![]() On the 6th April, five intrepid runners lined up with thousands of others on the start line of the Brighton Marathon 2014. Those five had chosen to slog through 26.6 miles not only for the massive personal accomplishment of being able to say they’ve run a marathon but also to fundraise for Children on the Edge. For all five it was their first experience of running the marathon distance. John Miles, who completed the race in an astonishing 3 hours 52 minutes 05 seconds had this to say about the race “There were thousands of people along the route cheering and waving as well as various bands - particularly drummers - to jolly you along. I quite enjoyed the event and I am absolutely overjoyed by my time and results. But will I do another marathon - NO! ...well maybe…”. Having recently spoken to John, we know that he has indeed signed up already to run the Brighton Marathon again in 2015! Another of our runners, Indra Ove, also loved her first marathon experience: “Well I did it ! My time was 4hrs 18 mins, which I'm thrilled with. The first 21 miles were great, the last 5.2 miles were really painful so I ran/limped my way to the end. But I loved it - it was so exhilarating!” All of our runners completed the race with some absolutely smashing their personal goals; Steve Willie was aiming to run a sub 4:45 race; “The race was great, up until around the 30km mark I was really flying and was headed for a sub 4 hour finish but then I hit the dreaded wall and had to start walking/running. Oh well. I was aiming for a 4:45 finish and ended up doing it in about 4:15! So I have to be happy with that!”. Jo Langrish and John Cotterell also ran for Children on the Edge on the day and both achieved fantastic finish times. Aside from the accomplishment of finishing the race, all of our runners have been raising funds for Children on the Edge. Between them, they’ve raised over £2500 for our work in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. If you would like further information about our projects please do not hesitate to browse our 'What we do' page.If you're interested in running for us, contact the team at Children on the Edge, or think about signing up for the Chichester Half Marathon in October! ![]() Last month our Director Rachel Bentley went on a research trip to Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, to look into the possibility of supporting an education project with Syrian refugee children. Over the past three years, more than 100,000 Syrians have lost their lives in the escalating conflict between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule. The violent internal conflict has demolished entire neighbourhoods and forced more than nine million people from their homes. Around 2.5 million have had to flee to neighbouring countries, with Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon bearing the brunt, struggling to accommodate the flood of new arrivals. Rachel noted during her trip that the Lebanese people were incredibly hospitable, but how after three years of a large influx of Syrian refugees (now a quarter of the population), tensions are starting to rise. The Lebanese government is not allowing large camps in the area. As a result, wherever you look around Bekaa Valley, small settlements of 50-100 families have sprung up. Most of these camps have satisfactory sanitation, and tents have been provided through the UN. Our Lebanese partner currently provides health clinics and supplies to two settlements. In one of these settlements they are running a successful school. Children on the Edge will be supporting this local partner in starting a second school in the neighbouring camp, with their own refugee Syrian teachers. Where other projects of this kind bring in teachers from the outside, this model raises up teachers within the community, enabling literacy to grow and the use of their own Syrian curriculum. Our partner has built strong relationships with the Syrian community and through this have discerned a real need for further provision of education in the camps. The school will be able to cater for 74 children and the tent structure is already being prepared. Please do watch this space for further news about this new project and consider donating to our work. ![]() 240 local children came down to Priory Park on Easter Saturday to celebrate a decade of spring time fun and learning at our Anniversary Easter Chocolate Trail. This family event has been held annually by Children on the Edge and sponsored by Montezumas Chocolates for the last ten years. Each year has presented local children with a different theme, twist or challenge, and this anniversary event was no exception. To celebrate 10 years of the event and 10 years of Children on the Edge being based in Chichester, we presented an array of interactive stands, beautifully illustrated by artist Hannah George, to highlight 10 children’s rights that we support around the world. Through these stands the children encountered a thumb print’ map of the UK, a beautiful tipee from Bell Tent Parties, a ‘find the words’ ball pool, a teddy bear hospital and (possibly the most exciting) they collected delicious Montezuma’s chocolates along the way. After the trail there was more to enjoy with a bunting clad vintage style tearoom, candy floss stall, ‘Egg-lympics’ challenge, Bouncy castle and ’Chairo-planes’ fairground ride. All this alongside the usual array of refreshments, crafts and stalls. Children from schools around the area had also been designing their own Easter eggs for the Easter Trail Competition, in order to win a Montezuma’s chocolate egg with their design on it. The two talented winners were Mary from Kingsham Primary with her ‘cheeky face’ design, and Zara from Birdham Primary with her Easter rabbit design! Ben Wilkes, Head of UK at Children on the Edge said ’This has been a fantastic way to celebrate 10 years of a great local event, we’re proud to be able to work alongside Montezuma’s for this time and glad that we can work in some of the most difficult situations across the globe, whilst having such a wonderful support base in our home town”. