WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Division for Children and Family Services (NDCFS) joined the Every Child Matters Awareness Walk on July 20, 2026, from the Navajo Nation Museum to the Navajo Nation Council Chamber.
The walk was organized by the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives (MMDR) Task Force to bring awareness to missing and murdered relatives and to honor children, families and communities impacted by the issue.
Anthony Begay, program manager of the Navajo Treatment Center for Children and Their Families (NTCCF), spoke on the issue at the conclusion of the walk, noting that there are many children who have gone through trauma and some children who are missing.
“We were thinking about that walking up. It’s a powerful walk,” he said.
Begay said that counseling can help those who need healing from trauma. The NTCCF provides outpatient therapeutic services to children and families impacted by trauma. Begay is also the lead for the Suicide Prevention Task Force under the Diné Action Plan (DAP).
The walk is a part of healing from trauma that occurred during the boarding school era and helping families understand how losing their child at that time impacts them now, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty said before the walk began.
Crotty, who is the chair for the MMDR Task Force, said when a child goes missing, an action plan needs to be developed and the community needs to be notified. Families should also be able to get the resources that they need, she said.
The focus of the task force has been on missing children, she added. “Every child, we should know where they’re at … We just want to make sure they know that we love them,” Delegate Crotty said.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley greeted the walkers, many of whom wore red, when they arrived. “The reason why we’re wearing red today is to bring awareness that every child matters and we want to celebrate all of our children today,” she said.
NDCFS Executive Director Thomas Cody said that the Division is committed to culturally based prevention work for the wellbeing of Navajo children. Prevention work is an integral component in the implementation of the DAP. The Division coordinates the DAP, which is the Navajo Nation’s road map to address the four modern-day monsters of suicide, substance abuse, violence and MMDR.
“Our work is to address the root cause of these issues and promote the growth of healthy children and families,” Cody said.
NDCFS Deputy Director Sonlatsa Jim joined the awareness walk. She noted that Every Child Matters refers to children 18 years or younger.
“I would like to acknowledge and remember the children and youth who have been murdered. We must continue to build support systems for parents and families who have lost a child to violence such as drunk driving and child abuse,” she said.
Jim is the chair of the DAP Advisory Group and the lead for the Violence Prevention Task Force.
NTCCF, Financial Assistance Unit, Navajo Indian Child Welfare Act Program, and Office of Executive Director participated in the walk. The Department for Self Reliance, Department of Family Services, and NTCCF provided resource tables to distribute information to the public outside the Council Chambers.
Every Child Matters is a movement that started in Canada connected to Orange Shirt Day. These movements create awareness on the intergenerational impacts of Indian residential schools and support healing and reconciliation for the victims and families of those impacted by residential schools.
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