For the past 10 years we have been running a successful Easter event in Priory Park, this year we thought it would be good to try something different.
Working with Montezuma’s Chocolates we piloted a Family Easter Trail around the Chichester City Centre which ran through out the school holidays. The questions were based on a range of topics from historical facts about Chichester to spotting local attractions. The trail began in Eastgate Square and wound its way around the town centre with the end point at Montezuma’s Chocolate store where participants could claim their well deserved prizes! The lovely staff at Montezuma’s had the important job of handing out chocolate bunnies to some (very happy) children. Tash, a sales assistant at Montezuma’s, helped manage the trail in store and met some of the participating families. She described how “The trail has been very popular with both children and parents. It’s been great seeing all the excited families coming in to claim their chocolate. We have also had a lot of local people mentioning they enjoyed discovering some new facts about Chichester.” Many individuals doing the trail were not just from Chichester but had travelled down especially to take part. Tash explained “ we met a lot of customers who lived far away and came to Chichester to take part with their families. Some individuals came from London and we even had one family all the way from America complete the trail”. In the run up to the trail, hundreds of local school children also entered a competition to design their own Easter egg. The winner had their designs made into real chocolate eggs by Montezuma’s. We’d like to say a big congratulations to winners Isla and Effie, who both created beautiful designs. We are thrilled to have received so much support for our first ever Easter Treasure Trail. Altogether we sold 205 tickets raising over £800 which will contribute to all our international projects. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in the trail and all the amazing staff at Montezuma’s. Watch this space next year as we’ll be back with the next Great Chichester Family Easter Trail again, but it will be extra child friendly, even more fun and we’ll be integrating some ways of learning about our work with children all around the world. We’ll also be looking to get lots of favourite local shops to join in, so if you run a store in Chichester and would like to get involved, then get in touch. There are now so many different ways to fundraise, from the traditional bucket collection to text donations. Charles, a digital and social media marketing student, has created an innovative website which allows individuals to donate to Children on the Edge by simply doing a spot of online shopping. BrightSearch.org works when individuals visit the site and search for a retailer or the name of a product that they wish to buy. The website hosts over a hundred retailers including big names such as Ebay and Amazon. Once you are on the retailer’s website and purchasing your goods, a percentage of what you spend will donated to Children on the Edge. It really is as simple as that. When Charles noticed a lot of cashback sites popping up he had the idea of creating a charitable version. Working with two partners, BrightSearch was created in just over a year. The next big decision was picking the right charity to benefit from their first fundraiser. Charles specifically wanted to support a children’s charity, and after a little searching he found, and fortunately took a liking to us. “I wanted to find a children’s charity that didn’t have thousands of social followers” explained Charles, “Children on the Edge looked perfect as it was small and looked very dedicated to all the good they are doing”. The team at Children on the Edge would like to say a big thank you to Charles for all his wonderful support. To help Brightsearch develop and gain donations simply visit brightsearch.org when buying online. Happy shopping! The tragedy facing the Kachin people in Myanmar (Burma) is rarely cited in the international media and runs counter to the popular narrative that the country is steadily transforming into a democracy. In truth, the scale and nature of the needs for internally displaced Kachin children is vast, urgent and critical. At present, Children on the Edge is the only international organisation reaching these isolated children, in the hard to reach areas of the state.
