Unequal Access: Not All Children can Get to School

September often brings newness to children (in the northern hemisphere, anyway). It is the start of a new term and a new school year. This often comes with new school items, and new uniforms. And how will children get to school on the first day of the new term, and throughout the year? They may be able to walk or cycle, or if they live further away, use public transport, or get a lift from a parent or carer. They may have a school bus. In all honesty, this was not a topic I gave much thought to until recently. A South African organisation, that I do legal research for, asked me to look into transport as part of the child's right to education.

New things for school: Last month, my charity, Children's Helpers Worldwide supported a local organisation, Refugiu, 

so it could provide school items for some Roma children, living in a poor village. 

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally binding international treaty, ratified by nearly all the countries in the world, states that all children have a right to primary education and that this should be free. One of the Millennium Development Goals is to achieve universal primary education. How are we going to achieve this if there are children who are unable to safely go to and from school, due to a lack of transport? This seriously interferes with their right to an education.

Some courts have recognised transport as being being a necessary part of realising a child's right to education. The Right to Education Project reported that a Brazilian court decided that free and compulsory education as an individual public right has been interpreted to include free transport if children cannot otherwise attend school.

In a Colombian case, a girl of five had been placed in a school in another neighbourhood, due to a school quota system. The Court ordered the Government to relocate the girl to a closer school and said that, in acknowledging the transport costs in getting the child to school, the system had not taken into account the mother's lack of income and the time required to bring her daughter to the assigned school.

Image courtesy of Rawich at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes schools or charitable organisations will try to help with transport. My charity, Children's Helpers Worldwide, works with an organisation in Ghana, called New Life. New Life runs a children's home and school. Children from the surrounding villages attend the school, alongside the children who live in the home. The director of New Life wants to fundraise to buy a minibus. New Life could then provide safe transport for children who live far away. This would help children who currently have to walk a very long way to attend the school and would also reach children who do not go to school at all, as the distance to travel is too far.

School Assembly at New Life, Ghana.

It may be that children and teenagers take it upon themselves to find ways to get to and from school, or to get money for transport, as shown by this disturbing article from South Africa, entitled "Dressing "sexy" to get a lift to school". Ground Up News spoke with schoolgirls in the township of Khayelitsha, in Cape Town, who were trying to get back to their homes in Mfuleni. They explained that, by dressing sexily, they can either get a lift, or get money for transport, from passing drivers. One explained that this was better than the alternative:

"When we [hitchhike] and the driver talks about sex or touches you and you get uncomfortable, you have a choice to react in a certain way. But when you are walking and someone strangles you, there is little you can do, especially when you are in an open field like the one near Mfuleni."

It is unbelievably sad that adults would take advantage of children who are just trying to get to and from school.

Children's access to education is  greatly affected by their access to transport. Children should not be prevented from getting an education because the nearest school is too far away. They should not be harassed and abused whilst simply trying to travel to and from school. If we want to achieve the Millennium Development Goal, to ensure all children have access to primary education (at least!), then we must ensure that children can actually get to school, and obtain an education. This is their right.


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This post is my contribution to Blog Action Day, taking place on 16 October 2014. The theme is inequality. Use the twitter hashtags #BAD2014 and #BlogAction14 to follow all the action and to find more bloggers posting about inequality!

Some Reflections on #DGD2014: Digital Media and Children's Rights

It has been interesting following today's Day of General Discussion (DGD) held by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, on the topic of "Digital Media and Children's Rights". You can follow the discussion which took place on twitter, by using the hashtag #DGD2014.

The discussion has just drawn to a close and here are a few, brief reflections.

The UNCRC in the Digital Age

This morning, I wrote a post and asked this question: Created in a world without social media and selfies, can the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child keep up with digital and technological issues faced by today's children?

