Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

This week in preparation for the blog assignment I tried to communicate with my international contacts yet again but have not yet heard a response. Therefore, I reviewed Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” and also found a very interesting podcast from the United Nation’s Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) entitled “Beyond School Books” from UNICEF’s Changing the World for Girls Initiative.

          First, the “Global Children’s Initiative” lists three areas of focus in achieving its goal. These three areas comprise of spreading awareness and discourse surrounding the topic of early childhood development and health. Second, the initiative states its desire to expand global understanding about how healthy development happens, ways in which it can be “derailed” and how to get children who have been neglected back on track. Finally, the third criterion they concentrate on is to reach out to low and middle income countries alike and to get a multitude of voices from different perspectives involved in the global movement in support of children. I appreciate that the organization is trying to get a wide range of view-points involved to ensure that all children across the globe are considered and their needs voiced.

The podcast explains the situation in Afghanistan and the need for change. She explained that the first thing they are trying to create is safe friendly classrooms with teacher training. Dr. Sakena Yacoobi explains that they need the teachers to have a strong bond and relationship with the students, parents and the community. The AIL (Afghan Institute of Learning) is the first organization who has allowed the education of Afghan women. Since this movement the organization has reached over 300,000 students, has trained 20,000 teachers and the health outreach portion of the organization has touched over 2 million people from Afghanistan. Dr. Yacoobi explained that Afghanistan has a very strong culture based on tradition. She explained how it was imperative to work with the community and not threaten the tradition but show them the advantage of education. During the Taliban the community members showed their support and protected the organization. Eighty schools even ran underground with the help and support from the community members. She explained how it never would have been possible if the community members didn’t feel the link to the organization the way that they did. She explained that they felt very much a part of the movement. She explained that there are still many barriers that affect the education of women in Afghanistan however, they are trying to show people that they are not a threat to the culture and beliefs of Afghanistan. She explained that they do not use teachings, texts of beliefs from other countries or cultures but are trying to use their own traditions and culture to justify the education of women and girls. Her last message and wish voiced in the podcast was to dispel the stereotypes and misunderstanding that surround the Afghanistan people. She states: “Please let the people of the world know that the people of Afghanistan are not fighters and killers, they are loving people, they are peace lovers and they want to bring peace to Afghanistan…” It saddened me to think about children in the world and know that in many countries girls are devalued, cast aside and treated with inequality. With that said it was nice to hear Dr. Yacoobi’s hopefulness for the females and people of her country that a change was possible and was gradually occurring. 

References

Harvard University. Center on the Developing Child. Global children’s initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/

UNGEI and Beyond School Books (producer). (2014, March 8). Changing the world for girls. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.ungei.org/news/247_5665.html

"Education is the key to improving women's lives. Educating a girl, transforms her life and the life of her family, changing a community and through that you change a nation for the better. Health education is what creates sustainable improvement in the health of communities."
- Dr. Sakena Yacoobi

"When you work at the grass roots level, working with all kinds of people- that power of people will never be matched by anything else."
- Dr. Sakena Yacoobi