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!

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:

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.

Got to Milan... now in search of Children's Ombudspersons!

I have reached Milan, after a 4 am start today! I will soon make my way to the registration for the Annual Euochild Conference. I have seen on the Conference's website that the Ombudspersons for Children from various countries are attending!

An Ombudsperson for Children is an independent institution which defends children's rights and acts as a champion for children.

I am particularly interested in the role and function of Ombudspersons for Children, as I spent some time earlier this year doing research for a Cape Town children's rights organisation, called Molo Songololo. I helped to develop part of their advocacy document, calling for South Africa to establish an Ombudsperson for Children. They recently held a Roundtable discussion on this.

Given my research, it would be great to have the chance to hear about the work of Ombudspersons for Children firsthand, here in Europe. I am looking forward to the start of the Conference!

News from Children's Hospital, Cape Town

Social media can take up lots of time! I am trying to learn how to use it in an effective way for my charity, CHW. It is more challenging than it sounds! Today I saw some good updates on the facebook page of the Sarah Fox Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. It is the only children's convalescent hospital serving the Western Cape. I have visited the hospital and seen the great work they do there! I am also hoping to fundraise for them in the future, if they send appeals to CHW.

Babies' ward

Their facebook page was updated from time to time, but today a post appeared from someone new, saying that they would now be responsible for adding to the page. The following was their second post today, which really shows what amazing work Sarah Fox does:

"We now have an aromatherapy programme at Sarah Fox, and I am the lucky person to be the aromatherapist (Fiona M...). I am so enjoying this. It is so rewarding to see a child smile - a child who cannot speak or move- but who feels his feet being massaged and a smile stretches his face. Or the quiet little boy who never speaks and looks VERY serious.. .and then one day he's a little chatterbox.. and you realise the lovely caring staff and the treatment he has had at Sarah Fox, have created a miracle."

The first update asked for more people to like their facebook page, so if you want to do that, you can go to their page here.

Nurses I met during my last visit to Sarah Fox, earlier this year.

(I don't have permission to share photos of the children here on my blog, but there should be more photos on the hospital's facebook page.)

Remembering "Little Rock" and the other children, three years on

Today it is three years since a tragic accident where a minibus, full of schoolchildren, collided with a train in Cape Town. Ten children died, including Lisle (known as "Little Rock" in the media). One organisation that my charity, CHW, works with in South Africa, The Future Factory, had been supporting Lisle in previous years. 

Lisle had already been through so much in her short life, and had suffered a terrible, abusive incident at just seven years old. I had met her a few times and she was always so bright and lively, despite what had happened to her. I wrote more about her story here, this time last year. 

Lisle

Lisle, and all the children who were in the accident, are in my heart, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families, especially today. 

Recycling for Funds in Cape Town

Today is Earth Day! Rita Benjamin, of Cape Town, South Africa, is doing something amazing to fundraise, whilst helping the environment. She is recycling, and has asked people to give her their plastic, glass, paper, cardboard and tins, instead of just throwing them away. She will then take all this to a recycling centre, and can get some cash in exchange. She is also making low cost duvet covers and has asked for factories to donate any cut-offs, which they would otherwise throw away. This all sounds good, as Rita is encouraging people to recycle, which is an excellent cause in itself. However, she is also fundraising for a great reason.

Rita with some bottles, ready for recycling.

Rita and her husband, Alvin, adopted a baby, Melanie, three years ago. Melanie, was later found to be deaf. She recently had a scan. Doctors at Tygerberg Hospital, in Cape Town, have said that Melanie can undergo an operation to have a cochlear implant. Although the Government will sponsor most of the costs, Rita and Alvin, must still raise 40,000 Rand (£2860) for the operation. This is why Rita is fundraising through recycling. The operation will be on 21 June 2013. This date was only confirmed in April and Rita may not be able to reach 40,000 Rand in time. If you are able to help, by either contributing, or by telling people about Melanie's operation so they can help, please go to this site: http://www.kapipal.com/melanie. There is more information, and it is possible to make a donation.

