Youth For A Change

New Year, New Hopes (Poem)

2006-08-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

When the time comes around, we celebrate it all, Whether the sun shines, or when the snow falls.

The hopes rise up for the New year, Of peace, prosperity, and no reasons to fear. We all wish for the good, and never for worse, And we hope for happiness, and love, of course.

But remembering we are one could be harder to think, Since our differences separate us, and make the unity sink.
However, in reality, we need one another, Our lives are so short, and there are reasons to bother.

So, let’s make new arrangements along with New Year, Let’s put our hands in the air together and cheer! It’s time we leave our differences in the past, So we all can enjoy our lives to the best!

-Tetyana S. Klymko (~Shabanu)

End of year Celebrations around the world

2006-08-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

The end of every year is a time of celebration all around the world: religious or international celebrations take place in a festive atmosphere, as we welcome the New Year. Other celebrations take place at the end of the year in many religions: Article2 wishes to recognise these different cultures that celebrate the same thing in very different ways.

Christmas, a time of glee and merriment, a time for gathering

“It’s about love, health, wealth, Jesus, religion and friendship” says Doc from Serbia and Montenegro. Even though Christmas is today an immensely popular holiday, it is first and foremost a religious celebration of the birth of Christ. Christians from all over the world gather to celebrate the coming of the Messiah. Lucy emphasizes the importance of singing carols in Romania: “Singing Christmas carols is a very important part of the Romanian Christmas festivities. The tradition in Romania is for children to travel from house to house singing carols and reciting poetry and legends throughout the Christmas season”. In Ukraine, carolling is also very popular, according to Shabanu, who lives in the United States but celebrates Christmas with her family from Ukraine. “Many children and teens go carolling from house to house, and they get money for it. However, with family, we just carol together after we finish eating our dinner”.
Christmas time is a season for traditional meals. “Three days before Christmas, one may detect a heavy aroma of freshly baked walnut and raisin cakes”, explains Lucy. Cakes, dried fruit, turkey and potatoes can usually be found in traditional Christmas meals. Camille from France speaks about what the French like to cook for Christmas: “Around Christmas time, you can usually find in supermarkets huge displays of typical French food like snails, sea food and foie gras which are common in French Christmas meals. In my family, we like to cook truffle omelettes, shrimps with spices, stuffed turkey, sweet potatoes and gingerbread cookies”.
Christmas is also a celebration for children: the myth of Santa Clause that delivers toys to children all around the world, riding a sleigh tugged by reindeers and climbing down each home’s chimney fascinates every child. “Christmas carols are sung and Santa Clause is expected to leave presents under the tree; families with small children are likely to receive a visit from Santa Clause in person. Christmas Day is celebrated among friends and family. Remind your children to clean their boots or shoes and leave them out so Santa Clause can fill them with small presents”, says Lucy.
But what would Christmas be like if it were celebrated without the surrounding and gathering of friends and family in an atmosphere of merriment and joy? Lucy says that a tree and good food is not enough to have a merry Christmas: “Invite family and friends to come back to your home after the special Christmas mass and tell stories about Jesus' birth in front of the Christmas tree. Sing, laugh and tell stories together with all your dear ones.” Indeed, Christmas is a time for communities to come together explains Doc: “We usually pay fifteen minute visits around the neighbourhood and almost everyone goes to church for midnight worship”.

Rosh Hashanah in a nutshell

The festival of Rosh Hashanah – the name means "Head of the Year" – is observed for two days beginning on Tishrei 1, the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind's role in the world.
The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram's horn, which represents the trumpet blast of a people's coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance; for Rosh Hashanah is also the anniversary of man's first sin and his repentance, and serves as the first of the "Ten Days of Repentance" which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Another significance of the shofar is to recall the Binding of Isaac which also occurred on Rosh Hashanah, in which a ram took Isaac's place as an offering to God; we evoke Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son and plead that the merit of his deed should stand by us as we pray for a year of life, health and prosperity. Altogether, the shofar is sounded 100 times in the course of the Rosh Hashanah service. Additional Rosh Hashanah observances include: Eating a piece of apple dipped in honey to symbolize our desire for a sweet year, and other special foods symbolic of the new year's blessings; blessing one another with the words “Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim” ("May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."); Tashlich, a special prayer said near a body of water (an ocean, river, pond, etc.) in evocation of the verse, "And You shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea".

