Save Our Child

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Executive Director promotes the rights of Roma children in Albania

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman promotes the rights of Roma children during a two-day visit to Albania.

TIRANA, Albania, 3 October 2008 – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, on a two-day visit to Albania, highlighted the plight of Roma children and efforts to strengthen the juvenile justice system.
Veneman visited a Roma community where approximately 100 families were living in makeshift housing by a large landfill in Tirana.
“An 11-year-old girl told me that she does not go to school because she has to work scavenging through the garbage,” said Veneman. “A recent study found that there are approximately 5,000 Roma children between the ages of 3 and 16 years old. Results showed that only about 27 per cent of Roma six-year-olds are enrolled in school and that, on average, 43 per cent of Roma children between the ages of 15 and 16 are illiterate.”
In a meeting with the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, the situation of the Roma community was discussed. Prime Minister Berisha expressed serious concern over the marginalization and discrimination faced by Roma, especially the children.
Encouraging Roma children to go to school
The Albanian Government is working closely with UNICEF to encourage Roma children to go to school. The government is implementing policy to provide housing for the Roma community, as well.
Veneman also visited a juvenile detention centre in Tirana supported in part by UNICEF. One teenage boy accused of theft had been in the detention centre for seven months awaiting disposition of his case.
“UNICEF is working with the Justice Ministry to ensure expeditious handling of juvenile cases and flexible sentencing alternatives where appropriate,” said Veneman.

The Executive Director met with President Bamir Topi, who has overseen recent justice reforms, especially in the area of juvenile justice.

She also visited Youth Albania Professional Services (YAPS), a sustainable enterprise that trains and employs marginalized youth and persons with disabilities. YAPS runs several businesses, including a cleaning and courier service that operates throughout Tirana.

‘Albania Reads’ – IKEA donation brings new books to schoolchildren in need

A boy reads a book in the library at Edith Durham Compulsory School in Tirana, the Albanian capital. With support from IKEA, UNICEF has donated new books to the school through the ‘Albania Reads’ initiative.

By Rachel Bonham Carter
NEW YORK, USA, 25 February 2008 – UNICEF and IKEA are re-igniting enthusiasm for reading amongst a generation of children in Albania who have been deprived of books.
For almost two decades, libraries have been repurposed and school budgets slashed while the government has focussed on transitioning to democracy. Books have become a scarce and expensive commodity, out of reach for many poor families. The resulting dearth of literature has left well over half of Albanian 15-year-olds unable to complete more than the simplest reading tasks.
“At home I only have three books,” explains Ermedina Hoxha, 13. “The last books the school library received was six years ago but they are inappropriate. We also have books from the old Communist era. If you go to Peshkopi Library they have few books for children – sometimes only one copy.”
‘Learn to read, read to learn’
With €1 million from UNICEF’s largest corporate donor, the Swedish home furnishing retailer IKEA, the ‘Albania Reads’ project aims to open a library in each of 850 schools. In collaboration with the government, libraries have already opened in 160 schools – to the delight of children and teachers alike.

Three boys read, sharing a desk at Tomin Compulsory School in the town of Peshkopia, located in one of Albania’s poorest regions. The school has not yet received books through the ‘Albania Reads’ project.

“What’s best is that the Albania Reads project works with the Ministry of Education so that the books we receive are the same books that children need in literature classes,” says Musa Nikolai, the teacher in charge of the new library at the school in Katundi i Ri.
Forty minutes from Ermedina’s hometown, Katundi i Ri is a small farming community and typical of the target communities at the heart of Albania Reads. Many children have no books at home, and it is not uncommon for girls to drop out of school at the age of 13.
“We know reading is very important for learning,” says UNICEF Representative in Albania Carrie Auer. “First you learn to read and then you read to learn. So if we want continuous achievement in school, reading is important.”
Re-establishing the culture of literacy
It is not only schoolchildren who benefit from the project. With the ability to check out books to take home, children are able to share them with parents and siblings. Extending the reading experience to the whole family can help to raise literacy levels across the entire society.
At the same time, teachers are being trained in new techniques to encourage reading, and an Albania Reads awareness campaign is planned to help re-establish the country’s culture of literacy. Also in the works are a children’s magazine and a national literary award with winners to be decided by young people.
IKEA’s contribution to Albania Reads was part of a $10.5 million donation to UNICEF in 2007. Since 2001, IKEA has given UNICEF a total of $46.2 million to help improve the lives of children around the world.

In remote Afghan mountains

In remote Afghan mountains, Youth Information and Contact Centre empowers youth

Kamela, 15, traveled some eight hours to Nili, the provincial capital of Afghanistan’s Daikundi province, to attend a UNICEF-supported youth training.