Rita with Melanie at a guidance class for parents of children who

are deaf

So, what will happen with Rita's recycling initiative after June? Rita is the founder of Seawind Educare and has set up three creches around Cape Town for disadvantaged children. These creches aim to give the children the best possible start in life. Once Melanie's operation has been paid for, Rita will continue fundraising through recycling, to support the creches.

Rita with some of the children at one of Seawind's creches

Rita is helping many children, as well as the environment, and it would be so much appreciated if anyone were able to help her child too.

Melanie with her school bag. She attends a special 

school for children who are deaf.

Remembering "Little Rock" - Two Years On

I remember this day two years ago so clearly. Lisle Augis, a little girl my organisation, CHW, wanted to help in South Africa, lost her life in a road accident.

I first met Lisle in 2009, when she was ten years old, through one of the organisations we work with in Cape Town, The Future Factory. Its director, Anne, had been supporting Lisle. When she was seven, Lisle was sexually abused by one of her father's friends, and he then hit her over the head with a rock, stabbed her and set her alight. Unbelievably, she survived! She suffered burns and scars and had reconstructive surgery on her face. She was known in the media as "Little Rock." Anne worked with Lisle in the following years to help her put her ordeal behind her. When I met her, I wouldn't have thought she had been through something so terrible. Anne said to her. "See, now people from abroad are coming to visit you!" and her quick reply to this was "Now all that's left is for me to go abroad!" She told me she wanted to go to Disney Land, and that she would also like to study abroad one day.

Whilst I was in Cape Town, The Future Factory had some funding to buy paint for the outside of the shack where Lisle lived, along with her parents and younger brother. I spent the day with some volunteers and the family, painting. Anne mentioned that as Lisle was growing, the scarred skin on her body was stretching and hurting her, and we thought that maybe my organisation could fundraise to cover the costs of skin grafts, but it was never to be.

Lisle, painting, along with her little brother.

During my last day in Cape Town in 2010, Anne came to the house and said that Lisle's schoolbus had been in an accident. I went to the hospital with Anne, but Lisle was not there. Anne said that we had to go to the mortuary. The family arrived, as did the families of the other children who were killed in the crash. The wait at the mortuary seemed to last for ages, and I kept thinking that it couldn't be Lisle, and there had to be some mistake, but it was her. It was devastating.

I raised the money for the funeral through my organisation and sent it to The Future Factory. My colleagues at the University of the Western Cape also did a collection once I told them the news.

The accident could have so easily been avoided. The minibus (called "taxis" in South Africa) was approaching a train line, and the barriers were coming down. The driver skipped the waiting cars and went ahead over the line, and the taxi was hit by the train. Earlier this year, the driver was given a twenty-year sentence for charges of murder and attempted murder.

Yesterday, the parents of the children who died in this crash, joined with parents whose children died in another accident last year for a joint commemoration service. My sincerest condolences go to all the families who lost children. I just cannot even begin to imagine what they are going through.

Lisle was the only child involved in the accident that I knew personally. Lisle touched many people during her short life of eleven years. She showed real bravery and was an inspiration to many. This article includes an interview with her from a few years ago, and points out how she was a symbol of hope within her community. I saw her smile and laugh despite everything she had been through and I will remember her always. I will end with the words that Anne wrote nearly two years ago, after attending a school memorial service for Lisle:

"Born on 4th of June 1999. Lisles favourite bible verse Psalm 121 verse 1- 8 and her favourite song GOD WILL MAKE A WAY... 

She taught her teacher that if life give lemons, you make lemonade."

Cape Town: A City of Contrasts - Some Thoughts After Reading UNICEF's Report

Cape Town has been in my thoughts since UNICEF launched its report, The State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World last week. (You can see my overview here.) The report examined the challenges faced by the urban poor. I have seen inequalities in a couple of cities. In Shanghai, the modern skyscrapers contrast dramatically with the older, and more run down areas. In my own city, London, people complain of the "Postcode Lottery" - where access to and quality of services, like education and health and social care, vary in different areas. However, I would like to look at the example of Cape Town here, as, given its history, its level of inequality is extreme. I have also learnt from some amazing people there, who are dedicating their lives to helping children living in urban poverty. 

