‘All Wrapped Up for Christmas’ - Get involved in our new appeal for Syrian refugee children.30/10/2015
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More than four million Syrians have now fled war and persecution and become refugees in neighbouring countries, making the Syrian conflict the worst crisis for almost a quarter of a century.
Children on the Edge have been supporting work with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon for over a year now. The work here provides these children with an education within the refugee camps, medical support and much needed winter clothing and fuel for heating. As Christmas approaches we are launching an urgent appeal for the project called ‘All Wrapped Up’. Skilfully designed by local illustrator Hannah George, we have some beautiful Christmas wrapping paper and matching tags for sale, with all profits going to the project. In this way, the paper has your gifts wrapped up for Christmas and is enabling a refugee child to be warm and ‘wrapped up’ this winter. This is an excellent resource to fundraise in the run up to Christmas. Naturally we’d like to sell as much as possible and we need your help!
We’re excited about the difference we can make through this appeal, and hope you will join us!
When our staff witnessed first-hand the indiscriminate shelling and burning of civilian villages in Kachin state in 2012, Children on the Edge set out to provide aid to the children who were most affected by the conflict. After an initial survey and a delivery of aid to the hardest to reach areas, we have gone on to establish safe, nurturing environments in seven different camps for 580 internally displaced Kachin children aged 3-6.
This is done through 12 Early Childhood Development Centres in some of northern Myanmar'’s most dangerous and remote Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camps. These centres are places with a trusted adult presence where children can receive the building blocks of basic education, access nutritional support, and simply enjoy being a child for several hours each day. In this way the centres play a vital role in helping these displaced children process their harsh surroundings and past experiences. Constructed primarily from bamboo, ply wood, and tin, the structures are basic, but teachers and students have transformed each centre into a colourful space where the children can learn and express themselves. Supplied with art materials, musical toys, building blocks, sand pits, tire swings and a large collection of story books, the centres are vibrant hubs of activity in the heart of each IDP camp. Each centre blends an organized curriculum, that includes maths, language basics, hygiene, and environmental sciences, with free and organised play activities. Focus group feedback from teachers and parents has already reported an increase in confidence and positivity among the children over the past year. Community groups which meet monthly in each centre engage with parents to educate them about the principles of early childhood education and discuss issues which children are facing in the broader community. Parents also pitch in to help construct and maintain each building as well as assist with food preparation and logistics for the centres. This year Children on the Edge will continue to ensure the delivery of winter provisions so the children can survive the harsh, high-altitude weather conditions. A set of warm clothes, which includes a wool hat, jacket, warm trousers and pair of socks, is provided to each child in the IDP camps. As most homes are constructed from thin ply wood, and temperatures regularly plunge below zero, hypothermia is one of the greatest threats faced by young children in these camps. Children on the Edge are the only international organisation operating in these remote, northern camps. When our Asia Regional Manager visited last month it took him over 2 days to reach the outlying camps, and he was the first non-Kachin visitor to the area in 3 years. He describes the situation, “We cannot stress enough how little help these people are receiving. They are physically pushed to the edge of their country, teetering on the border in case of attack from forces that have no hesitation in razing villages and harming civilians”. Living in such locations presents numerous challenges to daily survival. The high altitude makes the digging of wells nearly impossible, so camp residents must rely on surface water to survive. Finding clean surface water often means a trek of several miles and firewood must be sourced outside the camp from considerable distances. Most families rely on daily labour and subsistence farming in order to make ends meet. In this environment, the support of early childhood care has become vital to these families. By providing care for the community’s youngest children, this programme is also allowing parents to provide food, water, and firewood for their families. You can support this project by both donating to the work here and by raising the profile of the need here by sharing this story.
This Sunday saw the fourth staging of the Chichester Half Marathon, organised by Children on the Edge and Chichester District Council. Sponsored by Montezumas and Store Property and started by Sally Taylor of BBC’s South Today, this year’s race had the largest number of entrants yet. Runners took to the popular Chichester route in golden autumn sunshine and the atmosphere in the Chichester College race village at was buzzing.