Diwali and other Hindi Celebrations

The ancient story of how Diwali evolved into such a widely celebrated festival is different in various regions and states of India. In the north, Diwali is the day when King Rama's coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after his epic war with Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. By order of the royal families of Ayodhya and Mithila, the cities and far-flung boundaries of these kingdoms were lit up with rows of lamps, glittering on dark nights to welcome home the divine king Rama and his queen Sita after 14 years of exile, ending with an across-the-seas war in which the whole of the kingdom of Lanka was destroyed. Ashok Murthy, from Bangalore India, explains and describes how this festival is celebrated today in India: “Diwali is the biggest celebrated Hindu festival. Each sect in Hinduism celebrates it differently. For us south Indian Brahmins, it consists of three days. During these three days, the entire family gets together and we sit down around the idol of Lord Rama and worship him, we offer flowers, light incense sticks and chant mantras praising Lord Rama. This procedure is called a Puja. The children usually are busy bursting crackers during these three days. During the second day we offer our Puja to goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth for prosperity and end of poverty in the world. There is the usual exchange of gifts, buying of new clothes and sharing of sweets. Bursting crackers is an integral part of this festival and the tradition is over 2000 years old. Other than Diwali some of the other big festivals are Ganesh Chaturthi, Upakarma (where the men change their sacred thread), Sankranthi (the New Year according to us), etc. But Diwali is the biggest festival for us.”

The Chinese New Year: a worldwide known festival

The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old - in fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognised as the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days. Preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year (similar to a Western Christmas), when people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck, and doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of paint, usually red. The doors and windows are then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them. The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event, as anticipation creeps in. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters, for all things good, raw fish salad to bring good luck and prosperity, Fai-hai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water signifying a long-lost good wish for a family. It's usual to wear something red as this colour is meant to ward off evil spirits - but black and white are out, as these are associated with mourning. After dinner, the family sit up for the night playing cards, board games or watching TV programmes dedicated to the occasion. At midnight, the sky is lit up by fireworks. The end of the New Year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, which is a celebration with singing, dancing and lantern shows.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the twelve years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart”. These animals are the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the boar.
Muslim Celebrations

The Islamic calendar began in the year CE 622, marking the Prophet Muhammad’s emigration from Makkah to Madinah. This event is known as the Hijra, and dates in the Muslim calendar are marked by the Latin notation “AH,” for anno hegirae (the year of emigration). The calendar has twelve lunar months, which means that each month is equal to the number of days it takes the moon to orbit the earth. Because a lunar month varies in length from 29 to 30 days, the Muslim year is about eleven days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian year, which is based on a solar calendar. Because the Islamic year is shorter, however, seasons will begin and end at different times from year to year, and Muslim holidays occur in different seasons over the years.

One year after the tsunami: what has the world been doing?

