Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 1
I was unfortunately unable to get in touch with my original vision of international professionals, so I am grateful for the alternative opportunity. After studying the website from the UNICEF's page I located an interesting article that gave my great insight about childhood poverty in Bangui Central African Republic.
I have learned that, Poverty is widespread in the Central African
Republic (CAR).
Years of insecurity, instability and lack of governmental
investment in social services have plunged the country into a
deep crisis.
I have learned that; One child out of five dies before reaching the age of five. Central African Republic has not only one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, but also has the lowest school enrollment.
Boda is a small diamond town west of the capital, Bangui. Very little of the industry’s income is invested in the area. I have learned that , children’s health and education is often neglected because parents are forced to spend long periods away from their homes looking for diamonds.
I have gain great insight on the fact that UNICEF is working
with the government and development partners to give the
children of Central African Republic a better future.
UNICEF Community Development Officer Daniel Gbele first met with community leaders in
Boda two years ago to address the issue of poverty.
“We agreed to start a program that would break the circle of poverty the families in the village have been living in for years, by taking care of the health and education of the young children and their mothers,” he said.
The village of Cotonaf, a few miles north of Boda, was among the first to start a community center for young children.
Each day, just over 100 children between the ages of two and five are sent to the center, where they sing, draw and get important medical attention, including vaccinations. They also receive a meal provided by the World Food Program.
Parents are delighted that their children are getting vital care. Ringo Samedi is the father of two children, the younger of whom goes to the center every day.
“The center takes care of Noella while my wife and I are at work,” said Mr. Samedi. “She learns a lot of useful things. She speaks much better than other children in the village who do not go.”
Boda and Cotonaf are just 2 of the 20 communities across Central African Republic in which UNICEF is supporting early child development and care. Today the program reaches 40,000 people – about 1 per cent of the country’s population.
The CAR Government says it wants to replicate the program in five districts and extend its reach to more than a third of the population.
The Millennium Development Goals are far from met in CAR. But UNICEF and its partners are backing the government’s efforts to make real progress towards reducing the high levels of child mortality, expanding education opportunities and alleviating poverty in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Additional Insights,
UNICEF and its partners have supported the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) in organizing a series of emergency polio vaccination campaigns in 2012.
To protect children from the paralyzing and irreversible
effects of the disease, and to reach the goal of eradicating
polio in CAR, vaccination campaigns must aim to reach
every child.
UNICEF works with partners in the government and the media to provide posters as well as SMS and radio messages to promote polio immunization campaigns. Social mobilizers visit communities to discuss vaccination with parents and persuade them to have their children fully vaccinated.
UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners working with the government have organized three campaigns in three months to prevent any possible new epidemic of polio. The WHO recommends that all children receive three vaccinations against polio between the age of 2 months and 6 years.
“In the future, UNICEF would like to support the government to stage more Child Health Days, which will not only vaccinate children against polio but vaccinate them against all other diseases as well,” said Pierre Signe, UNICEF’s Chief of Child Survival and Development.
“Child Health Days twice a year would also be a vital opportunity to identify children and pregnant women with malnutrition and begin the treatment they need. UNICEF highlights the need for additional funds to make this a reality for children in CAR.”
Reference:
Breaking the cycle of poverty: UNICEF’s early childhood programme in CAR retrieved from:http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/car_34068.html
In the Central African Republic, UNICEF reaches out to ethnic minorities in the fight against polio retrieve from:http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/car_62528.html
Children needs positive "environment" in order to grow. Thanks to all these volunteers who are willing to create such environment that is badly needed by these children. My impression about the term "Central African Republic" is always about chaos, hunger and sickness. These volunteers are angels that offers life-changing and lifesaving help.
ReplyDeleteToni I agree, I also learned that;
ReplyDelete"Child poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon and can be measured in many ways. It is imperative that governments make a commitment to child poverty reduction, recognizing and responding to child poverty is the first priority, alongside building expertise and improved approaches to child poverty measurement. Understanding child poverty to the fullest possible extent is vital. While an adult may fall into poverty temporarily, falling into poverty in childhood can last a lifetime – rarely does a child get a second chance at an education or a healthy start in life. As such, child poverty threatens not only the individual child, but is likely to be passed on to future generations, entrenching and even exacerbating inequality in society. UNICEF is working to more fully understand how and where children are experiencing poverty, to allow a more nuanced set of policy responses in national mechanisms such as poverty-reduction strategies" http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_childpoverty.html
I think If we all did just a little we would have so much more;) Together we can make a difference!
What a sad statistic on children in this country. One in five children will die before five, if this does not make you want to do more I am not sure that anything will. Thank you for sharing information about the camp, it is good that people are working to give these children a better future.
ReplyDeleteYes Taneisha I continue to say that I think If we all did just a little we would have so much more;) Together we can make a difference!
ReplyDelete