From a fundraising perspective the event was a tremendous success. With many runners getting sponsored for their efforts, a record amount of 946 registrations, 98 volunteers helping (many from 6.00 am), 975 litres of water donated by Southdowns Water and many other generous donations from different companies, the total raised for Children on the Edge came in at £23,940. To give an idea of what this figure can achieve, this can cover the full running costs of one of our schools for Syrian refugees in Lebanon for a whole year. Each school serves 100 children and employs Syrian teachers from within the camps so is a real benefit to the whole community. Our executive director, Rachel Bentley said, “The arrival of thousands of Syrian refugees in Europe has prompted a huge public response. Many local people have been organising events and collections for refugees arriving in Europe, but for over a year now Children on the Edge has been supporting work with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. We really appreciate the contribution that all runners, volunteers and sponsors of the Chichester Half have made towards the vital work both here and in our other projects around the world”. Sports highlights
Next year’s date is set for Sunday 9th October 2016. ![]() So a lot of runners signed up for the Chichester Half 2015 might be feeling nervous this week. It's a challenging race, but if that's you, spare a thought for James, who'll be running in heavy boots, wearing army trousers and carrying a back pack weighing 35lb. The Chichester Half is one of a series of events that James is taking on this year to raise money for Children on the Edge. Here's his feedback from his last challenge in Catterick; Firstly I apologise for maintaining radio silence over the summer, unfortunately I was a bit poorly for 6 weeks so couldn’t train – however as “luck” would have it the Paras 10 event in Colchester was rescheduled till November. However, I unfortunately had to miss the Fan Dance this year but I will replace it with another event – although I do still have the Chi half and the Paras event to tab, plus a marathon to run in December!! As such I have started to get back into training again properly, although not yet back up to half marathon distance so Chi could well be mental as opposed to physical. Therefore, given all these disclaimers, this weekend’s report from the northern town of Richmond will not be full of derring-do feats testing the limit of human endurance, Instead it will be mild whinging about the traffic on the M1 and not being very fit. More Victor Meldew than Ranulph Fienns! So for the second year in a row I dragged my wife and kids 300 miles north to Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire, where I prepared for the event with a health conscious steak and chips and a pint of Guinness - this being the night preceding the actual event as opposed to breakfast on the day! At breakfast itself I self-consciously trundled in wearing my second hand army surplus gear to find that the entire hotel was dressed the same, it would seem that almost everyone staying there was taking part in the event in one form or another. I got to the barracks and got my bergen officially weighed by a gentleman from the Para Reg…39lbs inclusive of water….he sent me off to the registration tent with a knowing smile. Knowing that I wasn’t fit enough to make it in the Paras selection time, combined with memories of last year’s vomit-inducing start, I chose not to skip off like a gazelle and used the recommended technique of jogging downhill and striding up, this plan paid off as I at least didn’t burn myself out in first few miles. All in all it took me 2hrs 20 mins, which in timing is pretty dreadful BUT I made it round and can tick it off the list now! It does however make it seem that Chi might take nearly 3 hours to tab....Although Hastings took 2 hours 30 so fingers crossed for the day now! That’s and a few more miles looking like an ageing squaddie around the street of Surrey." You can sponsor James by going to his Just Giving page. If you're at the Chichester Half this Sunday, cheer him on! Children on the Edge supports a number of programmes that focus on ending child marriage. We are also part of a network called ‘Girls Not Brides’ and would like to encourage our supporters to join in their latest campaign, entitled #MyLifeAt15. This is the global campaign calling on governments to implement the new global target to end child marriage by 2030.
What is it about? A girl born in the year 2000, who is now 15, has never known a world that was not fighting to end poverty thanks to the Millennium Development Goals — but these goals didn’t adequately address girls and their needs. Last weekend countries gathered at the UN to approve the new Global Goals for Sustainable Development, the world-wide action plan to solve some of our biggest problems by 2030 and, this time, ending child marriage is in their plans (target 5.3). With the launch of the Global Goals, now that same girl as a teenager can be part of the fight against inequality and injustice, and the movement to end child marriage by 2030. #MyLifeAt15 is happening from the 1st -12th October, mainly in the run up to the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC). The campaign celebrates the dreams and ambitions we held at the age of 15, in support of every girl today having the opportunity to achieve hers, without child marriage holding her back. How to take action This campaign is a great opportunity to show your government and international leaders that there is real demand for action to end child marriage. This is how you can take part: - Post a picture of yourself on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram and describe what your ambitions and dreams were for the future when you were 15 years old. Tag Children on the Edge and use the hashtags #MyLifeAt15 and #EndChildMarriage. - Share a picture of yourself at age 15 with your #MyLifeAt15 description and tags. - Camera shy? Just share a photo of the #MyLIfeAt15 sign, write on it if you like. - This campaign is launching on the 1st October and is using ‘Throwback Thursday’ or #TBT, a popular online hashtag for sharing content from the past, to kick off the photo drive. This is especially good for photos of yourself at 15. When you share your first #MyLifeAt15 photo on Thursday October 1st or 8th October, be sure to tag your photos with #TBT and #EndChildMarriage to reach broader audiences. Do another post on International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) on 11th October. This year’s theme is “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030”, which focuses on the importance of investing in adolescent girls’ empowerment and rights, placing them at the centre of sustainable development. Find out more about the campaign and download a toolkit, this includes actions you can take if you aren't fond of social media! Find out about how we are working to prevent child marriage in Bangladesh. Children on the Edge have been involved in providing education for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon for over a year and a half but naturally since the refugee crisis in Europe hit our TV screens and papers, we have had many more enquiries about how to help, and about what our general response is. Here is a brief statement that hopefully answers most of these.