The nature of my work in Cape Town exposed me to the many different "layers" of the city. For my work with my organisation, CHW, I went to the townships and Cape Flats - the most deprived areas. Adequate housing and sanitation systems are lacking. Parents of children who get sick may not be able to afford the bus fare to take their child to the hospital, so they do not benefit from living within close proximity to hospitals, or other services on offer in the city. Meanwhile, I was staying with a family in a quiet neighbourhood, in the suburb of Plumstead, and was also doing an internship at the South African Human Rights Commission in Cape Town's central business district. I later returned to do some research projects at the University of the Western Cape, in Bellville. This all felt worlds apart from the townships and Cape Flats.

Some of my photos from Cape Town:

 

  

Top left: a home in a township; Top right: the view from the end of my road in Plumstead; 

Bottom left: Children at the Cape Flats. This was in the middle of the day and they were not at school;

Bottom right: View of the centre of Cape Town from Table Mountain.

Violence is a major issue in Cape Town. The Mexican research group Seguridad, Justicia y Paz recently carried out a study based on murder rates in cities and named Cape Town as the most dangerous city outside the Americas.  (Latin America accounted for forty out of the fifty most dangerous cities in the world). The study and list can be downloaded in Spanish here, or see this English article from the Epoch Times. I always got the feeling, from my friends in Cape Town, that Johannesburg was the more dangerous city, although I have no firsthand experience of life there. The South African.com reported that some Cape Town authorities questioned the sources used for the report, and argued that other areas, such as Port Elizabeth and East London (in South Africa, not the UK!) were more violent than Cape Town. Chapter three of UNICEF's report discusses various urban challenges, including violence. It quotes a study which shows that in more unequal societies, people suffer from the experience of relative deprivation, which leads to high rates of crime and violence. 

My organisation, CHW, works with a creche in the area of Retreat, run for children from the townships and Cape Flats. Its founder, Rita, told me that it is important that she provides this service as there are a lot of mothers who need to work, but have nowhere to leave their children. She also works hard to give the children the best start to life through education and providing food for them. When she has funds, she takes the children on trips. I joined her one day, when she was taking some of the children to eat at the chain restaurant, Spur. Rita explained that she wanted the children to have these experiences so that they would realise that there were better things beyond the immediate environment where they are living, so they could strive to reach them as they got older, instead of giving up and staying where they are. Rita has recently opened a second creche.

Some of our other partner organisations work to help the urban poor in other ways. The Future Factory runs sports programmes in schools and holds other sports events - as this can build the children's confidence and also keeps them off the streets and away from criminality and gangs. Its founder, Anne, works tirelessly everyday on these programmes and also supports feeding programmes in townships and helps creches and schools in the most disadvantaged areas of the city. We, at CHW, are also hoping to support the Sarah Fox Children's Convalescent Hospital in Athlone. Children who have had operations or suffered from serious illnesses go there to recover. The staff told me that the children would not be able to recover at home, as the conditions in which they lived were so bad, that it is likely the children would become more sick. The children stay at Sarah Fox until they are strong enough to return home.

Anne running a Future Factory sports event for teenagers who are living in townships and the Cape Flats.

CHW supports projects in Romania too, and the local organisations we work with, that help the Roma population, also have to respond to the challenges of inequality. Chapter three of UNICEF's report gives a case study about the isolation of Roma children in Romania, which illustrates further issues of marginalised children.

