NaBloPoMo: Posting every day this month!

NaBloPoMo is here! That stands for National Blog Posting Month and the challenge is to write a post every single day throughout November. I really want to try to do this. For me, this has been such an unbelievably busy year, and between working in the UK, South Africa and for shorter amounts of time, Ghana and Romania too, I haven't always had the chance to blog. (Sometimes I haven't even had electricity, let alone an internet connection!) I want to take this opportunity to write about children's rights issues which have caught my attention recently, and also to share my experiences, in case they are of some value to people interested in children's rights and welfare. My work has included attending the Equal Education Public Hearings in Cape Town, assisting with educational projects for Roma children in Romania, drafting the education chapter for the Children's Rights Alliance for England's Annual Report, and researching and producing a document for a Cape Town child rights organisation, to help with their advocacy work on establishing an Ombudsperson for Children in South Africa.

Schoolboy speaks out at the Equal Education Public Hearings, Cape Town

There have been other challenges this year too, and it has been tough emotionally. A mother I know in Cape Town found out that her adopted daughter was deaf, and I tried to help her fundraise for a cochlear implant, to allow her little girl to hear. My charity, CHW, has also been trying to support eleven siblings who lost their father to cancer at the beginning of the year. I have known this family since 2010, through the Romanian charity, FAST, and this has been such a devastating time. Although the struggle to help children in need can get very tough, it is something we must not give up on! 

I am looking forward to both taking the time to write my own posts, and to reading others' blogs this month. It will be good to learn from other people and see what things they are posting about during NaBloPoMo!