This great tweet from EU Kids Online, of a slide from speaker, Sonia Livingstone, shows how various articles of the Convention can be effectively used to protect children and their rights with respect to digital media:

What are children's rights in the digital age? see my slide - happy to add/amend. http://t.co/jADSwBFee5 #DGD2014 pic.twitter.com/HTqLgcWw7d
— EUKIDSONLINE (@EUKIDSONLINE) September 12, 2014

The Digital Divide 

I referred to the digital divide in my post this morning. John Carr of EPCAT spoke about this issue, saying that it is common to think about the digital divide being between the Global North and Global South, but that internet access is not equal across the North. There is less access in poorer parts of the North and there are disparities within the same country. For example, poorer people in the USA have less access to digital technologies.

The digital divide does not just occur along economic lines. Some speakers stated that certain groups are particularly excluded from access to the internet, such as girls, children with disabilities and children living in institutional care. In the closing session, it was said that digital resources should be available in all parts of the world and that universal access is a goal to work towards. States should be asked to ensure equal access to digital media, and provide free or low-cost access in all areas.


Negative Impacts of Using the Internet

Concerns were expressed by various speakers about children's privacy, their digital footprint and the fact that they may post things online during "experimental times of their lives" and that they do not realise the permanence of this, as these posts, picture and videos will then remain online.

Cyber-bullying and sexual exploitation are major issues. A moving account was given by one speaker of the terrible impact cyber bullying and harassment had on her life when she was a teenager.

Protection 

The above issues all illustrate the need for protection. John Carr stated that it is important that we do not think of all children as the same. Some groups are much more vulnerable than others online. Rabi Karmacharya of One Laptop per Child said that we cannot rely on parents to protect children online. Parents may be illiterate, or may simply be at work and so are not around when children are using the internet at home. I tweeted that last quote, and got this reply from Child to Child:

So true @_Catti: children must be actors in their own protection, be it online or #irl as it's their right to #participation
— Child to Child (@ChildtoChild) September 12, 2014

This tweet from Child to Child echoed the sentiments of some of the speakers during the day, who said that children should play a key role in protecting themselves and their peers against harm and that the empowerment of children in digital media is essential to "maximise beneficial effects and minimise harm". Education in digital literacy - of children, parents, teachers and others working with and for children - will help. 

Protection versus Control

Sonia Livingstone said that protection is key, but that this cannot be a priority which is used to reduce child participation online. Other speakers emphasised the fact that "we must not confuse protection with control". One speaker highlighted the issue that many see children as "becomings" - growing into future adults - but they are "beings" and active agents in this world right now, both online and offline, and they should be part of the solution in ensuring protection online. There must be a balance between protection and the child's right to participation.


Advertising

This was not an issue I had mentioned in my earlier post, but it is an important one. One speaker made the point that digital advertising has an impact on children's rights. For example, she spoke about the impact on babies' right to health in the context of online advertising and campaigns from companies selling breast milk substitutes. It would also be interesting to further explore what regulation there is, or could be, with regards to advertising aimed at under-18s using the internet.


Guide to Human Rights for Internet Users

This Guide, published by the Council of Europe was referred to by one of the speakers. It has a section dedicated to children and young people. You can find the Guide here.


All in all, it was a very interesting day, with much discussion around a very relevant topic in today's world. Many other great points were made, but those I have included above are the ones which stood out the most for me. Please do add to this, or let me know which points you felt were most interesting in the comments below. It would be great to hear your opinions!

Digital Media and Children's Rights: A Day of Discussion

Have you used the internet as part of a school project? Were you, or one of your classmates, ever in trouble for using a mobile phone in class? If you were a child or teenager in 1989, your answer would have to be 'no'.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which sets out the rights that all children have, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989, at a time when technology was not so advanced, nor as widely accessible, as it is today. Created in a world without social media and selfies, can the Convention keep up with digital and technological issues faced by today's children?

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is responsible for reviewing progress made by States parties to implement the UNCRC. Today, it will be holding its Day of General Discussion (DGD) and the topic is "Digital Media and Children's Rights".

The Committee has asked children and teenagers for their views on the internet and how they use it. Children and teenagers are the ones who can give us all an insight into this and can help us understand their experiences online. In any case, child participation is one of the guiding principals of the UNCRC and children and young people should be part of discussions and dialogues on issues which affect them.