UNICEF's report said that statistics often compare children living in rural and urban areas. These figures hide the problems faced by those living in urban poverty, as they include data from richer areas of the same city too. However, for people like Rita, Anne and the staff at the Sarah Fox Hospital, these children are not some hidden statistic - they are the children they work with everyday, in the hope of providing them with more resources in the present, and more opportunities for a better future. We can all do something - whether it is raising awareness of the problems, or finding an initiative in our local cities to volunteer with, or help in other ways, or supporting a project in a city further away. UNICEF has brought the issue to our attention and now it is time to act, just like Rita, Anne and the Sarah Fox staff have been doing.

Let's Talk About Rights

The toddler, sitting comfortably in his pushchair, was wheeled close to our table in a café in Amsterdam. My companion exclaimed:

“Look at your children in their wheels!”

By my children, he meant ‘European’. He was the director of an orphanage in Ghana and this was the first time he had left the country. He could now observe the differences between the ways of life for the children here and there. One of these differences, he found, was the sense of entitlement the children he met on his travels seemed to have. He told me,
"If you don't let them have something, they will cry until they get it. They think nothing is out of their reach. Children in Ghana never behave this way."

The view of the street where I stayed in Lome, Togo.
Next to the tree trunk, you can just see a woman carrying a baby on her back, as is common in the neighbouring country of Ghana too. No "wheels" in sight.

Children and their Rights

Thousands of miles away, in Cape Town, I found some parents were also having problems involving children who believed they were entitled to certain things. In this case though, it was their rights, rather than material objects. One mother I spoke to at a children's event in Cape Town complained wearily,
"They come home from school and say they have rights, but if you ask them, 'What is your right?' they don't know! They don't understand, and they use it to argue with us."

This seems to mean that someone at her children's school was trying to teach them about their rights, but perhaps was not going about it in the most effective way. There are international legal instruments which are concerned with children’s rights. One is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which all the countries in the world are party to, except the USA and Somalia (a somewhat unlikely pairing!). Another is the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. You can find more information about the Convention and the Charter on the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) website. South Africa also has national laws concerning children’s rights, which can be seen here. It is important that children know what their rights are, so it is essential that they are taught about this in a way that ensures they have a proper understanding of them, unlike the children of the mother quoted above.

One teenage boy seemed to know at least what one of his rights were, but his father did not like his attitude which accompanied this. He exclaimed,

"Once my son came home from school and said that he has RIGHTS. And his rights meant I couldn't hit him. This infuriated me so much, I actually felt like hitting him!"

Luckily I knew this man was speaking with some degree of sarcasm, and would most likely not hit his son. We were in the middle of a discussion during a conference held by the Working Group on Positive Discipline (WGPD) and this father was firmly in favour of banning corporal punishment. However, he illustrates a very valid point. What is a good way to teach children about their rights? It may be difficult to know how to do this, especially, for instance, with regards to corporal punishment, when the children are part of a society where parents feel that it is socially and culturally acceptable to hit them.


Corporal Punishment and What Children Think

On looking at better ways of disciplining children, rather than using corporal punishment, one participant at the meeting, said:

“Positive parenting and child participation are indivisible. With positive discipline, we are talking about talking to children.”

One point that was made obvious during the conference was that it is essential to engage with children, as well as with parents and teachers, to try to combat the problem of physical punishment, which is so common in South Africa. South Africa has joined the growing number of countries which have banned corporal punishment in schools (although, sadly, the practice still does take place). Like many other countries in the world, it has not yet prohibited corporal punishment in the home.

The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children website has a page dedicated to research on corporal punishment which has involved children. The following are quotes from some of the children themselves.

In Cambodia, corporal punishment has been legally prohibited in schools, but a study was done before this was the case. The different quotes showed that the children had mixed views on whether or not the teacher should beat them:

“Yes, if I am doing wrong I would prefer the teacher to hit me."
"No, the teacher should ask me to clean the rubbish or classroom or kneel down."
"They should not beat them all, just the lazy ones."

One participant at the WGPD conference drew attention to the fact that some children are in favour of corporal punishment. With regards to child participation, she said children should be able to listen to the arguments for and against corporal punishment, and then make up their own minds. They should not just be told to say what the adults want them to say, as this goes against the whole idea of listening to the views of children.