While conflict in Kachin State dates back decades, the past three years have seen the most intense and brutal fighting. Camps for over 120,000 people displaced by the war continue to grow in both size and number, and those seeking refuge are increasingly downcast about how unlikely the prospect of returning home has become. On his visits there, John Littleton, our Asia Regional Manager has witnessed first-hand the indiscriminate bombing of civilian villages by central government forces and spoken with dozens of victims who have been forced to flee their homes. He describes how “Those I’ve spoken to speak of wide-spread burning of villages, rape, maiming and executions. As the central government appears determined to crush this last remaining pocket of wide-spread armed resistance in Myanmar, their tactics have been increasingly harsh”. Reaching the unreachable While there is broad recognition of the pressing humanitarian need in northern Kachin State, it seems that the prevailing opinion is that there are simply too many logistical obstacles to providing support there. Most of the roads are little more than crude, unpaved logging routes, cut through dense forest and steep terrain. In order to reach the most remote Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, it is necessary to criss-cross the Chinese and Burmese borders sometimes more than once. Consequently, Children on the Edge finds itself alone in providing assistance to these outlying communities. Despite access and supply issues proving challenging, they are not insurmountable. Children on the Edge has therefore been providing support to displaced children in Kachin State since 2012. We have been focussing on seven, northern (IDP) camps, which are situated in high-altitude locations. These settlements have been ignored by the larger organisations who have concentrated their efforts on the easier to reach locations around Laiza. Because of the high altitude of these camps, temperatures regularly plunge well below freezing. Given that many of the IDP residents fled their villages with only a handful of belongings, winter supplies to survive these conditions are scarce and there is a particular lack of warm clothing. During our first site visit to Kachin in January 2012, we visited a village where a young child had recently perished due to hypothermia. In response, our first action in Kachin state was to purchase hundreds of sets of warm clothing for children. Education and traumatised children The next step was to create some activities that would build sustainable change. Together with our local partners Kachin Development Group (KDG) and Kachin Women’s Association (KWA), our full Early Childhood Development Programme was launched in November of 2014. This programme consists of 12 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in the seven remote IDP camps, reaching 554 displaced Kachin children. While some community buildings already existed in the camps, most were unsuitable for use as an ECD space and extensive renovation work was needed. Complicating these efforts, the purchase and movement of building materials in such remote areas is difficult due to poor roads and arbitrary security checks. The most outlying IDP camps take more than 11 hours to reach from the nearest supply points. Thankfully, all 12 centres received the needed materials, and the structures were ready before the arrival of severe winter weather.The centres have become real child friendly spaces which provide play, early years education, creative expression and training in health and hygiene. Through these centres we are working with communities who have faced very real and sudden trauma. Children in the camps have experienced the shock of being forced from their homes under a wave of brutal violence and many of the personal accounts collected in the field are too graphic to publish. In the knowledge that many of the children carry significant, residual trauma, the 10 teachers in the centres have not only been trained in child friendly curriculum development, child protection issues, and managing logistics but are highly focussed on providing a safe space in which the children can feel secure to express themselves. The aim of the programme is to help the children regain a sense of security and self-worth while facilitating their long-term recovery and well-being. Community ownership Each centre is supported by a committee comprised of parents and community leaders. These committees help organise support for the centres and deal with any problems that arise. The group also assists with providing labour for construction and maintenance of centres, as well as arranging for volunteer cooks and cleaners. At monthly meetings, the committees talk with teachers and staff about issues related to the centre and broader community. These round-table discussions strongly connect the project with the community and enable valuable insight into the ongoing issues faced by the IDPs. How you can help Donate to the project - Funding is surprisingly hard to find as many donors simply aren’t aware of the scale of this situation. Contact your MP on behalf of the Kachin people - While there have been measurable strides taken towards progress in Myanmar, the atrocities and violations of human rights taking place in Kachin state and surrounding areas is evidence that the old regime has yet to fully reform. It is time for the international community to take notice. Related stories: 'Their villages burned and their families attacked, the Kachin People have been physically pushed to the edge of their country and given no help' Share this story - to raise awareness (use the Facebook and Twitter buttons below) Here at Children on the Edge we have the privilege of working with local community groups. This year we were fortunate enough to be supported by the Trefoil Guild (Chichester) as one of their chosen charities.The Trefoil Guild is an organisation of over 20,000 members with the aim of offering support to Guides and Scouts in the UK and becoming actively involved with their community.