There are many issues children face online, including cyber-bullying, "sexting", having access to adult content and being exposed to sexual exploitation. While there are many threats, children and teenagers can benefit greatly from having access to the internet, when it is used in a safe way. It can enhance their education, be used for communication, make information more accessible and allow for collaboration with other students. Children and teenagers will also have more opportunities later in life if they have access to, and understand, how to use computers and the internet as many jobs rely on this knowledge.

This picture, from UNICEF Malaysia  illustrates how positive, and what potential there can be, for children using technology:

There are great concerns about children who do not have the opportunity to access technology. The term, "digital divide", refers to the gap between those who have ready access, and the skills to utilise, information and communication technologies and the internet, and those who do not.

My own organisation, Children's Helpers Worldwide, supports locally-run children's projects around the world.  Two education centres we support in South Africa and Romania have computers and an internet connection. Most of the children who attend the South African centre come from townships, whilst the majority of the children at the Romanian centre come from poverty-stricken Roma communities. Without these centres, they would not have the chance to familiarise themselves with this technology. One of the areas to be discussed at the DGD, is the inequality children face in accessing these resources and how this affects their rights.

There are many issues surrounding children's use of the internet, but one thing we can all agree on, is that it is here to stay. Advances in technology often occur more rapidly than the time it takes to make policy and pass legislation, making it challenging for law-makers to keep up. It is very positive that today's DGD will focus on Digital Media and Children's Rights and this will clarify how the Convention can protect children and their rights online in today's world. The discussion should be an interesting and a fruitful one.


Watch the discussion, taking place in Geneva, live here.
Join in the discussion on twitter, following the hashtag #DGD2014 or by leaving comments on this facebook event page.

Grateful to CHW's Supporters

The past month has been very difficult personally, and I had to travel abroad for a family funeral. During this time, the volunteers and supporters of my charity, CHW, have continued to be amazing, and have done a lot for the children we support. A couple of weeks ago, CHW turned seven! I am so happy that we reached this point and so grateful to everyone who made this possible! 

Long Break and Sad News

Since December, I have mostly been working abroad and it was not easy to get online, so I took a long (and unintended!) break from this blog. Now I am back home in London, I will be able to post regularly again.

I was so sad to see that the last post I was able to write from Argentina was about "a baby from Bolivia". Tragically, she passed away earlier this week. She had complicated health conditions and the staff at the home where she was living gave her the best care possible. They all loved this little girl very much. They made her short life a happy one. I hope they will draw strength from this as they come to terms with what has happened, and continue to provide care to the others in the home. They were in touch with me the day the baby passed away, and we stayed in contact whilst she was being taken to the chapel. A teenager who is also under the care of that organisation, wrote to me and said that the home seemed empty without the baby.

Running a children's charity can be so difficult, because you get to know about so much pain and it can really  make your heart ache - both for the children and for those who work with them too. 

I once wrote a post about some of the challenges of running a children's charity, and I have great admiration for people who have dedicated their lives to working with children in need, sharing their pain, whilst trying to make the world a better place for them.

I saw a beautiful quote on the facebook page "Angel Baby" which I find so fitting whenever I think about the "baby from Bolivia", who was so well-loved by all in the home:

"There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world."

A Baby from Bolivia...

I am in Argentina right now, and will be working on projects here for the next few weeks. I have visited an organisation my charity, CHW, supports, called Bethel. Bethel has eighteen houses for orphaned and abandoned children. Three of the houses are for people with disabilities. Some of the people in these houses are adults. They were children when they arrived at Bethel, and could not live independently once they grew up.

Entrance of House 5

During my first visit to Argentina, I volunteered in House 5, one of the houses for people with disabilities. There are now some new people who have come to live in House 5, including a baby of one year and one month. She can only be fed through a tube. Her mother was from Bolivia and was working in Argentina. She abandoned this baby in a hospital when she was a few months old. Now this child will stay in Argentina for the rest of her life. The mother may even had left by now. It is a very sad story, but, to be honest, this baby has ended up in a very good place. The staff at Bethel care so much for the children, and House 5 always feels like it is full of warmth and love. Despite how this baby's life began, Bethel will give her the best life possible.

