Sharing Web Resources

UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing livesaving assistance to the world’s most vulnerable children. Some times we have to look into the corridors of our own calamities and still face the reality of life. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work, and other efforts in support of the world's children, through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States.

We work with governments, civic leaders, celebrities, corporations, campus groups, churches, teachers and people just like you; anyone willing to help us advocate for the survival and well-being of every child.

References:

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (2009). The state of the world's children: Special edition (Research Report). Retrieved fromhttp://www.unicef.org/rightsite/sowc/pdfs/SOWC_Spec%20Ed_CRC_Main%20Report_EN_090409.pdf

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

I am still overwhelmed by the determination and the creativity of Mohammed Rezwan who is the social entrepreneur of the “boat school” which is the combinations of a school bus and a schoolhouse.  The issue was that in the height of monsoon season in northern Bangladesh, regular school building is closed due to floodwaters.  This encouraged me to do a little deeper research of Bangladesh.

The insight that I’ve gained about child poverty in Bangladesh is not just morbid but their strong willpower is relishing as well.  Despite continuous domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a developing country. Its per capita income in 2006 was $2,300 compared to the world average of $10,200(UNICEF,2009) . The economy of Bangladesh is still largely agro-based, with 22 per cent of the country's GDP and 48 per cent of employment linked to agriculture. While the service sector contributes 60 per cent of GDP, industry contributes less than 20 per cent.  Poverty levels fall as the educational attainment of parents rises: 53 per cent of households where the head has no education live below the upper poverty line, compared to only 19 per cent of those where the head has post-secondary education. Children from about 74 per cent of households where the heads have no education suffer from at least one deprivation; while the same is true for about 29 per cent of households where the heads have post-secondary education (UNICEF,2009).

"Protection of Children at Risk" is a Tk. 194 million (just under $3 million) project for children living and working on the street and children without parental care, which covers a small portion of such children. A large proportion of the three million child laborers in Bangladesh live and work on the streets.

Nationally, there are no published data on child poverty for Bangladesh. Data are, however, available on household level poverty. This assumes that if a household is poor, all members in that household are also poor. Data are generated using two methods: the Direct Calorie Intake (DCI) method, which measures only food intake, and the Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) method, which is based on the monetary value of basic consumption needs (UNICEF,2009). DCI and CBN methods of poverty measurement Two types of poverty measures commonly used in estimating poverty headcounts are: Direct Calorie Intake (DCI) method, and Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) method. The DCI method is used to estimate the incidence of poverty by using a threshold food calorie intake (UNICEF,2009). A person having a daily calorie intake of less than 2,122 kilocalories is considered "absolute poor" while one with an intake of less than 1,805 kilocalories is considered "hard-core poor" or "extreme poor" (UNICEF,2009). The CBN method stipulates a consumption bundle deemed to be adequate for basic consumption needs and then estimates its cost. The household expenditure on basic need items including food, clothing, housing, health care expenses, and education is considered, and an "upper poverty line" and a "lower poverty line" are estimated. People living below these lines are considered poor (UNICEF,2009). 

References:

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (2009). The state of the world's children: Special edition (Research Report). Retrieved fromhttp://www.unicef.org/rightsite/sowc/pdfs/SOWC_Spec%20Ed_CRC_Main%20Report_EN_090409.pdf

Sharing Web Resources

There is a reality of millions of children around the world who are born into slavery, working in mines, and no experience of attending school.  Since 1997 the Global Fund for Children has reached 9 million children worldwide and has transformed the lives of children on the edges of society, trafficked children, refugees, child laborers, and help them regain their rights and pursue their dreams.

GFC’s model can be summarized in three steps: Scout, Support, Strengthen:

SCOUT

Our program officers are regional experts who put their feet on the ground, seeking out organizations that serve the most marginalized children in the world. We look for true grassroots groups—local leadership, community and youth involvement, creativity, and sustainability. A tried-and-true method for assessing a grantee: walk through the neighborhood with the director and see how many people know him or her by name.

SUPPORT

Small amounts of money, when put in the hands of innovative leaders, go far in the developing world. We invest in undercapitalized organizations that provide critical services to vulnerable children. Our goal is to invest early, help our partners increase capacity, and leave them bigger and stronger than when we found them.  Because we strategically disburse small, flexible grants, we invest in the right place at the right time for greatest impact.

STRENGTHEN

We believe that money alone is not enough—for lasting change, you need strong leadership and healthy organizational development. We support our partners through management assistance, capacity building, networking opportunities, and additional strengthening services.

- See more at: http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/what-we-do/our-approach/#sthash.5cpuf1KP.dpuf

Two stories that caught my attention were:

“Coats for Children during a Winter of War”

As conflict in Ukraine continues, we are working hard to offer extra support to our Ukraine partners and are maintaining close contact with them.  Last spring, when the conflict reached the doorstep of our partner Association of Young Disabled People of the Eastern Donbass  in Luhansk, the organization helped 200 of its beneficiaries—primarily children and youth who have physical and mental disabilities—safely relocate to Kyiv: http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/coats-for-children-during-a-winter-of-war/#sthash.NHWJY6cJ.dpuf

“Bangladesh’s “Boat Schools” Tackle Education and Climate Change”

The issue  is , in the height of monsoon season in northern Bangladesh,  regular school building is closed due to floodwaters, but a different kind of classroom has been adapted. A school that floats. “A boat school is the combinations of a school bus and a schoolhouse,” says Mohammed Rezwan, executive director of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha and the social entrepreneur behind its mobile boat schools. Rezwan and his organization are featured in the new documentary “Easy Like Water” part of the Sundance Institute’s Stories of Change initiative.

As I look at international issues and their conflicts that they endure, when I weigh their issues against our issues, our circumstances seem to be tedious.  Most of us, in this country and outside of this country, all face similar issues as well, such as poverty, hunger, homelessness, child abuse etc.  The biggest fight we all endure is the fight of survival, to be able to habitat together with human betterment and deeds of kindness towards each other.

“Bangladesh’s “Boat Schools” Tackle Education and Climate Change”

Bangladesh is known as the land of six seasons which appears in our literature. Each season consists of two mounts and they are summer, rainy season, autumn, dry season, winter and spring. However, in reality the most of the six seasons are overlapped with each other. For example rainy season lasts for more than two months and with the exception of nearly three months winter, the summer lasts rest of the year.

Thus from meteorological view point Bangladesh climate is divided into the following seasons. Winter: December, January and February. Pre monsoon: March, April and May. Monsoon: June, July, August and September. Post Monsoon: October and November. In the north-eastern hemisphere of the globe where monsoon is predominant, land area is about 60% whereas in the rest of the world, this is about 20%.

The issue  is , in the height of monsoon season in northern Bangladesh,  regular school building is closed due to floodwaters, but a different kind of classroom has been adapted. A school that floats. “A boat school is the combinations of a school bus and a schoolhouse,” says Mohammed Rezwan, executive director of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha and the social entrepreneur behind its mobile boat schools. Rezwan and his organization are featured in the new documentary “Easy Like Water” part of the Sundance Institute’s Stories of Change initiative.

In 2003, The Global Fund for Children became the first institutional investor in Shidhulai’s single boat school. Today, the organizations boasts a fleet of more than 50 floating schools, libraries, health clinics, and training centers, serving nearly 100,000 people in flood-prone areas of Bangladesh. The rising sea levels, Rezwan recognizes that much of his country may one day disappear, but he remains hopeful. “Issues like this need local solutions by local people,” he says. “Shidhulai is proving that it is possible to deal with this climate change, to tackle pollution, and at the same time, to lift people out of poverty.”