In Spain, children were asked their opinions on parental corporal punishment. Some of their answers, as follows, are very thought-provoking.

"I liked very much my rights. The one I like the most is not to get raps with knuckles from my parents when I am a bad or a good boy depending who says so, me or my parents."– Boy, twelve years old

"My parents feel, like me, lost many times, the only thing I can't understand is why they refuse to talk about it with me." - Girl, 11 years old

"When they spank us, we cannot explain ourselves, and express our feelings." - Girl, 11 years old

The last two quotes show that these children would much prefer to have a dialogue with their parents, than be physically hit. One woman from Ghana, who has now lived in England for a couple of decades, told me that, although she does not believe that children in the UK are disciplined too well, she does like it that they have more of a chance to express themselves than she did as a child growing up in Ghana.

The next two quotes, from the Spanish children, show some of the negative effects of using corporal punishment as a method of discipline:

"If they hit me, I learn to hit." - Girl, 12 years old

In other words, using corporal punishment shows children that it is acceptable to hit others and that violence can be used to solve problems, rather than talking about them.

"I don't understand why they are spanking me, but I do what they tell me so I don't get the spanking." - Boy, 11 years old

This highlights another issue when corporal punishment is used as a method of discipline. The child will do what he or she can to avoid the punishment. This can involve carrying on with the behaviour in question, but hiding it from the parents. If a parent explained to the child why they had a problem with their behaviour, it is more likely the child will understand what they did wrong, and may then behave differently the next time. By talking with children, parents will be able to impart their values to them… which is probably what they are hoping to achieve through discipline anyway.

Teaching Children about their Rights

As shown with the example of corporal punishment above, it is positive, and necessary, to involve children and hear their views on issues affecting them. During my children’s rights course at UCL, my lecturer asked us to raise our hands if we had been taught about our rights, or the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child, at school. In the class were students from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. One girl from Colombia put her hand up. Nobody else had been taught about their rights as children.

Purely by chance, as I was writing this entry, the director of one of the organisations my charity supports, here in South Africa, asked me to develop a children’s rights volunteer programme for her. The aim will be for volunteers to go in and teach children in the last two years of primary school about their rights in general and also to focus on what happens when children come into conflict with the law (in the hope that this will deter them from committing offences in their teenage years.) I am excited to be working on this, but I understand that it is a very challenging and sensitive area and must be done properly. (It would therefore be great to hear from people with experience in programmes teaching children about their rights.)

Children at school in Ghana.
Is school the best place for children to learn about their rights? If so, what is the best way for them to be able to do this?

Conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning, sometimes children do feel entitled to things. I have heard demands back home in London like:

“I NEED a Nintendo Wii. Everyone else has one! It’s not fair.”

Something I like about the African Charter is that children’s responsibilities are outlined, as well as their rights. According to Article 31, children have responsibilities towards their family, society, state and the international community. I feel it is important that children are given their rights, and the protection, they all deserve. An essential part of this includes teaching children about their rights, although it is vital that this is done in an effective manner. I also think it would be a good idea to teach children about their responsibilities. If we respect their rights and protect them, we are giving them a good environment to grow up in safely. If we teach them about their responsibilities too, we will help them to develop into well-rounded individuals. Then, they would probably be able to create a much better world for all the children who come after them too.

Opportunities and the Accident of Birth

The sun was shining and the trees were blooming against the backdrop of the magnificent mountains reaching into the sky. All in all, it was a beautiful morning in a stunning place: Cape Town. School children walked past the windows of the minibus-taxi I was taking to work, laughing and chatting. Further on, I came to a school. The building looked very run down, but its grounds were teeming with children. Later, I started passing the townships. Glancing down a path in between the shacks made of wood and corrugated iron sheets, I saw more children. Some were sitting in a group; a couple were running around. I wondered what they would be doing for the rest of the day.