2006-08-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Nearly one year after the deadly tsunami which hit South East Asia in December 2004, Article2 observes the relief that has been put into effect over the year of 2005 and the changes and progresses made in the countries which were hit. India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives, Somalia, Malaysia and Myanmar have received intense support from all over the world, which has enabled them today to rebuild and find independence again. As they are far from their original status before the tsunami, they have nonetheless put together immense efforts to achieve a peaceful and efficient reconstruction.
India
In the tsunami-affected regions of South India, close to 11,000 people are confirmed dead. India's government quickly responded to the disaster, providing emergency shelter and relief provisions for affected communities. Through the Rajeev Gandhi Rehabilitation Plan, the government provided 39,171 temporary shelters, which housed some 400,000 people. In addition, the government called for the construction of 151,000 permanent houses. Unfortunately, it now appears that the displaced population will have to stay in temporary shelters longer than originally envisioned, a situation which has heightened the concerns about their living conditions. People live in shelters of very different quality. Some live in decent and well-maintained facilities, in communities where awareness on hygiene and sanitation is relatively high. Others require joint efforts to raise both facilities and awareness to higher levels.
UNICEF plan for recovery:HEALTH: In Tamil Nadu, UNICEF planned to promote maternal and child health and nutrition and strengthen primary and secondary health systems by providing equipment to the Nagapattinam Hospital, 14 Primary Health Centers, and 46 other health centers.WATER AND SANITATION: Improve conditions in temporary shelter by constructing latrines and rainwater harvesting systems and implementing the School, Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) program in all elementary schools.EDUCATION: Providing a “Quality Package Education” (QPE) for children in at least 53 schools. The QPE provides a secure and stimulating environment for schoolchildren and promotes child-friendly initiatives in four key areas: the learning process, teachers training, school and classroom environment and community participationCHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Record any incidences of violence, abuse or exploitation and support the Government of India to strengthen systems and services for the prevention of trafficking and training of volunteers on interventions aimed at preventing abuse and exploitation of children in temporary settlements.
Celebrities involved: SOS Children’s Villages and Princess Salimah Aga Khan helped families from the affected areas by providing them with start-up help, emergency shelter as well as social and financial assistance to reconstruct their homes and buy fishing equipment and boats. Princess Salimah Aga Khan is a fully dedicated and committed advocate of the organization’s worldwide humanitarian work for orphaned, abandoned and destitute children.
Organizations at work: The European Commission: €10 million has funded the reconstruction of small boats, provision of fishing gear, safe water, tools and construction of material for shelter support in fishing
Remarkable initiatives: The Chinmaya Mission, Nagapattinam, has started "Chinmaya Jothi", a three-month free computer training course for the students of the tsunami-affected areas. The students were given training to learn the basics in computer operating for about two-and-a-half hours every day. SIFY Ltd established Internet centers at the tsunami-affected areas of Cuddalore, Kanyakumari, who offered free Internet access facilities to the public, NGOs, officials and anyone who wished to use the Internet to communicate with their loved ones.