Where can funding help best? Funding can make the most difference in the border areas around Syria. Less than 2% of those displaced by the current conflict have made the journey to Europe. The project we support in the Syrian refugee settlements in Lebanon needs a lot of help. The UN still only has a third of the funding needed for refugees in the border areas around Syria. This has resulted in a severe cut in rations and is one of the main push factors for refugees into Europe, forcing them to make long and dangerous journeys. Recent EU discussions have suggested that the UN will get an increase in their budget but this will take much time to materialise. What about those in Europe? We are currently not pursuing any project for those refugees in Europe as the media attention is so strongly focussed on this area, there is a lot of aid being directed there. In truth, the most vulnerable people would not be able to attempt a trip to Europe and our policy is to focus, where we can, on the most vulnerable and where the vast majority of refugees reside. With regards to European arrivals, we believe that refugees need to be registered properly, not turned away and not put in internment camps. A Europe wide co-ordinated effort is necessary to process people and identify genuine asylum seekers so they can get support. If you wish to voice your concerns, and urge for a humane, co-ordinated and effective EU response, Amnesty have an e-mail link that is useful. What about the British government’s response? Children on the Edge feel that the response of the British government with regards to admitting 20,000 people over 5 years is inadequate. At least 20,000 each year for 5 years would be an appropriate response. However we welcome their focus on taking refugees direct from the border camps and the input of aid into these border areas through DFID. Find out more about our work in Lebanon Donate to the project ![]() The arrival of a swathe of Syrian refugees has prompted a huge media and public response. Whether it’s the coverage of open armed villagers, to closed borders, self concern or generous compassion, it’s been all over our televisions and news feeds in the last few weeks. For over a year now, Children on the Edge has been supporting work with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. Lebanon hasn’t had the kind of media spotlight that Europe has currently, but the problem is much worse. Despite the focus of the world on the crisis in Europe, these countries still contain less than 2% of the 12 million displaced Syrian population, around 0.25 million. Contrast this with the well over a million refugees in Lebanon, just a one small country, then you can start to imagine the problem. Only one third of the necessary funding has been received by the UN for all border camps around Syria, meaning that in recent months food and other rations for the refugees have been severely cut. If you feel stirred to help with the refugee crisis, then please do consider the following:
At Children on the Edge we have the pleasure of hearing from many different fundraisers of all ages. A few weeks ago we heard from some of our youngest supporters, twins Ellis and Harrison both aged 8. Both boys chose to fundraise for us by taking on the Iron Kids challenge. Ellis and Harrison first heard about Children on the Edge through their family. The boys’ Mum, Christine, and big sister Lauren, heard about us from The Body Shop at Home™ and have already fundraised for us themselves. After signing up to the event, Christine asked the boys which charity they would like to fundraise for, and fortunately for us, Children on the Edge was on the tip of their tongues! Ellis and Harrison picked us as a result of “wanting to help children less fortunate than us and help the children on the projects to be healthier”. When asked the question, ’What do you think children should be entitled to?’, the boys replied “a school, bed, food, fun, drink, friends, family, clothes, skills and to be healthy”. A very impressive and thoughtful answer. Ellis and Harrison both had great fun at Iron Kids and enjoyed hearing the crowd cheer them on and being awarded their medals. Together the boys raised £75 for our work. We would like to say a huge thank you to Ellis and Harrison for being our Children on the Edge Champions! Got a fundraising idea? Get in touch with our Fundraising Officer to start planning! On the anniversary of Girl Summit 2014, leaders must prevent backward steps in Bangladesh.22/7/2015
Today is the first anniversary of the Girl Summit, which is being marked by an event at Canada House, hosted by DFID and Plan International.
