Save the Children Voices from the Field

All my dress, books and notebooks were burnt in the fire

Junima Shakya, Nepal Sponsorship Manager

Kimichaur, Nepal

May 1, 2012

On the evening of January 27 a fire started in an animal shed in the village of Kimichaur, in the Pyuthan district in Western Nepal. The fire swept through the village, damaging 14 houses and leaving the villagers desperate for help. Fortunately, there was no loss of human life, but the fire destroyed homes, prized cattle and stored grains.

“My hard-earned money, 30,000 Nepali Rupees (about $380), inside my saving box was burnt to ashes,” shared Chetman, a local villager.

The day after the fire, Save the Children, in coordination with its partner organization in Pyuthan, began providing relief for the affected families with rice and a blanket for each family.

Twenty-seven children, including 15 sponsored children, were affected by the fire. “The children lost their books, bags and all their school supplies”, reported Umesh, a Program Coordinator. We immediately dispatched new supplies. Each student received a new school uniform, school bag, notebooks and other stationery. We focused our relief efforts on the children as it is so important for them to feel safe and secure after such a traumatic experience.

“Support for the community was provided by several relief organizations. But the community was very happy that their children were prioritized with special support and materials,” said Suraj Pakhin, a member of Save the Children staff in Nepal.

“My dress (school uniform), books and note books were all burnt in the fire. I thought ‘I won’t be able to go to school again.’ But I got a new school dress, books and supplies and I can join the school once again”, says a sixth grader .

Interested in joining our community of sponsors? Click here to find out more.

The New Year festival (Nauroz) in Afghanistan

Dr. Sohail Azami, Sponsorship Manager

Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan

April 20, 2012

Nauroz, the New Year Festival, takes place on the first day of the Afghan month Hamal. Nauroz, which means “new day”, has been celebrated in this region for at least 3,000 years. It marks the start of the solar year and the first day of spring. The festival is rooted in the Zoroastrian religion, a major religion once practiced here.

Today, Afghans celebrate Nauroz with family and friends, enjoying traditional foods. Special to this holiday is haft mewa, or seven fruits. Haft mewa includes almond, pistachio, walnut, raisins, apricots and dates which are soaked in water overnight.

Another holiday dish is Samanak, which is made from wheat germ and slowly cooled until it becomes a creamy and sweet pudding. For New Year’s dinner, an Afghan tradition is to prepare seven types of food whose name start with the Afghan letter of “Seen”, the “S” sound. We call this special meal haft seen, or seven “S”.

Many cities in Afghanistan host festivals to celebrate Nauroz. In Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest city in northern Afghanistan, thousands gather at the historical shrine of Hazrat Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and the fourth Caliph of Islam. Famous for its Blue Mosque and centuries old history, the shrine is deeply respected by Afghans. T Mazar-i-Sharif also hosts a Red Rose Festival, named for the red roses that naturally grow in the deserts nearby.

New Year’s Day is right after the schools’ winter break and on the 3^rd day of the year the schools reopen. To celebrate the holiday, children receive new clothes and enjoy picnics with their families. They also enjoy playing soccer, volleyball, playing music, singing songs, dancing and flying kites.

Interested in joining our community of sponsors? Click here to find out more

For the Future, For Haiti

Alex Treyz, Manager, Global Sponsorship Operations

Maissade, Haiti

April 9, 2012 

Fortunately today the river is low. Out my window I see men and women wading in the knee-deep waters, steadily fording the river or hand-washing clothing by hand.  Children cross this river every day to reach their schools on the other side. During the rainy season, which begins in May, this river will rise and the swift current will render it impassable. I remember the ease of my bus ride to school when I was in elementary school and compare it to this journey across the river. Fortunately we’re in a 4x4 vehicle and the river is low, but I ask myself, what if I had to make this journey on foot, during the rainy season? What if I had to wade across a river every day to get to school?