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Montezuma’s, to the huge number of local businesses who came along or donated prizes and finally to our wonderful group of volunteers for making the day possible. ![]() “Standing on top of Mont Blanc is a major event in any mountaineer's career and is particularly challenging if you are attempting it within a week” says Andrew. This is something of an understatement, considering the context in which Andrew is taking on this challenge. Any attempt to reach the summit of Monte Blanc is a huge undertaking, particularly in mid September when the conditions can become almost Himalayan towards the top. Andrew will be constantly roped up with crampons on and ice axe at the ready, but there are a few other reasons that make this challenge particularly formidable. 20 months ago following a routine blood test, Andrew was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Since then he has been using a combination of natural diet and exercise to combat the disease. A few weeks after his return from Mont Blanc he will be celebrating his 65th birthday, and as a more ‘seasoned climber’, it will take a lot of extra training to achieve the level fitness and energy that he will need to be successful. To mark this achievement, Andrew has decided to raise money and awareness for Children on the Edge. He has made the connection between the challenges he is facing in life, with the children we work with who, he says ‘through no fault of their own, have appalling challenges just to survive’. One of the areas that we are currently working in is Kachin State, Burma. Here, together with local partners, we are providing Early Childhood Development for 1645 children who have been displaced by violent conflict in the last few years. Andrew describes how he found this project particularly moving: “In this mountainous region children are caught up in a conflict that has left them displaced, without warm clothes and even food to survive. When I think that I will be in the mountains swathed in a duck down jacket to protect me from the elements I feel I must do whatever I can to create awareness of these children’s plight and help to clothe and feed them appropriately. I can’t do that on my own but with the help of friends, family and anyone who hears about this, in partnership with Children on The Edge we can make a real difference to these children’s lives”. We’re hugely grateful to Andrew for taking on this challenge, and will be updating you with tales of his adventures in September. You can support him by donating on his Just Giving page, or texting MONT65£5 to 70070 to donate £5. ![]() Kick starting with a Christmas Charity Fair, Form 6 at Cranleigh Prep school have been busy fundraising for Children on the Edge this school year. Bea and Sam, the school’s Charity Prefects told us a little bit about what they got up to: “In the weeks leading up to the Christmas Fair we made many things to sell to raise money for Children on the Edge, such as fudge, Chocolate crackle (with many different flavours), apple chutney from the apples in our orchard and greetings cards. One of our teachers kindly made friendship bracelets from coloured bands. On the day of the fair all of the charity committee took part in a rota to man the stall as it was very busy. In the end we made £500 for Children on the Edge and had a great time!” In addition to the amazing amount raised at the fair (pictured below left), there are more plans in the pipeline to help raise even more vital funds for our projects around the world. A Krispy Kreme donut sale will be tempting the other students at school to part with their cash as well as a summer fayre, mufti day and an end of term service and concert. We can’t wait to hear the updates as the school year progresses! One of the Housemasters at Cranleigh Prep is going one step further and has decided to support Form 6’s fundraising endeavours by taking on a huge challenge of his own. Dudley Manning (pictured below right) is taking part in the Hardmoors 160 run which is an endurance race of epic proportions. The challenge is to run 160 miles in just 48 hours. Dudley explained why he has taken on the ultra marathon: “This may seem tough - but it is nothing in comparison to the life long suffering that millions of children around the world are going through right now. This year, Form 6 have chosen to support the “Children on the Edge” charity, which exists to help forgotten children, living in barren and dangerous places across the globe, and helps restore the ingredients of a full childhood by generating hope, life, colour and fun. This is part of our attempt to raise awareness and help young boys and girls all around the world.” If you wish to support and encourage Dudley in his challenge, please visit his JustGiving page. A huge thank you to Form 6 at Cranleigh Prep School as well as the rest of the staff and students. The money and awareness that you are raising really does make the world of difference to forgotten children living in some of the most vulnerable communities. ![]() As Mother’s Day approaches, our nation queues in card shops and arms itself with flowers, readying itself for a huge expression of thanks to our tireless, loving mothers and grandmothers. Few places are more dependent on the care of mothers and grandmothers as Soweto slum in Uganda. The AIDS pandemic has all but wiped out a generation of parents and the conditions here have