With Alicia, one of the physiotherapists.
Last time I was there, my charity paid for a donation of nappies.

Travel theme: Sky

I recently found Ailsa's weekly travel themes. Last week, the response I posted to her travel theme, about a day I spent in Cape Town, on a trip with the children from the three creches run by Seawind Educare. This week, the theme is "sky" and it reminded me of Seawind Educare and Cape Town again!

When I read the theme, I thought of this photo, of children at one of Seawind Educare's creches playing outside, with a beautiful, bright blue sky in the background!

I find Cape Town very beautiful. The people I work with there are also trying to make life more beautiful for the children at their projects. Yesterday, I posted an appeal from Seawind Educare for clothes and toys for the children, on my charity's website. If anyone from Cape Town happens to read this and wants to donate items, or arrange a collection for these children, that would be amazing! If you are interested in helping, please get in touch by leaving a comment below, or you can contact me using the details on the "about" page.

Here are some more photos of the sky from my last trip to Cape Town in February/March 2013:

Last Day of NaBloPoMo!

Today is the final day of NaBloPoMo - the challenge of blogging each day for a month.

I have to prepare for a charity stall tomorrow and am wrapping some of the prizes for the lucky dip!

I am glad to have completed NaBloPoMo! I found some great new blogs to follow. I will catch up on reading those blogs, once I have wrapped the rest of the gifts! At times it was challenging to write a post each day. Well done to all the other bloggers who did NaBloPoMo this month!

Today: Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure published in South Africa!

Today, South Africa's Minister for Basic Education published the final Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure! I recently posted about Equal Education's campaign on this. The final Norms and Standards can be seen here.

Equal Education published the following statement on its facebook page: 

Equal Education's General Secretary Brad Brockman has released his initial thoughts on the Final Norms and Standards For School Infrastructure 

You can find them here (https://twitter.com/BrockmanBrad) and here (https://twitter.com/equal_education)

In summary:
1. There are shorter timeframes in the final regulations; and better prioritisation of the worst off schools. 
2. The draft stated that MECs must provide implementation plans for improving school infrastructure in line with norms and standards in 6 months, the final version gives them a year. Why the delay?
3. Its also problematic that these implementation plans are not required to be public, communities have a right to know this information; particularly when targets are aimed to be met by and what is planned for their school.

Review of the final version is still on-going and a more in-depth analysis will follow in the coming days.

For now this is a time of reflection on a ultimately successful campaign to have the Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga pass legally binding school infrastructure regulations.

Congratulations, to all our members who have campaigned with focus, discipline, and without tire for the last 3 years. We did it! (You can read a full recap here: http://www.equaleducation.org.za/campaigns/minimum-norms-and-standards/overview).

Thanks also to the Legal Resources Centre and the Equal Education Law Centre for all their work in getting us to this point.

Forward with the struggle for equality in education!

#BuildTheFuture #FixOurSchools

It is great that the Norms and Standards were published on the date promised! It will be interesting to continue to follow Equal Education's work, to see their full reaction to the final Norms and Standards.

Grateful to those who help children

I am not from the USA, but I could not fail to notice all the posts for Thanksgiving! It just happened that the facebook status for my charity, CHW, was based on thankfulness and being grateful today. This was a nice coincidence! Here is the status:

We are grateful to all of our supporters and volunteers! This photo is from New Life in Ghana, the first organisation we started working with. The children are siblings and came to live at the orphanage earlier this year. They are sponsored by two of CHW's supporters. CHW raised the money to build the playground that they are in. Thank you so much to each of you who make it possible for us to support different children's projects around the world!

Children from a Home in Romania Singing about Pies!

I just found a great video of children at one of the children's homes my charity supports in Romania, singing at a Pie Festival! This was two winters ago, so the children have grown a lot since then! They are singing about how pies can have fruit and vegetables in them!

