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2003 CTAUN Conference Literacy Now: Building An Educated World Friday, January 31, 2003

Afternoon Panel — Child Friendly School Projects of UNICEF

Meg Gardinier, Director, Non-Governmental Organizations, US Fund for UNICEF — http://www.unicefusa.org Meg Gardinier Mrs. Gardinier pointed out that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) declares education to be one of those rights. Although 185 governments support this convention, education for all can only become a reality through a partnership of public and private initiatives. The report, "We the Children," came out of the special UN Session on Children in 2002, and although it showed progress among urban and elite groups, there are still 120 million children not in school, the majority of whom are girls. Children's participation in understanding the need for education and in taking action to enable other children to learn empowers children everywhere. Successful programs also require good relationships with parents and teachers. The problems of violence, discrimination, unemployment and lack of information on sex and drugs can only be solved if governments take action together with civil society. UNICEF/USA has undertaken several projects. In the state of Chiapas in Mexico, 91% of the indigenous population live below the poverty line and have an illiteracy rate four times higher than the rest of the country. Schools have been set up incorporating important principles, such as a friendly environment supportive to girls, respect for mother tongues, and empowerment for teachers with work plans for improvement. In Afghanistan the need was to set up schools, especially for girls, to vaccinate children, provide tents, supplies and training in the use of materials. The work needs to continue, and requires help from all sources.

Women's Voices for Literacy

Nancy Eynon Lark, Director, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation — http://www.aauw.org Nancy Eynon Lark Ms. Lark described how the American Association of University Women is providing funds for fellowships for teachers and community action projects on issues of womenıs education. As a result of the conference on women in Beijing, AAUW undertook research on keeping Chinese girls in school. In 2002 there was an International Symposium on womenıs education and change, and an examination of literacy strategies that are working. The community and family need to be involved to ensure that literacy is appropriate to the local culture. Literacy and economic development are linked. There is a multiplying effect of educating women and utilizing their wisdom in decision making. AAUW has projects answering women's hunger for knowledge and empowering them to act.

Books to Dreams

Miriam Epstein, Director, Books to Dreams — bookstodreams@yahoo.com Miriam Epstein Mrs. Epstein stressed the importance of reading for children, not only to develop their literacy skills but also for their imagination, memory and self-confidence. Many children do not have access to good books, or the opportunity to own a book of their own. "Books to Dreams" has been able to give nearly 150,000 books to children in need, providing nearly 500 literacy programs in homeless shelters where all children have their own book to read. Now, hundreds of generous people, businesses, legislators, publishers, schools, houses of worship and organizations contribute books, along with hours and funding and the work continues. Monica Mills, a student who had started reading as a result of this program, is now on the honor team in her school, studying to be a civil engineer. She felt she was an example of the effects of solving problems locally by people developing programs like "Books to Dreams."

Global Peace Schools Programme

Michelle Morris, NGO Civil Society and Youth Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict — http://www.un.org/children/conflict Jerry Piasecki and Michelle Morris Ms. Morris representing the office of Under-Secretary-General Olara Otunnu, spoke of the dire needs of the more than 20 million children displaced over time by wars and conflicts. One million are orphans, six million are injured or disabled and ten million suffer psychological trauma. 300,000 children serve as soldiers every day, and 8,000 are the first killed by landmines as they are smaller than adults and closer to the ground. Her advocacy office has programs to raise awareness of the problem and to educate people on the need for action. Jerry Piasecki, author, Global Peace Schools books, has written books to educate, motivate and activate people in this area. His books illustrate the agony of children and families caught in combat, and how their reality can change in a flash. These books are examples of how literacy lessons can successfully double as advocacy tools, inspiring young people to improve conditions in their own community and abroad. The first in this series is Marie In the Shadow of the Lion and was published by the UN in 2001 and the second book will be out soon. Teachers should be on the lookout for details as to how schools can be designated as "peace schools" and students as "peace ambassadors."