Our 4x4 bumps and splashes over the river bed and 20 yards later we are across the other side, one river river-crossing closer to Maissade. We will cross 5 rivers today on our journey from Port-au-Prince to Maissade, a town of 60,000 people nestled in Haiti’s Central Plateau region, where Save the Children has been working to improve the lives of children and their families through Child Sponsorship for 27 years.We are way past the point when the pavement has ended and the dirt roads have begun. About an hour ago, three hours into our trip from Port-au-Prince, the number of vehicles dropped off; the primary modes of transportation we see now are foot, donkey, andthe occasional motorbike. As we arrive in Maissade, the river waters have dried off and our 4x4 vehicle is covered in a thick layer of chalky dust. I am rattled from the bumpy ride, but thrilled to be in Maissade, the area of our Sponsorship programs.

Every day, Save the Children staff ford these rivers and bump downthese dirt roadsto deliver letters to your Sponsored children. During the rainy season, our staff often leave their vehicles behind to swim across swiftly moving rivers, walking the rest of the journey to your Sponsored children in Maissade on foot. In their hands are your letters to your Sponsored children, sharing your generousgreetings and stories of your lifeto the children of Maissade. Your letters, birthday cards and greetings bring joy and curiosity to these children.

Our journey takes us to Céverine School, 20 minutes from the center of Maissade. On our way we pass homes painted in bright hues of Caribbean pink and green and children playing soccer in the dusty main square. The homes we pass have electricity for only eight hours a day, so when we pass through this way again tonight, it will be completely dark. We cross several smaller creeks to reach Céverine School, which Save the Children has been supporting since 2002. The school bustles with energy and productivity and I observe children paying apt attention in the beautifully built classrooms.The day is dry and hot and I am grateful for the shade the classrooms provide. Our team visits a class of 6^th graders and asks the
students why it is important to learn how to read and write, to which one student replies, “For the future and for my country” and another replies, “To help the community – if I have knowledge, I will be able to share it with others.” Thanks to the generosity of our Sponsors, these children have the opportunity to learn and growat this school and to one day become leaders in their community.

Later in the afternoon we visit the temporary location of CoeursUnis School, meaning “United Hearts.” Save the Children is currently constructing a beautiful new schoolfor the children of this community, who in the meantimeare studying in the open air under a tree. The new school is due to be finished any day.When the rainy season comes, these children will find shelter and an environment conducive to learning in this school.

Our day in Maissade ends with goodbyes to children, teachers and parents and the crossing of one more river. I am heartened by what I have seen today in the schools Save the Children Sponsors support. Despite many challenges, these children are learning skills and knowledge every day that will help to build them a brighter future. All of this would not be possible without the dedicated support of our Sponsors.

Thank you for all that you do to support the children of Maissade, Haiti through your Sponsorship!

Unlimited Curiosity

Nora Katz

Washington, D.C. 

April 2, 2012

Nora is a high school Senior from Pennsylvania who will attend Carleton College in fall 2012. She hopes to study political science, history, and literature. She participated in the 2011 Rustic Pathways summer program in South Carolina as a student volunteer and mentor with Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. This year, Save the Children and Rustic Pathways will host summer programs in South Carolina, Kentucky and the Dominican Republic.

When, recently, a friend asked me what the greatest thing I ever learned was, I replied easily with the answer of learning to read and write. This is such a basic gift, such a seemingly simple idea, that we often forget that in South Carolina, for example, 15 percent of adults are functionally illiterate. The downward spiral begins in elementary schools and, with this in mind, Save the Children created an enriched summer program at Foster Park Elementary School to help bring struggling students up to speed with their peers.

Unemployment abounds Union, a former mill town where thirty percent of children live in poverty. Most recent Census numbers suggest this alarming statistic will only continue to grow as these kids face the risk of being trapped in a cycle of teen pregnancy, gang violence, drug abuse and the lack opportunity. Save the Children brought 16 high school students to this program to teach and to provide good role models for kids who will eventually end up in a high school with a county graduation rate of only 55 percent. 

The kids I had the privilege of knowing came from different backgrounds and had different abilities, but they were never limited in their curiosity or ability to love. Every day, I was moved by their resilience as they dealt with challenges at home, their success in reading more and more difficult books, and their desire to learn about the world outside of Union. I am so blessed to have been able to know these kids, who constantly surprised me with new questions and new ideas. I am so blessed to have been able to know their teachers, who work for six weeks every summer for very little pay simply because they care. I am so blessed to have been able to meet 15 other high school kids who truly believe in the value of education.           