My charity is trying to fundraise to help sponsor a carer's salary at this home, so that there are enough people to work with these children. It seems that people prefer to donate items, like clothes and toys, but if there are not enough staff to work with the children, then the home will not be able to continue. The children have faced a lot of difficulties in their short lives, but the home they are living in now is very nice. They get food, medical care and go to school each day. Our stall on Sunday will help to fundraise towards this appeal for the home.

It was nice to find this video again! Apparently the children had only known that they were going to have to sing at the Pie Festival a few days beforehand, so they were not able to practice too much, but they did so well!

Open Letter to South Africa's President from Equal Education Members

This Friday, South Africa's Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, is due to publish Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure. These will set out the most basic standards for infrastructure that schools in South Africa must meet. Today, the organisation Equal Education, shared the following video on youtube. It shows schoolchildren reading an open letter to President Zuma, on why he needs to ensure that Minister Motshekga goes ahead and publishes the Minimum Norms and Standards.

Earlier in the year, Minister Motshekga released a draft of the Minimum Norms and Standards. However, the draft was too vague, and did not give proper details of the standards schools would need to meet. To understand more about this, as well as to learn more about Equal Education's campaign, here is an earlier video:

To gain a further insight into the standards of some schools, it is worth watching Equal Education's video of a Solidarity Visit to schools in the Eastern Cape, lead by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba:

The standards between schools in South Africa varies greatly. I attended Public Hearings held by Equal Education in Cape Town, back in March. Teenagers from schools in Cape Town told everyone of how their schools lacked science labs, libraries and sometimes functioning toilets. However, there were gasps and exclamations of shock from them, when they were shown some photos of schools in the Eastern Cape.

There is a countdown to the publication of Minimum Norms and Standards on Equal Education's facebook page. I am waiting with anticipation to see what will happen on Friday!

Resources for a School in Argentina

It has just been confirmed - I will definitely be working on some projects in Argentina next month! It will be great to go back.

I will also have the chance to distribute items to an under-resourced primary school, in the province of Cordoba. I have brought donated items to this school before, and the children always seemed so pleased with the new stationery, and would crowd around the teacher who was giving out the items to each class!

Some items a volunteer collected for this school a couple of years ago.

I am based in London, and if anyone would like to contribute some items for the school, I would need to receive them by 6 December. I know this is all such short notice, but it has only just been confirmed! If you do want to help, you can either leave a comment below, or contact me through the details on the "about" page. Any items will be so much appreciated!

If anyone has any ideas either of where I could get some suitable school resources in bulk, or where I could advertise the collection, please let me know. I wish I had a bit more time to arrange all this!

I think of all the resources that were available to me at my school, and how little these children have in comparison. I really hope to be able to collect some good resources for the children at this school.

Travel Theme: Fragrant

I have been reminded of a day in Muizenberg, Cape Town, back in March, thanks to finding Ailsa's weekly travel themes! These week's theme is "fragrant". (Follow that last link, if you want to take part too!)

One early morning, I joined the founder of Seawind Educare, Rita, for a surf walk, along with children (and their parents) from the Educare's three creches. The salty fragrance of the sea air was nice and refreshing!

Surf Walk along the beach at Muizenberg

I like the fragrance of the sea and the beach. It reminds me of my early student days, as I did my undergrad degree at Aberystwyth, by the sea. However, I can honestly say that I never walked along the beach at around eight in the morning, when I was a student, like I did for Rita's surf walk in South Africa!

The beach at Aberystwyth

After the surf walk, Rita had arranged to take the children to a nearby resort, with a playground, bouncy castles, face painting and other activities.

Bouncy castle, near Muizenberg

It could hardly be described as "fragrant",  but the "plasticy" smell of the bouncy castle did remind me of when I was little and played on bouncy castles. So whilst not a particularly nice scent in itself, it did bring back memories! It was great to see the children enjoying themselves.

I am really glad I could join Rita for the surf walk. She does amazing work with  disadvantaged children in Cape Town, and has continued with it all, despite the fact that it has been quite a challenging year (more about that here). I admire all that Rita does to help children!

I found Ailsa's travel themes though Lucid Gypsy's blog. I am grateful for this, as it was nice to think back to that day at Muizenberg beach.