One year ago at the Summit, along with an impassioned speech from DFID’s Justine Greening, David Cameron and Bangladesh Prime minister Sheikh Hasina pledged to end child marriage under the age of 15 in Bangladesh by 2021, and end all child marriage under 18 by 2041. It was an ambitious statement, as currently Bangladesh has the world’s highest rate of child marriage. However when Sheikh Hasina returned, her government drafted a new law proposing to lower the age of marriage for girls from 18 to 16. Girls may need parental permission to marry at 16 but as most marriages in Bangladesh are arranged by parents, this makes little difference. This backward step conflicts not only with Bangladesh's commitments at the Girl Summit, but also with international law. Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch describes how ““The Bangladesh government’s inaction on child marriage is causing devastating harm to one of the country’s greatest assets – its young women. The government—and its donors—should do more to keep girls in school, assist girls at risk of child marriage, fight sexual harassment, and provide access to reproductive health information and contraceptive supplies. Most importantly, the government should enforce its own law against child marriage.” Children on the Edge supports Learning Centres for Working Children in Bangladesh, which not only provide an education which would otherwise be impossible, but works with the local community and parents to reduce the rate of child marriage. You can support this project by donating, and if you want to make a difference in the political scene, giving a voice to these girls, we’d suggest the following:
Already staff at the refugee schools we support in Lebanon are trying to cope with teaching in a small tent with basic resources, ensuring classes can learn in their own language in an unfamiliar country and helping children to deal with the trauma of what they have been through before their arrival. More recently they have also had to contend with a increased influx of new children as more and more refugees pour into Lebanon. They are also seeing pressure on children to work because of the poverty in which families find themselves, and the vulnerability of families in the camps to the self made ‘landlords’. These emerging problems are creating very real obstacles to learning, yet staff are meeting the challenges head on, with skill, creativity and tenacity. To cater for increased numbers a third school was opened in May for an additional 120 students, and staff are expecting another 30 in the next few months. The school itself was brilliantly designed by a German architect who volunteered his time, making a more spacious area than that of the other schools, and laying it out in a way that enables the children to have some outside space to play and run around in during breaks. The second tent school space has also been adapted by the renting of a nearby tent to use as an extension. Naturally, those children arriving are behind in their work, so a dedicated ‘catch up’ process is being developed for new arrivals. Staff assess the students beforehand to ensure this focus will not slow down the progress of the rest of the class or leave the new pupils discouraged or frustrated. The have created a ‘prep class’ for new students before actual classes start, to work to integrate them into their learning as seamlessly as possible. Eight new refugee teachers have been trained in the last six months, making a total of 16 teachers. As we enter summer season the challenges of harsh winter conditions are abating, but different difficulties are coming to the surface. One teacher describes how at this time “students are not showing up to school because it is potato harvest season and they need to help their families make money, or they may, all of a sudden, completely quit school because their parents have found a job for them and they don’t want to argue about not taking it”. Often the “Shaweesh” (land owner) will take children off for a few days of work on his fields as part of the payment of their family’s rent, resulting in them missing days of school. In the camp where the first school is built, the landowner was even threatening to fire parents who sent their children to school. In response, when the third school was built, staff from the project met with all three landowners in the surrounding camps and negotiated with them to sign contracts agreeing not to take the children out of school for work. Project worker Nadine Morcos said “The Shaweeshes pride themselves in being benefactors and having good connections with NGO’s, so they were happy to comply with these conditions, and did as much as they could to help us start up the school. It was good to see their involvement and support in making the school a reality”. In the area where the landowner was issuing threats, a vote was taken in the community and the school was moved to a better environment, so parents would not be afraid to send their children to class. In the last six months refugee teachers were taken on a day trip to the sea at Sidon. This was a trip of a lifetime for many of them as the majority had never seen the sea before. Last week the students from the first and second schools went on an end-of-year field trip to a public piece of land with lots of free space to run around, and a freshwater spring to swim in. The children absolutely loved splashing around in the water all day and playing games together. The need in the refugee community here continues to grow, and if we can secure funding then the aim is to create a fourth school in October. The UN describes how a funding crisis is compounding the problems of both refugees and humanitarian agencies. We really appreciate any help you can give with your own donations, or by sharing news about the project to those who may be interested in supporting it. |
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