Australia
Child Guardian
Sharing Knowledge
One day in 2004, Mrs Chrao Rong saw a young girl walking to school crying. When she asked what was wrong the girl replied: "I am nervous because I cannot do the homework my teacher gave me."
Happy to help, Mrs Rong invited the girl into her house so that she could explain the exercise. On the way home from school that day, the girl stopped by to excitedly tell Mrs Rong she had received full marks.
"Then she asked me and my husband to teach her and some of her classmates after school hours. We were very pleased to say yes and then the number of students kept increasing from day to day," says Mrs Rong, who along with her husband Poun Shrir teaches the children mathematics, Buddhism, and how to read and write, as well as life skills such cooking and growing vegetables.
The couple, both in their 50s, conduct classes at their home in a rural village in eastern Cambodia for more than 180 students. To earn a living, Mrs Rong bakes cakes which her husband sells in neighbouring villages. He also works as a carpenter.
The couple dedicate afternoons to children from the local school, while evenings are set aside for teenagers and young adults not receiving an education. "Many children cannot access the nearest proper school which is three kilometres from our village - especially the younger ones," explains Mrs Rong. "There are not enough classrooms or teachers, and the teachers are regularly absent."
"Also, the teaching and learning time is very short; often teachers only teach from 7.30am to 9am. This is because the children feel hungry and are unable to concentrate, and also because many children go to the field to take care of cattle or to help their parents in the rice fields or rubber farm."
To help improve access to education in the village, Save the Children provides training for the couple and supports the afternoon classes. Funding for class materials and a roof for the outdoor classroom have also been provided.
Although Mrs Rong is not a qualified teacher and bases classes on what she learnt at school, she is passionate about sharing knowledge. A teacher from the local primary school praised her work, saying Mrs Rong's students are easier to teach and achieve higher marks than the other children.
"I want all of the children here to have knowledge and literacy. When they learn and I see they have knowledge I am very happy. Then they can become good citizens and serve the country," Mrs Rong says.
Fighting Stigma
Sokhet wants to be a doctor so that she can help other Cambodian children. The determined 16-year-old has started working towards her goal by educating her community about HIV and AIDS after school.
"I want to help Cambodian children," says Sokhet. "When I saw that Save the Children Australia is an overseas organisation I wondered why Cambodia isn't helping its own children."
Keen to make a difference, the Grade Eight student became involved with Save the Children's Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Program. The program provides practical and emotional support to almost 10,000 orphans and other vulnerable children and their families, including those who are infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. By next year, the program will extend from six to seven provinces, reaching a further 3,000 children.
Services are delivered via Buddhist pagodas whose monks are highly respected in society and well placed to provide support and break down stigma. The program works to change community attitudes about HIV and AIDS and the community pagoda has become a rallying point around which support services are planned and delivered.
"Before I started I knew a little bit about HIV and AIDS, but I could see that there was stigma and orphans and vulnerable children were discriminated against. Some people do not allow their children to play with or talk to orphans and vulnerable children and this makes me feel sad for them," Sokhet says.
Sokhet is a member of the Pagoda Committee in her village in eastern Cambodia. She works with the monk at her local pagoda and four other young people including 18-year-old Vandoeun who joined the project at the start of the year because he was angry at the treatment of children affected by HIV and AIDS.
"I joined because I have seen many serious situations for these children like hunger and discrimination. I thought that in the name of students I can contribute by helping and joining the committee," says Vandoeun who is happy when he sees community attitudes change thanks to the committee's work.
The pagoda in Sokhet and Vandoeun's village began implementing the project last September and supports 29 villages and more than 100 affected children. As well as community education, the pagoda provides transport costs for HIV-positive children to access healthcare at the nearest medical facility. Affected families can also participate in income-generating activities such as animal raising and vegetable production.
Funding the future
"There have been a lot of changes here because the villagers now have funds. We can see houses change from bamboo to concrete or wood, and there are a lot of vehicles such as cars, motorbikes and hand tractors. The living conditions here have improved."
Mr Keo lives in Pak Thang, a rural village about 21 kms from Sayaboury town in north-west Laos. When Save the Children started working there in 2003, the village was identified as very poor and most people relied on slash and burn farming.
The following year, Save the Children started microfinance activities in the village as part of the Remote Community Poverty Reduction Project. Villagers borrow money for a variety of reasons including: the purchase of land and livestock; establishing a business; or assistance with their children's education.