Coats in time for Christmas!

Today, I spent a few hours sorting through children's coats at a storage depot, for the Wrap Up London campaign. It was amazing to see how many people had donated coats - both for children and adults, and I was glad to think that some people who did not have coats will now have them over the cold winter months. These coats will be distributed to homeless shelters, refugee centres, and other charities, which have partnered with Wrap Up London.

Sorting through some of the coats

This is just a short post, to keep up with the NaBloPoMo challenge of blogging each day, throughout November! I have a work deadline for Monday, and I am also arranging things for a charity stall, but I will try to write some longer posts soon! Earlier this month, I wrote some posts about the Wrap Up London campaign, and also about what matters at Christmas. Another NaBloPoMo blogger had inspired me to write about Christmas! Today really reminded me of this, as it was great to see the spirit of giving - both in the way that so many people had donated coats, and also because people were volunteering their time to sort through those coats. I am really glad to know people who truly care about others, and who will go out of their way to help them!

A Play about a Childhood

This week, I went to a play, called I Declare at My Own Risk, written and performed by Alina, a young Roma actress from Romania. I met Alina through a movement supporting Roma rights in London. Her performance was truly amazing, and she shared episodes of her life which took place from when she was ten years old. She shared the difficulties she went through, after her family was evicted from their home, and also shared her experiences relating to exclusion and acceptance of her identity, as a child, a teenager, and as a young adult.

There is a really good video about Alina and her play here.

It was a very powerful performance!

If young people were actively engaged in all aspects of society...

If children and young people were really actively engaged in all aspects of society, how do you think the world would change?

Screenshot from a slide shown at Michael Furdyk's Taking IT Global session, during the
Global Education Conference.

A major barrier preventing children and young people becoming actively engaged in all aspects of society, is that adults may not see their input and participation as valuable. Their engagement will then not be encouraged. In this sort of atmosphere, it is unlikely that children and young people will see themselves as being "community leaders, problem-solvers, role models, mentors and key "stake-holders"." Society is missing out on a great opportunity when it excludes young people. As one teenager said, at the Annual EuroChild Conference last week, older people have more experience, but younger people can contribute fresh ideas. This seems like a great combination! 

Excluding young people means that they may be denied a sense of belonging. The implications of this can cause issues impacting the whole of society. If a group of people gets the feeling that nobody wants to listen to them, then dangerous, or anti-social behaviour may become appealing - because these excluded people might not feel a sense of responsibility to a society that does not respect them, or maybe they want to try to make a statement, in an attempt to be heard by everyone else!

A group of young people giving a presentation on youth participation at the Annual Eurochild Conference, November 2013.

Another issue is that governance systems across the world are structured in a way that constrains youth participation and leadership. Whilst addressing young people at a youth leadership forum, called Youth 21, former South African President, Thabo Mbeki said:

"It would obviously be unnatural that I, a member of the older generation, would easily and willingly accept that younger people, my own children, should, at best, sit side-by-side with me as co-leaders, fully empowered to help determine the future of our people."

However, he encouraged young people to organise and ready themselves, to take up leadership roles and to overcome the attitude of older generations. 

I think the world would be a better place if we made the effort to enable children and young people to participate, and to become actively engaged in all aspects of society. How do you think the world would change if we did this?

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The picture of the quote above, was taken from a session at the Global Education Conference. This conference is online and is free to attend. Live sessions are taking place until the end of tomorrow (22 November) and there are recordings from earlier session this week. If you are interested in education issues, I definitely recommend taking a look at the conference site.

State of Children's Rights in England Report launched on Universal Children's Day

Today is Universal Children's Day. The annual State of Children's Rights in England Report is also being launched today, by the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE). The Report is a review of the Government's progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in England. Shockingly, CRAE found that:

"Of the 118 areas identified as needing Government action, 88 of those areas have made no progress or have gotten worse in the last 12 months."