been so difficult that feeding children adequately and protecting them from disease has been an overwhelming challenge. All mothers have their work cut out raising their kids, but imagine a mother, who becomes a grandmother, only to lose her adult children to a disease. She is then left alone, to look after up to 15 grandchildren, in a dangerous area, with no resources to keep them protected and in good health. There are no affordable schools and no safe way to gain an income or grow food. This is worth more than a bunch of daffodils, and we’re humbled to have been able to work alongside these heroic ladies for the last 2 years. Since our first visit to Soweto, we have worked with our local partner ADSN to establish a Child Friendly Space in Soweto providing education, nutrition and a safe place for children to be in the day. We have supported an agricultural programme to enable local women to earn an alternative income to the breweries and provide a sustainable source of food. We have also worked to develop a Community Child Protection group, to tackle some of the issues that have left children so vulnerable to abuse. The transformation over this time has been incredible. Most of the dangerous breweries that dominated the economy 2 years back have now shut down, and the Mum’s have described how the agricultural programme is starting to provide nutrition for children at the Centre and local households. The area is cleaner and the incidence of both child sacrifice and child abuse have greatly lessened. Here are some more comments from some of the Mums… - Judith the mother of 9 children says “The Centre did not discriminate and choose family and friends to come, they looked for children who were like ‘rubbish’ those who were not seen as anything in the community, and they chose these ones. So they were surprised and very happy”. - Priscilla is a grandmother of 15 children. She says “The children used to loiter. Through the workshops parents now know their responsibilities, even those who don’t go to the Centre have now started to take their children to school. There used to be rubbish everywhere, and now although it is still not too clean, it is much much cleaner and also you don’t find faeces everywhere because of the training that is held”. Ruth, another grandmother of 13 next to her chips in at this point to say that the crime rate has also gone down. - Grace is a mother of 5, she describes how “The cleanliness has changed dramatically. Workshops have taught people how to dispose of waste. Now there are holes dug in set places, and they put their rubbish there. ” All these things have started to support mother and grandmothers in turning their community around and making a better life for their children. There is still a long way to go, but the difference is plain to see. If you’d like to show some solidarity on Mothers Day, and support these dedicated ladies in transforming Soweto, please find out more about the project, and consider donating. ![]() Children on the Edge brings an essential child-focussed approach to children displaced by conflict. Since the breakdown of a ceasefire between Burma’s central government and ethnic Kachin rebels in June 2011, sporadic fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people in northern Burma. Children in the internally displaced camps have suffered trauma from the violence they have witnessed, many have been separated from their parents and nearly all have inability to access basic services and resources, such as food and education. A recent article by the Irrawaddy has highlighted that although various aid groups are getting through to the IDP camps near Laiza to deliver resources, that the educational needs of the children are not being fully met. During one of the Irrawaddy’s recent visits to a camp, they described how ‘a UN truck arrived at the camp, unloading school textbooks, mosquito nets and solar panels…Some children eyed the textbooks with interest, but few here find camp life to be conducive to furthering their education”. Children on the Edge focus on 12 outlying, higher altitude settlements, which are not currently being reached by the larger organisations. After a full consultation with local groups and a thorough needs assessment, we have partnered with local organisations, the Kachin Development Group and the Kachin Women’s Association to develop a three year program that supports the physical and psychosocial needs of 1,440 children, through 12 Learning Centres. This work is carefully planned in order to, not only provide educational materials, but to implement an Early Childhood Development curriculum, together with teacher training. Its approach recognises how unlikely it is that these children will automatically slot back the learning styles they were familiar with in their own homes. It also takes into account that a purely academic focus is inadequate for children who have lived in a war zone for an extended period of time. Components are specifically designed for children who have experienced trauma. John Littleton, our Asia Regional Manager describes how crucial a child-friendly approach is in these circumstances: “The effects of neglect in these formative years can be cumulative and lasting. Young children who experience extreme stress are at greater risk of developing cognitive, behavioural or emotional difficulties”. The Centres are safe places with a trusted adult presence, where children aged 3-6 can access early childhood education and creative play. The aim is to allow these children to simply enjoy being children, in a vibrant place, for a few hours a day and provide them the opportunity to mature into healthy, stable young people. Find out more about our work in Kachin State. |
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