The Trefoil Guild chose to help Children on the Edge as they were keen to support a local charity. Many members admired Anita Roddick’s desire to help vulnerable children and felt a personal connection with Anita having lived in West Sussex. Throughout the year the Guild dedicated themselves to fundraising for our work. Several members organised collections at weekly meetings and various events to raise as much as possible. Margaret Grigson, who lead all the fundraising, was so inspired by COTE’s work she signed up to become a regular donor. “I often think of underprivileged children in desperate need of help around the world and felt Children on the Edge was making a valuable difference.” We would like to say a big thank you to The Trefoil Guild, for not only fundraising for us but enthusiasm and passion for Children on the Edge through out the year. Your support is invaluable in supporting forgotten children across the world. If your community group is interested in fundraising for us we’d love to hear from you! Just e-mail Serena Chana or call her at the office on 01243 538530. This month we invited 15 trained volunteers from Dentaid to come to Soweto to provide a two day clinic for the community. The need for decent dental work had been mentioned by the town clerk at our last play scheme, so a plan was put in place. The clinic was based out of The Child Friendly Space. In the outside space each child’s teeth were assessed and fluoride was applied to strengthen and protect them. If they needed further treatment they would make their way inside the building which was set up with all the necessary equipment (much of which was donated by Dentaid to facilitate help within the community for the longer term). The check-ups revealed that 75% of children had at least one of their canine teeth removed. This is a common practice by witch doctors, many of whom believe that the removal of a canine tooth will ease teething symptoms in young children. The belief is that the canine teeth of children under 5 years old are ‘false’ or ‘Ebiino’ teeth which cause disease. They are often removed using painful and unhygienic methods leaving damage and long term problems. Children with damage were given treatment and the community have now set up a programme of workshops, raising awareness about the dangers of ‘Ebiino’ practices. The Dentaid team included international and Ugandan volunteers and following the initial two days of the main clinic, Joseph, a local volunteer stayed on for two days to work alongside Soweto’s local dentist, Nicholas. The donated equipment, including a new dentists chair has helped him set up and operate a regular clinic that reaches the whole community, including those living in the slums. During the week a local wood workshop, linked with the vocational programmes of our local partners ADSN, crafted large toothbrush holders, to store new toothbrushes which were bought for all the children at the Centre. The idea is that they are kept at the schools so that the children can learn brushing techniques all together, making the learning experience more fun (and keeping the toothbrushes from being lost!). Ben Wilkes who was hosting the Dentaid team over this time said ‘It was brilliant to see the community identify a need, and be able to meet it so quickly, The Dentaid team were professional and worked brilliantly with the children. We were able to open the clinics up to the wider community, and do workshops in the local school, so it really was a community wide event’. Donate to the work in Uganda Find out more about the project For those of you who’ve not heard the original story, James Chinnock has taken on the challenge of ‘tabbing’ five events for Children on the Edge this year. TAB stands for ‘Tactical Advance to Battle’ and means that the runner has to complete the course in heavy boots, wearing army trousers and carrying a back pack weighing 35lb.The Hastings Half is the first of these events that James is taking on in this get up, with the last one being this year’s Chichester Half. So.. without further ado, here’s James’ Hastings post race report: With 1 of 5 events now done and dusted I can report that pretty much every part of me aches, inside and out. Event: Hastings half marathon Conditions: Chilly and cloudy but dry – perfect! Course: Hilly, very hilly! Injuries: 4 badly bruised toes Weight Carried: 35lbs T’was a cold and soggy morning on Sunday 22nd March… when I woke up to start thinking of elaborate yet acceptable