School life at Mattliden School in Espoo, Finland and at Kayole North Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya could not be more different. Each setting includes dedicated teachers, education union members, who support students each day - yet they have very different preparation, education tools, and environments.
My 2015 probably started like many of yours—thinking to myself what can I pledge to do better, differently or not at all this year. Will I travel more, eat better, see my friends more often or will I just promise to do everything a bit better than I did last year?
The 6th of December was a warm winter morning when we, the Didis (Nepali for elder sisters and what the girls call us mentors), and the Rukmini Scholars (bahinis = younger sisters) gathered together. It was a very meaningful day for all of us for many reasons.
Though youth are better educated than their parents, youth remain almost twice as likely to be unemployed than their elders. On the African continent, young people aged between 15 and 25 represent more than 60% of the Africa’s total population and account for 45% of the total labor force (1). Some of the highest rates on the continent are in southern Africa, where 51% of young women and 43% of young men are unemployed (2). At least half of young people ages 15 to 19 lack basic literacy, transferrable skills or technical or vocational skills that match the needs of employers (3).
Educate The Children works intensively in a specific geographic area for a period of several years, and in mid-2014 we began working in a new area. We have identified and begun working collaboratively with the personnel at 31 public schools, all of which will receive various types of support in the years to come.
From the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to the 10th of December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.
Schools on the front line in the fight against sexual abuse in Haiti Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a significant public health concern for all girls and women in Haiti and particularly in the urban center of Port-au-Prince. One in three women in Haiti have experienced sexual violence and half of all rape victims are under age 17 at the time of the crime (Amnesty International 2008)
My memories of childhood are peppered with many things—school, recess, Saturday morning cartoons, friends and more. A few things that are not there are long days, back-breaking, dangerous and hazardous work, abusive and unsafe locations and exploitative situations and people.
‘Fashion week’ just ended for the global development community, when thousands of international leaders convened in New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Presidents, ministers, donors, UN leaders, and CEOs celebrated the newest designs in global development: stylish poverty reduction plans, glamorous partnerships to prioritize girls’ education, and beautiful spokespeople for the latest hot issues like climate change and child trafficking.
Every Spring, our foundation welcomes a new group of girls to become Rukmini Scholars. Our mentors, program officer, selection committee members and other volunteers visit villages surrounding the Pharping area (Pharping is roughly 20 KM South of Kathmandu, Nepal) to identify girls whose families may be facing hardships in trying to continue their schooling.