While I received my own, very different education, I constantly thought about whether or not I made the slightest bit of difference in the lives of the kids I mentored for those two weeks. The greatest issue that I face is knowing that those kids may never think about getting a post-secondary education and may never leave Union, South Carolina. But, as I reflect, I realize that there is a glimmer of hope. If my presence in their lives can make just one of these bright kids crack open an SAT book or dream about going off to college or want to travel beyond the Palmetto State, I have done something marvelous. As I move into a future that these kids may never know, I am comforted by the fact that one child may, someday, remember Miss Nora who taught some math lessons and who desperately wanted to help her global community. And, maybe, just maybe, that child will desperately want to do the same thing.

What can you do in three seconds?

Dave Hartman, Social Media Specialist

Washington, D.C. 

March 22, 2012

We gathered more than 90 kids this past week in Washington D.C. as part of our 10th annual Advocacy Summit. The kids met with their members of Congress and wrote blog posts, made videos and visual media to help spread the word about the nutrition crisis that children are facing around the world. Here's what they had to say:

What can you do in three seconds? You can “LOL” to your “BFF”. You can sign on to Facebook. Did you know that a healthcare worker saves a child’s life every three seconds in a developing country? It’s true.

 

 Salif is one of these health care workers who helped save the life of a 3-year-old girl named Barandje who was suffering from malnourishment. By feeding her Plumpy’nut, a high nutrient food similar to peanut butter, her health steadily improved. Thankfully, she was saved before her poor health was irreversible. Sadly, there are not enough health care workers to provide services to everyone. By clicking on this link, you can help make nutrition-based programs more accessible so that children like Barandje will not have to suffer. Make the next three seconds count.

 “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in the same room as a mosquito” – African proverb.

Is healthy an option for kids? Make it an option!

Dave Hartman, Social Media Specialist

Washington, D.C. 

March 22, 2012

We gathered more than 90 kids this past week in Washington D.C. as part of our 10th annual Advocacy Summit. The kids met with their members of Congress and wrote blog posts, made videos and visual media to help spread the word about the nutrition crisis that children are facing around the world. Here's what they had to say:

Imagine looking at a banana and not knowing what it was. This is how Colby felt before he joined Save the Children’s after school program. Colby is one of 3.6 million kids that live in “food deserts,” areas where there is no fresh food.

Thanks to Save the Children’s after school program each year, 16,500 children, like Colby, have an opportunity to be exposed to healthy foods. However, there is still more work to be done! Children living in remote and rural areas have to drive twenty or more miles to a grocery store, or have to shop for all their food at a local gas station.

 

Save the Children held their 10^th annual Advocacy Summit to inform and give youth tools to influence friends, family, and members of Congress to address this malnutrition epidemic. How can you help? Call your local member of Congress and tell them to protect funding for critical nutrition and health programs for children in the United States and around the world. Congressmen aren’t scary! Give them a call.

 

  Check out these personal messages from the authors of this post:

 

“I came to the Advocacy Day because I feel that awareness of global issues like malnutrition is the first step to making changes to how Congress responds to the massive funding needs.” ~ Chris Bertaut – Garland, TX

 

“I am interested in the issue of malnutrition in America because I feel that even though America is supposed to be this great power where everything is possible and the people are healthy, malnutrition is a preventable problem that is being ignored by this country’s leaders.  I have been taught to expect more from US.” ~Elena Crouch – Chevy Chase, MD

 

 

“I came to the Save the Children summit to be a part of the solution to ending malnutrition in children around the world.  I am being a voice to the voiceless and lending help to the helpless." ~ Helena McCraw, Chicago, IL

 

“I came to Save the Children’s youth advocacy day because I am doing work around food justice and this will give me the opportunity to learn more about malnutrition. I feel like our country is falling and there needs to be a change!” ~George Walley-Sephes, Philadelphia, PA

 Join these youth advocates, click here to urge Congress to make child nutrition a priority  

Catching up with Drummer Boy Boubacar

Philippe Nia-An Thera, Early Childhood Coordinator

Bamako, Mali

March 1, 2012

Two years later, Boubacar is still playing with the drum. But as a first grader, there are plenty of new things he can do.