Since the project began, the standard of living has clearly improved for many families who could never afford such things in the past. Mrs Vanhna (pictured right) hired labour to help cultivate her family's rice field, while another local woman, Mrs Lamduan, purchased a bicycle, books and clothes to support her children's education. She also used the funds to renovate her house.
Mr Tongsit, who has five children, says their education would have suffered without assistance from Save the Children.
"If we didn't have the project in the village, the children would have to use their own clothes to wear to school and I'm not sure what we would have done about the books and other things. The children might not want to go to school because they are embarrassed being compared to the other children as they only had one set of clothes," says Mr Tongsit, who also used the money to buy a plot of land to grow maize.
"Gradually, step-by-step, it is improving my life."
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
This year Save the Children Australia celebrates 20 years in Laos.
One of the first international non-government organisations (NGOs) to be accepted to work in the country, we were also the first Australian organisation to establish an office there. Since 1988, we have worked in collaboration with the Lao Government and other local and international NGOs on programs which directly benefit the lives of children, young people and their communities.
We first began working with the Ministry of Education and the Lao Women's Union in Sayaboury and Bolikhamxay provinces, implementing education and health programs to improve the standard of living for children. Since then, our work has been implemented in other provinces including Khammoune, Bokeo, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Phongsaly and Vientiane.
Last year, our Lao Primary Healthcare team received the United Nations Development Award for contributions to maternal and child health - the team's second UN award. Their work in Sayaboury Province is widely acknowledged as an example of best practice in the health sector in Laos and has resulted in a dramatic decline in maternal and child mortality rates. We are now replicating this award-winning model in neighbouring Luang Prabang Province.
As well as healthcare, our team in Laos also focuses on child protection; children's justice; education and training; anti-human trafficking; HIV and AIDS; water and sanitation; and microfinance. This year the team embarks on a new long-term disaster risk reduction program which aims to build community resistance to natural and man-made disasters.
Hollywood Helps Burma
Not On Our Watch, an organisation founded by stars including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle has donated $US500,000 to assist children affected by Cyclone Nargis.
"We are proud to support the Myanmar (Burma) relief and recovery efforts of Save the Children," said Alex Wagner, executive director of Not On Our Watch. "Save the Children has proven itself as a strong partner for Not On Our Watch, delivering aid and life-saving relief to millions of children and families affected by humanitarian crises around the globe."
Save the Children has worked in Myanmar (Burma) since 1995 and operates in all five of the affected regions. With 500 staff already working in the country from 35 regional offices, we were able to deliver aid immediately after Cyclone Nargis hit and are continuing our relief efforts.
For updates on the situation in Burma visit the Emergencies section on our home page.
A Child's Right: Making tomorrow a better place for the children of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest countries, with the nation's youngest residents often bearing the brunt of unforgiving economic and social circumstances.
Children have the right to express their views individually and collectively on issues affecting them, however the cultural context and low status of children in Bangladeshi society mean most children's voices are rarely heard.
Save the Children has been working in Bangladesh for more than 20 years and has a wide range of programs that impact on the lives of children and young people, focusing on giving them a voice.
Despite the barriers, tens of thousands of children across the country are joining forces to protect their rights and advocate on behalf of others. Save the Children works with children as well as parents, government officials, teachers and duty bearers to create an environment where the issue of children's rights is understood.
Caring for Child Workers
Rozina stopped working as a street vendor when she was 10 years old because of concerns for her safety. Now, aged 12, she makes oyster shell jewellery at home with her mother.
When she was younger, Rozina sold jewellery on the beach at Cox's Bazar, a small coastal city in southern Bangladesh. A popular place for child workers to ply their trade, the beach is also unsafe for girls working alone.
Rozina - one of the country's 4.9 million child labourers aged 5-15 years - has never been to school. Extreme poverty means children must work to help support their family or for their own survival. They are employed as domestic workers, street vendors, and factory workers - often in hazardous conditions.
Although Rozina's parents want to enrol her in school, they do not have the money to do so. The government provides free education for children at primary school level, but Rozina's family cannot afford the books, uniform, school bag and shoes she requires.
"I have never been to school but I dream of becoming a teacher. I wish to teach working children like me," says Rozina who would feel sad when she saw other children going to school.