Student Presenters and Teachers

Marcia McBroom Small, teacher, Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School, New York, NY — http://www.mancomp.org Nurtai Hassan and Marcia McBroom This unique high school is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for older students 17 to 21 with adult responsibilities. Mrs. Small's program gets students to write their stories and their feelings, their history. She reported getting so much love and enrichment from her work and applies the concept within her family. Even her son at the age of 5 could write down memories of what had been learned since he was 4, "writing a resume" of skills learned during that year as a way of building self-esteem. Through their writing, each student can reach out to others as well. Booklets produced in her program were part of the Literacy Information Fair display and were handed out to Conference participants who completed and turned in their evaluation forms. Four students from the school spoke: Nurtai Hassan was a member of the Uyghur minority in western China near Tibet, one of 56 ethnic groups in China. He came to the US in 2001. His story described the segregation of the ethnic groups from Chinese students within schools in China, and the hardship of the physical work required of students from the ethnic groups at school. In one anecdote, he spoke of his English teacher who taught up to Chapter 15 in the English book and then left, to be replaced by a new English teacher who started all over to get only as far as Chapter 15 before leaving. When a new English teacher came, she swore to teach English beyond Chapter 15 but never made it. Nurtai wants to major in economics in college and return to his area of China and become a teacher. Dikra Algutani is part of a Muslim Yemeni family numbering 20 members who came to the US in 1999. She wants to be a lawyer and is currently studying at La Guardia College. She spoke of the difficulties of studying 13 subjects in her old school in Yemen, where no two subjects could be failed. She spoke of a 31% gender gap in education in Yemen with many women students dropping out of high school. Sarita and Anupam Udyavar were a brother and sister team of presenters from Bombay in India. They came to the US in April 2002. They spoke of four imperatives in India: food, clothing, shelter and education. They emphasized that the first priority for women is education, and that the literacy of young women is paramount. If a man is taught literacy, he may learn to read; if a woman becomes literate, her whole family will benefit.

Literacy in Africa: Tremendous Challenges, Tremendous Opportunities, and Implications for Us All

Margaret Nkrumah, Principal, SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College, Tema, Ghana — http://www.louest.com/g-ic.htm Margaret Nkrumah Mrs. Nkrumah spoke movingly about the need to recognize Africans' thirst for education, and the buoyancy of its people which gives hope for unleashing the human resources of the continent. Though literacy is the basis of education, the process of achieving that literacy is far more complicated in developing countries than in schools in developed ones. Poverty is the greatest obstacle, caused by the original exploitation of colonialism, unfair trade practices leading to crushing debt, and corruption. There are not enough schools or teachers, and even though 80% of school age children enter first grade in Ghana, the drop out rate increases exponentially so that only 20% of the original number enter high school. Most of those leaving school early are girls, and as a result, 70% of women in sub-Sahara Africa are illiterate. The armed conflicts bedeviling parts of Africa make schooling impossible in those areas. These factors reinforce the problem of the unemployment of Africans, and their hopelessness at their unemployability. And yet given the opportunity, Africans can succeed as well as other students. SOS Kinderdorf International (SOS Children's Villages) <http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org> with grants from governments and other sources, has pioneered good education, creating schools all over the world for abandoned and disadvantaged children in crisis. First comes the physical needs of building schools, providing desks, chairs, clothing, transportation, books, and not forgetting sanitary basics like VOTs ventilated outdoor toilets. Then comes the nature of the education, which must be culturally relevant to the area served by the schools. The schools established by SOS Children's Villages pioneered a holistic approach to poverty, recognizing that literacy is more than reading and writing. Young people need training for jobs and the possibility of using their skills and knowledge in the service of their societies. The SOS Hermann Gmeiner International School (SOS HGIC) in Tema, Ghana, prepares students for higher education and many go on to attend the best universities around the world. Universities in the USA and Canada provide generous scholarships, supplemented by grants from SOS and SOS Children's Villages. These graduates prove that there are no heights African children cannot reach, given the opportunities. The high school curriculum offered by the Hermann Gmeiner schools in Africa is also important in educating young people to the highest level of literacy and to a sense of social responsibility. The International Baccalaureate Organization contributes academic courses leading to university entrance, as well as activities dedicated to community service. The education is both international and appropriate for the African context, especially by enabling an increasing number of girls to participate in the learning of all subjects, including math and the sciences. The right of education for all is unfortunately honored more in the breach than its observance. However, many people have been helping to educate young people in Africa and throughout developing countries to improve their lives and their communities.

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