It’s impossible not to remember Boubacar, a boy we met in Mali two years ago.

We heard him before we saw him. He was furiously tapping away on a drum strapped around his waist – transfixed in the discovery that his tiny hands could create sound and rhythm with an object he had never seen in his life.

At age four, he had just started attending preschool at a Save the Children-supported early learning center in the village of Ifola. This center is one of 40 supported by Save the Children in the Sikasso and Yorosso Districts of Mali.

Before coming to the center, he spent his days at home in this impoverished village. With no access to toys, he created things out of mud.

That changed after his mother, Haby Sanago, decided to send him to the preschool. There, Boubacar discovered not just his beloved drum, but a whole new world of playing and learning.

Boubacar is applying what he has learned in his early years to where he is now: first grade in primary school.  He is continuing to learn how to read, write and draw. “A happy student who participates in class,” his teacher says.

He is an active child, often seen playing soccer in the school yard, and still “visits the early learning center where he can play with the drums,” says Philippe Nia-an Thera, Save the Children’s early childhood development coordinator in Mali.

Haby, who never went to school, is delighted and grateful. She says, “The change I saw in my child shows how much Save the Children’s early learning program benefits the children.”

“I do not miss any occasion to discuss with the other women in the village what it has done for my child. I tell them that as soon as my daughter, Tjimono, reaches the age of three, I will also send her to the early learning center,” she adds. “If it were up to me, all the children in this village would go there so they can start learning early.”

Today, we can still hear Boubacar tapping away on that drum. What we don’t hear is the sound of the step he takes every day as a first grader in Ifola  - the quiet sound of progress that can take him farther than his parents have ever gone.

Keeping the American Dream Alive for Thousands of Children

Ajla Grozdanic, Manager, Marketing and Communications, U.S. Programs

Washington, D.C.

February 15, 2012

Meet Alicia, Jurnie and Savannah, three bright-eyed, all-American girls daydreaming of what they’ll grow up to be some day. Alicia, 11, from New Mexico, is the oldest of the three. She aspires to own a home and a business one day. Jurnie is an 8-year-old from Nevada who loves to care for people and wants to become a nurse when she grows up. Savannah, also 8, lives in Kentucky. She adores animals and dreams of becoming a vet. Living thousands of miles apart, these girls may never cross paths, but their road to success has one detrimental obstacle in common: poverty.

All three are from dwindling small towns in rural America, where, according to the latest Census report, one child out of four lives below the poverty line. Alicia is from a sleepy, poverty-stricken village, which counts a small convenience store among its only sources of income. Jurnie lives with her grandfather and younger sister in a low-income community of 800 some residents on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. And in Savannah’s remote hometown more than a third of the population, including her own family, is poor.

The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to historic highs. Bearing the brunt of this crisis are 16 million kids, the highest number since the War on Poverty began in the early 1960s. This means that more families than ever are scrambling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. For children like Alicia, Jurnie and Savannah, growing up poor in America means having your dreams, however humble, stolen from you.

Like most children living in poverty, the three girls are falling behind educationally. When she started fifth grade, Alicia was reading at the level of a second-grader. Jurnie comes from a financially struggling, unstable home environment and often has to endure long stretches of time without seeing her parents. This lack of stability and support has led to frequently missed school days and poor performance in class. While eager to learn, Savannah scored poorly on reading assessment tests and her school didn’t have the resources to provide her the extra help she needed to work through the challenges and succeed.

Kids who aren't learning and advancing in school are likely to remain in poverty as adults. To protect America’s future and security in the face of historic childhood poverty rates, we must invest in our children. Save the Children works to break the cycle of poverty through education and health programs designed to help kids in some of the poorest parts of the country overcome barriers that stand in the way of their dreams.

We helped Alicia, Jurnie, Savannah and thousands of other children who know all too well what it means to go without. After going through our education support programs, all three are now able to read at grade level and continue to make great strides toward academic and future success.

Learn more about child poverty in the United States and what Save the Children’s school-based programs are doing to help.