While working on the beach three years ago, Rozina heard about the Save the Children Drop-in Centre where child labourers go to rest, socialise and participate in literacy and numeracy classes. Although she cannot go to school, Rozina now knows how to read and write and even contributes articles and drawings to the Centre's magazine.
"I have learnt many things from the Drop in Centre," says Rozina. "Before I never washed my hands before taking meals, have regular baths or know much about cutting my nails or brushing my teeth. I can also have regular health check-ups at the Centre."
Established in 2005, the Drop in Centre is part of Save the Children's Child Access to Rights through Development (CARD) Project. Cox's Bazar has two Drop-in Centres, each attended by 100 children.
Last year, Save the Children and our partner NGOs helped to secure birth certificates for more than 100 working children from the Drop-in Centres - a document many Bangladeshi children do not have. Birth certificates will help to protect them from child trafficking, hazardous jobs, abuse and exploitation. Certificates also provide children with access to legal aid, while Drop-in Centre workers ensure sick children receive healthcare.
Voting to be Heard
At 14, Tahnia is a seasoned election campaigner. She contested her first election two years ago, and was recently voted Vice Chair of the Child Council in Cox's Bazar, southern Bangladesh.
More than 4,000 children aged 10-18 years queued up to vote in the Cox's Bazar Child Council elections. Part of Save the Children's Child Access to Rights through Development Project (CARD), the councils enable children to learn about child rights and issues such as child marriage, dowry, exploitation and abuse. They also learn about participation, leadership and how to organise activities.
On election day in March, thousands waited patiently to have their names marked off the electoral role and their thumbs marked with ink to ensure there was no double voting. More than 8,000 children voted in the seaport city of Chittagong, the turnout at both locations illustrating how passionate Bangladeshi children are about having their voices heard.
Tahnia was elected to Vice Chair after narrowly missing out on the Chair position - 126 children aged 12 to 15 were also vying for the role. A Child Council member since she was 10, Tahnia is passionate about children's rights.
"Children are denied their rights. For example, at the beach many of the children who have to earn a living selling handicrafts are abused by the police. On the way to school I see many children who are not going to school because of poverty. I want to speak up for these children," Tahnia says.
As a Child Council member, Tahnia has been instrumental in securing free birth registration for the children of Cox's Bazar. Birth registration helps to protect a child's rights, yet many Bangladeshi children are denied a certificate at birth.
As a result of her council's petitions, local government authorities allowed children in her area to seek free birth registration between June 2007 and July 2008. Although birth registration only costs 20 Taka (about 25 Australian cents), many parents cannot afford it.
The Year 10 student is already planning for the future and says she will use her new position to raise the issues that affect children at the next public hearing in Cox's Bazar, which will be attended by government officials, journalists and civil society.
Sumon Speaks Out
"I have lived on the street for a long time so I know the strife and sufferings of the street children. I can understand how one might feel if his or her rights are violated. I always want to work for the children so that not a single child has to suffer like me."
Sixteen-year-old Sumon from Bangladesh has faced untold hardship throughout his life. A street child who grew up supported by a local non-government organisation, Sumon has no idea who his parents are. Determined to improve the lives of other children, he joined Save the Children's National Children's Task Force (NCTF) where he has received child rights and life skills training.
The passionate teenager recently participated in the inaugural NCTF conference in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. A national forum formed by children from all sections of society, the NCTF monitors child rights across the country in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
During the two-day event, Sumon and 16 other teenagers were elected to the NCTF Central Committee by more than 60 of their peers. Sumon says the NCTF is an excellent platform for children to express their concerns and experiences with government officials and duty bearers. It is the one place where children can effectively talk about the violation of their rights and issues such as corporal punishment in schools, child labour and child marriage.
With about 4,000 members, the NCTF is the only national level organisation of children in Bangladesh. Sumon joined two years ago and says the quarterly newsletters written and published by the NCTF District Committees throughout the country help to highlight the issues children face.
Sumon believes now is the time to prepare for his future. Along with the study he does through a local NGO, he also finds time to teach street children, and never misses the opportunity to share the knowledge he has gained from NCTF training and workshops.
"I share many things with the street children. It is easy for me to communicate with them because I can empathise with them. I am also more confident than before," says Sumon. "If I look back in my life I realise that I did not have any dreams. Gradually I have learnt to dream. After being involved with Save the Children I have learnt to know the reality as well and I know how to turn the dream into a reality. I want to make a good contribution for the children who are deprived of their rights."