Indonesia
Following the tsunami, Indonesia's toll was raised to more than 94,000 and the internally displaced population (IDP) number was about 500,000. Current trends suggest that it will be an additional 12 to 18 months before every IDP in Aceh will have adequate transitional shelter, an unacceptable situation that needs to be urgently addressed. Although tents remain a last resort, there has been a request to replace existing tents with new ones for the upcoming monsoon season, which typically begins in October and lasts for three months.
UNICEF plan for recovery:HEALTH: Support disease control and prevention, immunization, maternal and child health, nutrition, and early childhood centers in the tsunami-affected areas of Aceh and North Sumatra.WATER AND SANITATION: Improve access to safe water and sanitation for at least 80 percent of the population in selected districts of Aceh and North Sumatra, and undertake hygiene promotion among communitiesEDUCATION: Construct 300 permanent schools in Aceh and Nias, and rehabilitate 200 more.CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Support awareness-raising activities on abuse, exploitation and trafficking at the community level through a youth empowerment and communication campaign as well as the implementation of community-based reporting and referral mechanisms for child victims of abuse, exploitation and trafficking.
Celebrities involved: Lhok Seudu is a small fishing and farming community located along Aceh’s western coast. CHF International’s activities in this region, funded by a generous contribution from Alanis Morissette, were aimed at restoring the community members’ primary sources of income: fishing, farming and small-scale trade. Alanis Morissette expressed her gratitude that the donation is helping the economic revitalization of Lhok Seudu markets and that community life destroyed by the tsunami is gradually returning to normal. In addition to the reviving the water melon market, the donation is also supporting Lhok Seudu fishers by providing the tools for building boats in an industry that was destroyed nine months ago.
Remarkable initiatives: A Red Cross Red Crescent radio program was created to help the people of Banda Aceh come to terms with the trauma of the tsunami. People can talk freely about their horrifying tsunami experience, and often feel relieved when they have done so. Counseling and stress debriefing were also conducted at 24 camps, 17 schools, and nine barracks in eight villages in Lhokgna region, the various activities including games, reading and writing, puzzle solving, drawing and colouring for children, cooking and handicrafts for women and sports tournaments for men.
Organizations at work: In the Aceh province of Indonesia, CAFOD partners have already rebuilt 200 permanent homes in the Meulaboh area and CRS has been providing emergency supplies to families affected by the tsunami, distributing food to 60,000 people and household supplies to 20,000 people.
Malaysia
Compared to other countries affected by the tsunami, Malaysia sustained relatively modest physical damage. Malaysia escaped the huge tsunami death tolls suffered by other Indian Ocean countries as only nearly 70 people were killed in the country. Those who were displaced – approximately 8,000 people, mainly from coastal fishing areas – have been provided temporary housing by the Government of Malaysia. However, the psychological effects of the disaster have been profound.
UNICEF plan for recovery:CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Build local mental health support networks where teams are equipped to identify children and adults who are experiencing psychological problems or mental disorders related to the tsunami; conduct initial assessment interviews to identify the severity and nature of the mental problem and provide counseling sessions.
Thailand
The tidal waves struck Thailand's six Andaman coastal provinces on 26 December last year, leaving 5,395 people dead and 2,932 are still missing. Many of the victims were foreign holidaymakers staying at the beach resorts in Phang Nga's Khao Lak district. Whole villages were wiped out. Roads were completely destroyed and the whole fishing industry was seriously affected.
UNICEF plan for recovery:HEALTH: Preventive services such as immunization, vitamin supplementation, and de-worming; treatment for common life-threatening illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia; growth monitoring; and distribution of general health and nutritional information.WATER AND SANITATION: Ensure adequate supplies of safe water and sanitation for around 6,000 people, including 1,500 children living in 20 temporary camps and shelters.EDUCATION: Support early childhood development by providing educational materials to families, equipping preschools and child care centers as well as the costs of additional temporary teachers and school buildings as required. CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Support prevention services for young people in temporary camps and communities through its NGO partners, including information on HIV/AIDS, life-skills, counseling for young people, and the establishment of a network of youth volunteers in affected communities.
Celebrities involved: Visiting Thailand shortly after the 26th December tsunami ravaged the Indian Ocean basin, international superstar Ricky Martin has agreed to aid children around the world affected by the tragedy by partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build and restore an initial 224 houses as part of a more extensive project in Phang Nga province, Thailand. The Ricky Martin Foundation donation will help more than 1,000 people move out of temporary shelters. These initial 224 families will move into simple, safe accommodation where they can piece their lives back together. “After looking at those images on television, it was impossible for me to stay at home with my arms crossed. I realized that I had to do everything possible in order to avoid that, those children, who had lost everything because of the tragedy, live on the streets” he told the reporters ( www.rickymartinfoundation.org ).Organizations at work: Tearfund is working with its partner World Concern Asia on a two-and-a-half year project restoring communities in Pha Nga, Trang, Phuket and Satun Provinces, providing housing for up to 500 families and helping people start fishing again by providing and repairing boats.

