpful.
3. Home Address: Your child must know the exact location of where they live, i.e. the name of the estate, the court, and the house/door number.
4. Safe Strangers and Safe Buildings: During conversations with your child, actively point out to them the places they can go to for help such as banks, post offices or hospitals. Also teach them about the people that they can approach for help -for example uniformed staff such as policemen, medical personnel, receptionists or guards.
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