excuses not to stumble 13 miles around Hastings with the weight of my 6 year old on my back (although including hair she is possibly twice that weight). However, having failed to come up with any reason not to do it (or at least none that anyone would believe), I donned my army surplus combat boots and trousers, and headed off into the crowds of spandex-clad athletic-looking types… dressed as a middle aged extra from an Andy McNab novel. I lined up at the start with Tom and Jerry, a Rhino and Spider Man (who all beat me but we won’t mention that – now I see why the Paras turned me down!), however, as the event unfolded I found myself running along most of the way with a group of girls dressed as Belly Dancers…..it’s not my fault! It’s just the random nature of sports! It just happened. The first half of the course itself was shockingly hilly. As far as my tired legs were concerned by the 5th mile of uphill trudging, I might have entered an ultra-marathon in the Andes. As such I was forced to walk (sorry…stride purposefully) up the steep bits, and jog till I thought I would ‘be ill’ on the flat and downhill bits. There is a road called Queensway… I guess its best described as a longer-yet-paved version of Chichester’s famed Trundle. I won’t drone on about every step, but essentially: I didn’t suffer any “chaffing related injuries” (to put it politely) I can however report 4 badly bruised toes (I think that was caused by running downhill in boots with the weight). All in all I am just very tired and hungry, I don’t think any long term damage….the ankle pain I started with seems to be in the same state as before so fingers crossed that was just from running with weight in trainers not boots. The crowds were amazing though, it’s a big event of approx. 5000 people with the whole centre of the town closed off so tons of people cheering you on. Should they spot this write up I would like to thank the girl from the Reme who was running for help For Heroes, oh…and the Belly Dancers. …and so home for a well-earned bottle of Hobgoblin….I mean erm….Lucozade obviously. If you'd like to sponsor James in this epic 2015 challenge just go to his Justgiving page or text TABB95 and the amount you would like to donate to 70070. If you’d like to sign up for the Chichester Half yourself.. (wearing normal running gear we assume) then sign up here. Brand new for this year, over the Easter holidays, families have the chance to explore Chichester City Centre and enjoy Montezuma’s Chocolate at the end! Following on from 10 successful years running an Easter Trail in Priory Park, this year Children on the Edge are introducing something with a difference. In partnership with Montezuma’s Chocolates they have arranged a special treasure trail around the centre of Chichester that families can go on anytime that suits throughout the school Easter break. The trail starts in Eastgate square and winds its way around Chichester town centre ending at Montezuma’s Chocolate shop where every participant will receive a bag of chocolate goodies! Families can use the clues to make their way around the route, tackling quiz questions and challenges along the way. The idea is that treasure seekers can take it at a leisurely pace or challenge themselves to a whistle-stop tour. The route is approximately a mile long and children may well discover some delights of Chichester that they’ve never seen before. All profits go to the work of Children on the Edge, helping some of the most vulnerable children around the world. Entry is £4 per child and on sign up all entrants will receive an email containing the Trail Information sheet and one code per entrant. The trail can be completed anytime between Saturday 28 March and Sunday 12 April. On completing your trail, treasure seekers simply present their codes to staff in the Montezuma's store, East Street, to receive their chocolate! Montezuma’s will also be running their usual ‘Design an egg’ competition, where the winning design will be made into a real chocolate egg. Entry forms have gone out to local schools and are also available at the Montezuma’s Store, at Children on the Edge office and from the Children on the Edge website. If you have any questions, please contact us on 01243 538530 or e-mail [email protected]. When we were first asked to become involved in Soweto slum on the outskirts of Jinja, the conditions in this small area were appalling. 4000 people live in the slum, predominantly displaced from past conflict in Northern Uganda.