Sri Lanka
The tsunami hit the coast of Sri Lanka on 26 December 2004, killing over 30,000 people and displacing nearly 800,000.The disaster left 932 children orphaned and another 3,477 without one of their parents – a situation which created a huge challenge for the government and aid agencies in Sri Lanka. In addition, the tsunami affected 554 children who had lost both their parents previously, and another 1,920 who were in one parent families.
UNICEF plan for recovery:HEALTH: Providing essential drugs and supplies; conducting education and awareness-raising, activities about communicable diseases; providing equipment to strengthen cold chains, the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 16 health canters, 9 hospitals and 9 regional medical stores.WATER AND SANITATION: Provision of essential water and sanitation services to displaced populations in 124 camps, provision of basic water and sanitation services for 50,000 families returning to their home areas, rehabilitation of damaged water systems and sanitation facilities to serve 200,000 people, improvement of water supply and sanitation facilities in 1,200 schools and 300 health centers.EDUCATION: Providing essential school supplies, textbooks, and teacher guides to all tsunami-affected schools, assisting Government efforts to rebuild 25 schools according to “child-friendly” principles, construct 114 semi-permanent learning shelters, psychosocial recovery through schools.CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Providing support to separated and unaccompanied children and to single headed households; addressing the psychological impact of the tsunami for children, women and men; preventing abuse, exploitation and neglect, focusing particularly on displacement sites in the emergency phase; repair and construction of 77 social-care centers for children.
Organizations at work: World Vision Canada has also put together a Rural Integrated water, sanitation and hygiene project to improve health and sanitation conditions in affected areas. Despite the crucial material needs the affected countries are facing; they also look for psychological support. The NGO, Development Gateway defined a list of useful assistance to help the victims who suffer of trauma overcome their psychological wounds: encourage role taking and task achievement, seek to find family connections for orphaned children, encourage socializing and sharing.
Remarkable initiatives: One example of this is the camp at Habaraduwa Junction in Galle, Sri Lanka, where children ages 6 to 12 years look forward each week to the visits of UNICEF-trained community support workers. These workers supervise play activities, sports and games, and keep a special eye out for the children who may not be coping or recovering as quickly as the others, working closely with the local health authorities.
Celebrities involved: While praying for the victims and their families, the late Pope John Paul II followed news of the disaster and maintained contact with his nuncios in the affected areas. The day of the catastrophe, the Holy Father requested that "the international community make every relief effort possible to these regions." The Pope prepared to send an urgent initial aid package through the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum."
Myanmar
Ninety people have been killed in Myanmar from tidal waves and 17 villages were destroyed, therefore the destruction being less significant in comparison to the other countries hit by the tsunami. Fishermen and their families were particularly hard hit by the tsunami in Myanmar; many lost their boats and their livelihoods.
UNICEF plan for recovery:HEALTH: Provided one-year stocks of essential drugs, basic health equipment and immunization supplies to 53 coastal townships; prevent the spread of malaria by providing 55,000 families with treated mosquito nets, and by providing communities with anti-malaria drugs.WATER AND SANITATION: 9,000 people with safe drinking water supplies, including hand pumps and purification materials, over 2,000 families were given materials for sanitary latrines, and affected communities were provided with water tanks and other materials for safe water systems, 100 communities are benefiting from new water supply systems in schools and health centers, and in the future, the rehabilitation of pump systems throughout affected areas, including 189 in Ayeyarwaddy, 229 in Rakhine, and 35 in Taninthiryi.EDUCATION: The rehabilitation of 215 schools and textbooks, exercise books, school bags and pencils provided for 73,240 students, another 1,200 schools received supplies, including 550 schools that received tables and chairs; supporting the repair and refurbishment of 400 damaged or dilapidated schools in coastal areas.CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Provided 272 primary schools in the most affected areas with recreation kits, supported the development of information and educational materials in local languages to help raise awareness among populations about trafficking, train social workers and other care providers about how to protect children from trafficking and exploitation, and how to care for child victims of trafficking and exploitation, establish community-level child protection mechanisms, improving protection and care services for orphans and vulnerable children.
Organizations at work: the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement focused on the promotion of health and hygiene education and water and sanitation projects such as the provision of safe drinking water and adequate numbers of latrines and sanitation equipment. Other programs included psycho-social support, house and livelihood reconstruction and disaster management programs.
Remarkable initiatives: Myanmar prime minister said his country can cope with tsunami. Speaking at an international donor's conference in Jakarta, Soe Win said that his government's quick action meant the country was "able to mitigate the effects of the disaster."” Helicopters carrying food, clothes and medical experts were rushed to the affected areas”, he said. Soe Win said Myanmar was grateful for aid it had received from outside countries, including China and Japan, but added he believed other nations were in greater need of outside help. "All available funds should be channeled to them as a priority," he said. "The situation in our country is manageable and we are doing our best to alleviate the plight of our people."

