Getting To Know Your International Contacts-Part One

     Well, I am very disappointed that the four or five people I contacted did not return my e-mails. It would have been so interesting to learn from them. However, I did go onto the UNICEF web site and looked around at the information discussed around Africa though there were many other countries to look at.

      One story I read was about a 17 year old girl who was born in Benin, Africa, at home and so she has no birth certificate. This makes it impossible to go to a secondary school and onto a profitable job. In Benin, 4 out of every 10 children do not get a birth certificate within the first 10 days after their birth when it is free. They are born in their homes and most families either do not know about it or do not see the importance of having a birth certificate. Children without a birth certificate are often denied education and lack access to other services. This keeps the cycle of poverty always turning. 

     The next story comes from Agadez, Niger and discussed the children who live on the streets. One such boy left his home when his father died at 12 years of age. He collects tin from the dump to make some money. Some of this money he uses for food but for the most part is to buy glue for sniffing. The boy said it makes him feel nothing and he often gets beat up or robbed when he falls asleep. There is a child agency which can monitor about 50 children which is sometimes their only hope as well as their families'.

      Another story from Africa is based around the internal conflict of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger where at one time it had 11 million children out of school. Now that the conflict has escalated there are an additional 1 million children also out of school. These children are going to grow up with no education and no means to support themselves.

By 2030 a short 13 years from now:
     167 MILLION children will live in extreme poverty
       69 MILLION children under the age of 5 will die between the years 2016 and 2030
       60 MILLION children of primary school age will be out of school


We have to do something! NO child deserves to suffer like this.

Sharing Web Resources

Save the Children is the Early Childhood related web site I found which interested me and can be found at:

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXGIpI4E/b.6213813/k.4C6/eNewsletter_Sign_Up/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6213813&en=kvlQJ4ORKhlQJ3MOKcINI4NSJfLZiOSJmLYL4OSJrK9JsJ

When I read the first newsletter my heart broke. I know things are bad for children in war-torn countries but I had no real clue what they have endured along with their families.

Women and Children Flee Famine and War in South Sudan

"The children and the elderly, they slaughtered them... I've seen children tied to their dead mother and thrown in the river"

 This is the first article I read and I now am overwhelmed of what I can possibly do for these suffereing people?!

The reason I am focusing on this horrific story is because the refugees from countries such as this often end up in my classroom. These children must overcome more than learning another language and customs, they must learn how not to be afraid any more. They need to learn to cope in a new world perhaps with trauma too deep for us as teachers to even know where to begin. This is the changing demographics of the classroom in my area. I wish I had an answer but I do know it is something we as educators need to know and to look at.

Getting Ready—E stablishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

     I had a little trouble with this assignment but I think I have it now. I contacted three different organizations and have not heard form anyone as of yet. I tried UNUCEF, The International School of Yangon (in Myanmar) and the Global Educational Network for People and Planet. I am excited about the school in Myanmar because I have had several students from this area and I would like to get to know their educational beliefs. I am really hoping to get to talk with others about their thoughts over the next few weeks.

For the next part of this endeavor I have chosen to learn more about the Safe the Children Foundation. I have signed up for their newsletters and updates and I hope to become more involved with them as well. This program reaches out to children all over the world and if we each tried to live our lives FOR the children this world would be a much better place!