By Aziz Froutan
DAIKUNDI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, 19 August 2010 - Kamela, 15, lives in the Shahristan district of Afghanistan’s Daikundi province – a remote mountain area of the country’s central region. In an unprecedented journey, she recently travelled eight hours on foot and by car to reach Nili, the provincial capital, to participate in an innovative training session for young people.
“I was very excited when I heard about the training,” said Kamela, referring to a UNICEF-supported Psycho-social Counseling Training, which was organized by the Youth Information and Contact Center (YICC) in Nili.
New opportunities
Daikundi is a priority area for UNICEF, as it has been marginalized for many years and does not have strong international or national non-governmental presence. The socio-economic indicators for the area are poor, especially those affecting the women and children. However, it is one of the few safe areas in Afghanistan with strong community commitment and participation.

Boys and girls discuss gender violence, useful skills and other issues during a UNICEF-supported training in Nili, the provincial capital of Afghanistan’s Daikundi province.

The four-day Psycho-social Counseling Training workshop in Nili is funded by UNICEF with technical support from the United Nations Population Fund. About 30 girls and boys are attending. During this workshop, young people discuss common psycho-social problems, receive counselling for family conflict and gender violence and learn useful support skills.
It is also a unique opportunity for Kamela to interact with girls and boys her age.

“Before the YICC was established there was nothing for us,” said Jamludin, 19. “Many young people are addicted to drugs. Take a look around – most young people are jobless. They should have a job or an occupation. But there are no opportunities in Daikundi.”
Marginalized youth
Afghanistan’s children and youth under the age of 25 comprise more than 65 per cent of its population. Yet young people are generally disenfranchised, lack educational and employment opportunities and rarely participate in decision-making at the community, provincial, or national level.
“There are no internet clubs, no sport clubs, and no official library,” said Youth Department Director Mansour Ghulami. “It took a while to activate this youth centre, but we are slowly progressing, and I hope we can do more to improve the situation.”
Since the opening of the YICC in September 2008, 80 young people have completed a four-month-long computer course and 350 have completed a course in intermediate English. The YICC has also established federations for youth in remote areas in order to facilitate the discussion between young people. In these federations, boys and girls gather to talk about their needs and problems and try to find solutions.
Tangible progress
Most of Daikundi’s population of about 500,000 live in extreme poverty, and the vast majority of children under 18 work in farming or shepherding for a low daily wage to supplement the income of their families.
UNICEF-supported Youth Information and Contact Centres aim to empower young people to make informed and responsible decisions about their lives. By providing fast and easy access to a wide range of information in an informal, supportive and interactive environment, they enable young people to take advantage of opportunities, develop their skills and abilities, solve their daily problems and actively participate in society.
“If these youth centres existed in our [home] district, parents would bring their children,” said Sediqa Sharifi, 18. She is excited about her first visit to the YICC in Nili.
And not least of the strides made by the YICC is the growing membership of a particularly under-represented youth group: girls.
“There were only 10 girls in this centre in the beginning,” recalled Jamuldin. “But now around 300 girls are members. This is a real progress.”

Raising clean hands in Afghanistan's 'WASH' friendly schools

Call to Action on water, sanitation and hygiene

From left: UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Peter Crowley and Afghan Ministers of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and Education

By Cornelia Walther
KABUL, Afghanistan, 16 September 2010 – Designed to increase investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for Afghan schools, a new Call to Action has been jointly issued by the government’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. Its intent is to engage policy makers at all levels, involve multiple stakeholders and monitor WASH in schools.
Every child has the right to safe water, improved sanitation facilities and hygiene education. Yet fulfilling this right is a major challenge in some countries. According to MoE data, only 45 per cent of schoolchildren have access to safe water and only 40 per cent of schools have separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys.
Bolstered investment
The number of schools offering general education in the country has increased from 6,039 in 2002 to 10,998 in 2008, and the MoE predicts that number will rise to 16,500 by 2014. The net enrolment of girls and boys in general education has also increased, trending upward from 2.3 million in 2002 to 6.2 million in 2008, with an estimated 10 million children to be enrolled by 2014.
These increases will require bolstered investment to support WASH in schools. The new standard school designs include safe water and improved sanitation facilities for all children, including children with disabilities. There are also plans to include these facilities – including privacy walls – in existing schools for girls.
WASH in schools instills pride in students by affording them a high measure of dignity and privacy. In turn, it enables these children to become agents of change for improving water, sanitation and hygiene practices within their own families and communities.
Present and future health
Through these practices, young people realize their full potential now, while they prepare for the future as healthy adults. Most important, they will be able to share this legacy with their own children when they become parents.