Maldives

Maldives experienced a disaster of national proportion. More than 1,300 people suffered injuries; 83 people were confirmed dead and another 25 are still missing and feared dead. Thirty nine islands were significantly damaged and nearly a third of the Maldives’ 300,000 people were severely affected. Fourteen islands were completely destroyed and had to be evacuated. Nearly 12,000 people have been displaced from their islands and another 8,500 people have been temporarily relocated to other places on their own island.

UNICEF plan for recovery:
HEALTH: Support to essential health, nutrition, water and sanitation interventions, including support in emergency situations, support critical interventions for reducing child deaths and promoting child growth and development, reduce maternal mortality, help education officials introduce school health programs that incorporate nutrition, hygiene awareness, and safe and healthy living practices.
WATER AND SANITATION: Provide 2,604 water storage tanks of 1,000 to 5,000 litres capacity each, train communities, health workers, teachers, and parents in hygiene awareness and education.
EDUCATION: Rehabilitate 50 community-owned preschools and transform them into integrated early childhood development centres, rehabilitate 35 damaged schools and 21 preschools, rehabilitate 90-100 schools based on the “child-friendly” model, build new schools on at least three of the worst affected islands, and upgrade “disadvantaged” schools.
CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Support long term psychosocial response by training counsellors, establishing a 24-hour telephone helpline, training teachers on basic counselling skills, establishing peer support programs for students, improve the current child protection system in order to promote the safety and protection of children in post-tsunami Maldives, particularly in IDP communities .

Organizations at work: Potential disease threats in the Maldives were not as strong as in the other countries, however malaria, cholera and typhoid (diseases to which the Maldives are not particularly endemic) have not been discounted and surveillance has been further sensitized. In all the affected countries, the risk of water-borne diseases (through contaminated drinking water or lack of sanitation and hygiene infrastructure) and respiratory diseases (due to overcrowded living conditions in displacement camps) are strong, according to the World Health Organization, which continues to address hygiene promotion with volunteers being trained. Contributions of $1.4 million had also been committed by Bhutan, China, Greece, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the USA.

Remarkable initiatives: The Maldivian tourist industry hopes to see a complete rebound by 2006. Several sources have chimed in to help the Maldives rebuild and renovate damaged areas of the country. The nation's famous coral reefs suffered little damage from the tsunami, and that bodes well for resorts and the diving industry. The Maldives has some of the world most fabulous undersea life and scuba fanatics come from around the world to sample it. Today over 70 of the tourist resorts are open again, and most of the ones still closed are slated to reopen within a few months.

Somalia

Nearly 300 people on the coastline of north-eastern Somalia were killed by the tsunami and 44,000 people were affected. Hafun, a fishing village on the easternmost tip of the coastline, was the worst-affected location, with over 5,000 people displaced. Most homes were destroyed, water and sanitation facilities were damaged and food shortages ensued.

UNICEF plan for recovery:
HEALTH: Develop 25 new health facilities in the affected communities.
WATER AND SANITATION: The installation of three water bladders (each of 15,000 liters capacity), the development of a sanitary landfill site, the initiation of a waste disposal system, the implementation of a community hygiene awareness program, creating a new water source for Hafun, the worst affected area.
EDUCATION: Constructing six schools in the affected communities, train 300 primary school teachers and 240 Community Education Committee members in the affected areas, distribution of teaching and learning materials.
CHILD PROTECTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT: Providing information, education and communication materials for children and youths affected by the tsunami to increase coping mechanisms and provide psychosocial support, working with communities on improving awareness about child rights and mobilizing communities around child protection issues.

Organizations at work: The NCA (Norwegian Church Aid), together with partners from the global network of churches, has distributed emergency aid items such as blankets, soap and cooking pots and setting up water tanks in many places. These water tanks alone helped 30,000 people.
Remarkable initiatives: Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries, which suffered catastrophic floods four years ago, has also donated $100,000 to the aid appeal.