As a consequence of AIDS, many households here are child or grandparent-headed, resulting in the neglect and vulnerability of children. Child malnutrition, trafficking and child sacrifice was a common occurrence. The main industry was illegal and unlicensed alcohol production, a dangerous and unprofitable process, producing black toxic sludge that ran through the slums where children wandered. Bringing change Together with ADSN we implemented three stages of change, encouraging community ownership and child participation along the way. Stage 1 - The building of a Community Child Protection Committee 10 adults were selected and given training in child protection. In turn they began working with local people and training them about child safety, rights, parenting, health and hygiene began to create a safer, cleaner environment for children. There has been noticeable change in the attitude of the parents with many of them becoming more responsible and taking issues concerning their children seriously. In parents meetings they make suggestions on how to improve the Centre and actively participate in decision making. Children are encouraged to participate in the direction and evaluation of the programme. Near the start they were asked to map the area using twigs, flowers and leaves, showing places that were safe and happy and those that were dangerous. Through this process, ‘Film halls’ where children were lured in and abused have been identified and closed. An area by the train tracks was also identified as a place where children were prone to abduction for trafficking and child sacrifice. Through awareness training for children and the simple addition of bicycles (to ride to the police station) and loudspeakers (to alert families to strangers in the area and of missing children), the incidents of child sacrifice began to lessen in the first few years. Now the practice in Soweto has been completely eradicated in the last 18 months. The area is cleaner, with ditches built to create proper drainage, running water installed and rubbish being burned or buried rather than left to fester. Stage 2 - The establishment of a Child and Community Centre With a donated building, this Centre was created to provide early years education and nutrition for the most vulnerable children in Soweto. They are now kept safe through the day and have a chance to play, learn and enjoy being children. They enjoy annual play schemes and over the years the Centre has been transformed from a drab and dusty building to colourful, fun hive of activity, surrounded by a green grassed area full of play equipment. Stage 3 - Agriculture and sustainability From the very beginning the aim was to create something sustainable. An agricultural component to the programme resourced the Centre with nutritious and fresh vegetables, reducing the ongoing costs. As time went by it became apparent that carbs were the costly part of the food budget, so beans and maize were planted and are now providing a good, regular crop for the Centre. Nutrition experts from the local hospital give regular advice about the best varieties of food to grow for healthy diets. The agricultural component also provides the most vulnerable households with new skills, in order to grow food for their families and sell vegetables instead of earning money brewing alcohol. Bit by bit the breweries began to close down, our Director, Rachel Bentley describes how ‘On my first visit there were around 50 breweries throughout Soweto, last week I visited and there is only one left’. In addition to this, small business start ups were put into action for women, resourcing them to start their own enterprises. Some of the most vulnerable women were put in charge of the water standpipes, so they could make a small amount serving people with water. Some have pooled their start up money and set up a pottery business. In the longer term the aim is that the increase in income will enable parents to be able to pay for the costs of sending their children to primary school, once they have graduated from the Centre. Now these this work is up and running well, local people can see the change and word is spreading through neighbouring communities. Consequently we are looking to start the process again in these new areas, enabling new communities to create their own change for themselves and their children. Related stories: 2015 Playscheme reflects a transformed community Something to smile about - Dental provision in Soweto, Uganda Encouraging small business start ups for women in Uganda Find out more about our project in Uganda Donate to our work Along with the hashtag #MakeItHappen, the phrase ‘Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!' is the 2015 theme for International Women’s Day, celebrated globally on 8 March each year. 2015 will highlight the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, signed by 189 governments 20 years ago, which has set the agenda for realising women’s rights. The platform envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says "To be truly transformative, the post-2015 development agenda must prioritise gender equality and women’s empowerment. The world will never realise 100 per cent of its goals if 50 per cent of its people cannot realise their full potential." Children on the Edge is a rights based organisation. We believe in doing everything we can to release the potential of each girl we work with, and as children benefit most from the stability of their parents, our work naturally extends to empowering women in the wider community as well. As the theme of this year describes, we invite you to ‘Picture it’ by reading some examples about how our current work is making small steps towards gender equality.
‘I am respected now’ Anika is one of the teachers from the Community Schools we support in Bangladesh for working children. She explained that as result of working on our projects for the last few years, she is increasingly independent, and doesn’t have to depend entirely on her husband anymore. Before this time she had no decision or say in how their money was spent and her opinion had no value in the family. Now, she takes part in all family decisions about preparing festivals, how to spend money, family issues etc. The family now actively seek her opinion on various issues. She lives in a rented house, and has always dreamt that one day she will be able to have her own land and house. Having this job has made her feel confident in the future and the fact that she now has a chance of fulfilling that dream. We are a children’s NGO, but within this, one of our main priorities at Children on the Edge is to value individuals; this goes for everyone involved in what we do as well as each child. We’re glad to be able to empower these young women as part of our work, and grateful to have teachers that bring such joy to the lives of the children they work with. This article is written as part of the marking of the 2015 International Women's Day. This year's theme, “Empowering Women - Empowering Humanity: Picture It!" envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination. Read about the project Donate to our work |
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