Photos courtesy Save the Children

Kids Really Do Say the Darndest Things… about Reading

Ajla Grozdanic, Manager, Marketing and Communications, U.S. Programs

Washington, D.C.

February 6, 2012

Check out the rest of our "Love to Read" series for recommendations for fun and educational books that will help your child develop into an avid reader!

Did you know that, in our country, less than half of children under the age of five are read to on a daily basis by a family member?  It’s no wonder, then, that only about one third of American students are proficient in reading by the time they reach fourth grade.

Teaching our kids to become skilled readers early on is key to ensuring their success in school and life. This is especially true for the one out of every four children living in poverty in America.  Why? Because education is one of the most viable pathways out of poverty. And yet, more than 60 percent of low-income families can’t afford to have books in their homes.

That’s why Save the Children, through our early childhood education and school-based programs, strives to help disadvantaged children right here in the United States develop and grow as readers from birth all the way through sixth grade. The results speak for themselves! Last year, students in our literacy programs read an average of 68 books. Sixty eight percent of participants showed significant improvements in overall reading ability. What’s more, the number of those reading at or above grade level nearly doubled by the end of the school year.  

But we don’t want to bore you with numbers and statistics. Instead, we asked our young program participants all over the country to tell you, in their own words, why they now love to read. Some of their replies are moving, others heartwarming, and more than a few are downright philosophical and wise beyond their years. But all are sure to put a smile on your face.

 

“I love reading because you can learn many things in a book. You can even learn how to build a hamster home!” –Kori, 7, Point Pleasant, WV

 

 

 

“I love to read because the pictures and stories help me to imagine that I am somewhere else!” –Nevaeh, 7, Landers, CA  

 

 

 

 “I like to read because there are new adventures all the time. Fiction is my favorite, because you can get inside the adventure.” –Brandon, 11, Lobelville, TN

 

 

 

“The more I read, the faster and better I can read. It helps me to get better grades.” –Orlando, 9, Shaw, MS

 

 

 

 

“Because my mama likes to read!” –Kayla, 8, Shaw, MS

 

 

 

 

 

“Reading lets me travel to awesome places in my imagination. That’s why I like to read.”—Nyla, 9, Foxworth, MS

 

 

 

“Reading is good for your mind.” –Dontavious, 9, Columbia, MS

 

 

 

 

 

“I love reading because it takes my mind to a different world.” –Macie, 10, Williston, SC

 

 

 

“I love to read because it helps me learn.” –Hayden, 8, Maury City, TN

 

 

 “Reading can take you on exciting adventures.” –A.J., 8, Maury City, TN

 

 

 

“I want to be a veterinarian and reading is helping make my dreams come true! I already work at the zoo and reading has helped give me the knowledge I need to do my job well.” –Dedra, 16, Lobelville, TN (former student in Save the Children’s U.S. school-based program)

 

“I love reading, because if I read a book and I see the movie, for instance, Harry Potter, I can compare them. They usually leave out details and skip scenes in movies. Books have more details.” –Lauren, 11, Morongo Valley, CA

 

 

“I love to read books because it’s the only fun thing I can do.” –Patrick, 10, Morongo Valley, CA

 

 

 

 

“I read because Nana says I got to. It is fun and I learn my ABC’s from books.” –Emilee, 3, Jackson, KY

 

 

 

 

All photos taken by Save the Children staff. 

Spread the Love of Reading to Your Grade-Schooler with These Books (ages 9-12)

Ajla Grozdanic, Manager, Marketing and Communications, U.S. Programs

Washington, D.C.

February 2, 2012

This is the third post in our "Love to Read" series which highlights fun and educational books that will help your child develop into an avid reader!

Only about one third of American fourth-graders are proficient in reading, according to the results from the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress. Make sure your grade-schooler reads at or above grade level by going to the library together every week. Start by checking out a few of these 10 tried-and-true book selections for your child (but don’t forget to lead by example and take out a novel or two for yourself):

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
• The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
• The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

Looking for other ways to spread the love? Get your limited-edition Valentine's Day cards and support Save the Children’s education programs in the United States. Learn more about our Love to Read, Read to Live campaign.