I thought back to my own easy childhood. I happened to be born into a family which could provide me with shelter, clothing, food, water and an education. Actually, my parents gave me much more than that – there were the numerous toys, outings and holidays too. Of course, I did not truly appreciate any of it; rather I grew to expect it of them. I took a lot for granted. For example, I never realised how great it was to be able to turn on a tap and have clean drinking water running from it. Instead, my demands to my parents would go something like, “I want to drink squash… No not THAT flavour. The other kind… and put fizzy water in it…and ice… and a pink straw...” and on and on and on! I had no awareness that there were other children in the world, who maybe had to walk miles to reach a well just to get some water. Some of the children I later met in Ghana had to do exactly that. They had other chores too, like washing their clothes, sweeping and cleaning, looking after younger children, helping to plant crops and preparing food. They seemed so independent. My friends and I back home used to complain if we were asked to tidy our rooms or set the table! The difference was striking.

Children at New Life International Children's Home after planting crops and helping to carry water. There were lots of chores to do in the children's home, but other children I met in Ghana, who lived with their families, also did so much more than the ones I have worked with back home.

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Whether you are demanding fizzy orange squash or walking miles for water purely depends on where you happen to be born. Back in my home city of London, there are the "nice" areas and the "rough" areas and places which are in between. We have homeless people on the streets and other families living in sprawling mansions in the countryside. The children born into these situations will have very different experiences of life, and, sadly, some will not have very many opportunities compared to others. Here in South Africa, the differences between the way people live are very visible. I spent a lovely weekend with a family living in Camps Bay, in their beautiful home. Their child seemed to be experiencing a childhood quite similar to how mine was. The next day, due to my involvement with the local organisation, The Future Factory, I visited Egoli Squatter Camp. Life could not have been more different for the children there. The lack of the resources they need for the present, and the lack of opportunities they will have in the future, unless drastic action is taken, is very saddening. I have seen a similar situation while in Romania too. You can wander round the shops and restaurants in the picturesque old centre of Brasov, and yet half an hour away, on the outskirts of Sacele, lives a large Roma community in shacks. This article gives an insight into why the Roma community is marginalised, and the common perceptions people have of them. It quotes people at two organisations which I have also had some involvement with: The Atelier Sacelean Association and FAST. The marginalisation of certain communities seriously impacts on life for the children, and greatly affects the kinds of things they will be able to do when they reach adulthood.

A lot of charities and NGOs are committed to assisting those living in need. One aspect of the organisation I set up, is to respond to appeals from the local organisations we work with, to try and support them in the work they are doing to help children in their areas. (Although I suppose it is technically a charity, the idea is not just to dole out resources, but to form partnerships across the world, to link people in a global network, to be able to help support the children of our world. However, we are still quite small and new, and have a long way to go!) I always remember an organisation which had a different aim, Envision. This organisation supports young people who want to make a difference, and some of its volunteers came to my school while I was in the sixth form. At that time, Envision was mostly concerned with environmental issues (although it seems to now take on a more diverse range of projects). A group of us, helped by them, began our own projects around the school and in the local community, to help protect the environment. I think it is really great to raise awareness of world issues amongst young people and let them consider what some possible solutions could be. I wish I had known about other people's ways of lives when I was younger, and I believe it is important to raise awareness of the inequalities of the world. If the next generation grows up with this knowledge, they may be better equipped to solve some of the issues that we have failed with so far.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a World Summit on Food Security held in Rome. This CNN article begins by stating that:

"Somewhere in the world, a child dies of hunger every five seconds -- even though the planet has more than enough food for all."

That there is enough for everybody, I feel, makes this fact sadder than if there was genuinely not enough food to go round. Again, it is purely by accident of birth whether a child is born into a family who is going to be able to provide them with food easily or not. As well as creating structures to help those most in need, it is essential that more awareness is raised of the inequalities and injustices going on right now. As the leaders of tomorrow, it is important that all young people learn about these issues. Tomorrow's world belongs just as much to the children in the townships as it does to children anywhere else. We all need to put in the hard, but necessary, work to stop that statement from sounding like a nice ideal and make it the reality.