CRAE has also been tweeting some facts, taken from the findings of the Report. These include:

"Babies with fathers who are shelf stackers almost twice as likely to die as those born to professionals. http://bit.ly/1b3dFxW  #SOCR13"

"65% of child deaths that were caused by ‘deliberately inflicted injury, abuse or neglect’ were avoidable http://bit.ly/1b3dFxW  #SOCR13"

More information, along with a link to download the Report can be found here. Key findings are given here.

I am attending the launch, as I was involved in doing research, and drafted some sections of the Report. If you want to follow the discussion surrounding the children's issues raised by the Report, the twitter hashtag is #SOCR13 and CRAE's twitter handle is: CRAE_official The launch begins at 16.45 GMT.

I am looking forward to the launch this afternoon, and to hearing the speeches about the state of children's rights in England. The findings that CRAE has tweeted so far, show that much must be done to protect children's rights in England.

Sad Statistics on Sanitation, released on UN World Toilet Day

Today has been declared World Toilet Day by the UN. The aim is to highlight the lack of access to proper sanitation faced by many around the world. As the UN's website states:

"While a vast majority of the world's population has access to mobile phones, one third of humanity (2.5 billion people) do not have access to proper sanitation, including toilets or latrines... The lack of improved sanitation largely contributes to the fact that almost 2,000 children die every day from preventable diarrhoeal diseases...Lack of private toilets in schools is a major reason why girls do not continue their education once they enter puberty." 

The South African organisation, Equal Education, today released the results of their audit of sanitation at secondary schools in Tembisa, in Gauteng. Here are some of their findings:

• At over half of the schools surveyed, it is commonplace for more than 100 boys or 100 girls to have to share a single working toilet.
• In some schools, there are days where there are no functioning toilets for students to use.
• No students reported having regular access to toilet paper or soap.
• Many schools have broken or non-functioning taps; sometimes there is no water supply.  
• Long lines at bathrooms keep students from class and bad smells from nearby toilets distract them in class.
• One student said, “My dignity is not there anymore because of the dirty toilet I have to go to every day.”  

Equal Education has presented the findings of their audit to the education authorities in the area and has asked them to release a timeline for developing a plan to address the crisis. You can read Equal Education's full press release, with more details about both the findings, and ideas of what the plan should include, here, and also more about their sanitation campaign in general, here.

Equal Education has also produced infographics, based on their findings, which I have downloaded them from their facebook page to share them with you:

 
I would definitely recommend following Equal Education, either on facebook or twitter to keep up with their news. I had the opportunity to attend Public Hearings, held by Equal Education, in Cape Town, earlier this year. I wish there could be more organisations like this, advocating for quality, and equality, in education systems for children.

Thank you, Equal Education, for drawing our attention to this sad, and pressing issue on UN World Toilet Day. Wishing you much success in achieving improved access to sanitation for these students.

Looking for Shoe Boxes for Children in Romania!

Have you heard of shoe boxes for Christmas? Some charities ask people to put gifts in a shoe box, and mark whether it is suitable for a boy or a girl, and for which age group. The shoe boxes are then often wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. These are then distributed to children living in poverty, at Christmas time. Two of the most well-known Shoe Box projects in the UK, are Operation Christmas Child and Smile International's scheme. There is a lot of information on their websites about how these sorts of projects work.

A kindergarten teacher, called Diana, who works with very poor children in Romania, has asked me if I can help find a project which would be willing to donate shoe boxes for her to distribute to the children she works with. Her school is in a place called Tarlungeni, in the county of Brasov, in Romania. I have visited Tarlungeni many times, as my own charity, CHW, supports projects there. There is a lot of poverty in Tarlungeni. Last year, Diana was able to give some presents to the children and it was very much appreciated.

If anyone can help with this, please could you leave a comment below, or, if you prefer to get in touch another way, all my details are in the "about" section of the blog. Thank you so much!

Really hoping to get some shoe boxes of presents sent to the children in Tarlungeni!

Meeting with Diana (right) last week, when she came to London, with a group of educators
from Brasov, doing an exchange scheme arranged by a London Borough Equality Council.

A photo I took in Tarlungeni, one winter.

If I get permission, I will try to share some photos of the children Diana works with too.