With support from the donor governments of Japan, Finland, Sweden, Canada and other partners, UNICEF is:
Introducing menstrual hygiene and health in schools
Standardizing school sanitary toilet designs, separate for girls and boys, including facilities for children with disabilities
Grading schools into categories based on WASH parameters, and targeting those with the lowest grades
Developing school WASH plans to be implemented by the school community (including teachers, students, school management committees and parent-teacher associations)
Preparing guidelines and standards for WASH in schools jointly with the MRRD.

Raising awareness
Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Jarullah Mansoori said the joint Call to Action for WASH in schools would change the situation for Afghan children.
“I am confident that this initiative will raise general awareness on the importance of WASH in schools,” he said, adding that it will “encourage our government and partners to take necessary actions aiming at covering all schools with WASH facilities by 2015.”
According to UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Peter Crowley, WASH in schools provides healthy, safe and secure school environments that can protect children from health hazards, abuse and exclusion. It helps ensure quality education, which in turn, leads to better health and nutrition outcomes, especially for girls.
“WASH in schools significantly reduces hygiene-related disease, increases students’ attendance and learning achievements, and contributes to dignity and gender equality,” said Mr. Crowley. “In pursuing this vision, UNICEF is pleased to be able to work in close collaboration with the MRRD, the MoE and the MoPH, and is grateful for the support of donors.”

Afghan Female Literacy Centres bring knowledge and new priorities to remote areas

By Farida Ayari
NILI, Afghanistan, 11 October 2010 – Around 30 girls and women ranging in age between 12 and 70 sit in a small room in Nili, the capital of Afghanistan’s remote Daikundi province. Some have brought their children to the class, where they are learning to read for the first time.

Video: UNICEF reports on Female Literacy Centres that are helping to educate women in remote regions of Afghanistan. Watch in RealPlayer

“Before I had enrolled in this literacy course, I mistakenly strayed in the wrong direction each time I was visiting a hospital,” recalled Razia, 24, who said she couldn’t read the street signs. “A doctor had to show me the correct way. I was so embarrassed of being uneducated,” she added.
Thanks to the Female Literacy Centre, which receives support from UNICEF, Razia can now read – and doesn’t get lost anymore.
Enthusiasm for learning
A little boy observes with curiosity as two older women work at practicing spelling. Nearby, Nouria, a 19-year-old teacher, teaches life skills.

Nouria, 19, is a young teacher at a Female Literacy Centre in Nili, the capital of Afghanistan's remote Daikundi province.

“Our students were registered in their area and they come from far,” said Nouria. Emphasizing her students’ enthusiasm to learn, she added: “These women say that they do not want to remain blind as they were in the past.”
According to the National Risk and Vulnerability Report (2007-2008), the estimated national adult literacy rate is approximately 26 per cent – 12 per cent for women and 39 per cent for men. In rural areas such as Daikundi province, the situation is more acute with an estimated 93 per cent of adults, mostly women, lacking basic reading and writing skills.
This province, with a population of 500,000, is a priority area for UNICEF, where the presence of international and national non-government agencies is scarce. Work toward educating women in remote regions is part of a global push to reach the most vulnerable and ultimately to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals – a set of internationally recognized targets for reducing poverty – by the year 2015.
Influence on families
Almost 125 Female Literacy Centers (FLCs) have been established in Daikundi. Some 3,750 young girls and women are enrolled in these centres, which are supervised by the Department of Education. Around 30 students are enrolled in each nine-month literacy course.

Women, many with their children, attend a class at Female Literacy Centre in Nili, Afghanistan.

In Daikundi province, UNICEF provides learning materials and textbooks to all students and teachers in the FLCs, in addition to supplying classroom material such as black board and floor mats. UNICEF also sponsors and organizes periodic trainings for teachers.
Information from the courses also filters back to the women’s families, infusing new ideas into communities.
“Through my lessons, I teach these women to change their behaviours within their family,” said Nouria. “In the past, they would be beaten by their husbands if they tried to go out, but now the husbands allow them to attend these courses as they learn useful life skills.”
Changing priorities
And the impact on children is palpable, as well.
“When women in the family know how to read and write, children can learn from them,” said Rahima, 23. “Children feel that if my mother does this, it is a good thing and I will do the same.”
Head of the Education Department in Daikundi Abdul Waheed Vasseq said that the FLCs have changed many people’s thinking in this remote area, with more community members valuing prioritizing education.
“Parents who participate in these literacy courses have begun to send their children to school,” he said. “Despite their financial problems, they have understood the importance of education and have decided to work hard to fund their children’s education.”