A STEP TOWARD A UNITED HUMAN RACE(PART I)

2005-10-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

We live in a world that is divided along many fundamental lines. We live in a world in which people of different ethnicities, sexes, religions, beliefs, classes, and a variety of other factors, are alienated from one another. We are led to believe that both subtle and profound differences amongst humanity are often reasons to grown detached from those around us. As a result, we become fearful towards that which is separate from us- afraid of what we do not know and do not attempt to understand. For many of us this is what we have become accustomed to. We feel comfortable within the confinements of our own basic similarities. We develop a sense of security associating with those who are the same as us. To understand someone who is seemingly so different than ourselves often appears to be an insurmountable feat. Such a decision would require a conscious effort to remove oneself from that which he/she has been cultured to understand and accept. This would in essence require a person to step outside his or her own fabricated comfort zone. Although change is realistically a gradual occurrence, it should be applauded and adamantly supported-not feared and rejected. The change that must occur within communities across the world is the abolishment of discrimination and prejudicial views based on that which makes the human race a beautiful creation-our differences. We live in a world in which our differences are often perceived as a volatile and threatening presence. Consequently, there are frequent displays of violence and murder throughout the world in unsuccessful attempts to eliminate any reminder of such distinctions amongst humanity. Time and time again the root cause of such violence is simply retaliation towards that which we do not understand. People resort to their acclimatized mentality: fear the unknown; the unknown can hurt you; rid yourself of anything that can potentially harm you now or in the future; use whatever means necessary to protect yourself. Unfortunately, it many areas of the world people have to rely on their own means for survival. They do not have the luxury of a government that is present to serve and protect the people. They do not live a life of peace and security that has been created for them by previous generations. Thus, at a very young age children are taught that their future is dependent upon their own abilities to protect themselves from external harm. In many communities throughout the world the brainwashing and deception of innocent, impressionable children begins as soon as they are capable of mental comprehension. They are taught to profess belief in, without dissonance, the teachings of whatever authority faction is present. Children can not, nor should not, be expected to recognize the fundamental flaws and overwhelming corruption of a large portion of the authority they are led to revere. Children are more often than not incapable of resisting such blatant psychological manipulation by those they are taught to respect, admire, and follow. Any presence of objection or perceived dissidence is immediately stifled. Therefore, it is often instinctual for people to perceive that which is different from them as both intimidating and threatening. They in turn shelter themselves from a world that appears foreign and inhabitable to them. They surround themselves with similar entities. They shun outside factions. They become familiarized to one type of existence only: that which they have been cultured to understand and accept. They grow to hate people based on differences because differences can pose a threat to the future of their very existence. They rebel. They murder- all in an attempt to remain safe; all in an attempt to keep on living; all in an attempt to uphold that which they have been taught to believe.

Katrina Fenton, 19, Canada

Youth Participation In Mass Media PART- III

2005-10-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

How can this be achieved?
The first step would be to assure our newsletter reach as many people as possible, so that we could raise attention upon our group “Article 2” and our mission. This newsletter should be read by young people as well as adults working in key-fields like education ,mass-media ,advocacy, NGO`s and big organizations like UN and UNICEF .We need to contact important people and ask artistic/literary personalities for their help. We can also send our newsletter to big firms as we might need their support, too. Our newsletter needs to be different from other youth publications; we need to focus on the “take action” aspect so that people could see that we intent and we know how to make a difference.
The second step would be to contact other youth groups and organizations and work together for achieving our goal of “youth participation in mass-media”. We shall collaborate and coordinate our actions as for major changes are always needed many people. So we shall contact other youth groups, explain them our idea and start militating together for youth’s right to express themselves in the media.
The third step and the most important is to launch simultaneously our campaign in all the countries, so that we could start a global movement for “youth participation”. In order to achieve this we shall write a press release and send it to all the media (TV, newspapers, radio, etc) .Luckily, nowadays there are a lot of services for sending official statements to the press through internet or fax, which distribute press releases to thousands of subscribed Medias. In this press-release we shall introduce ourselves as a group of young activists and express our desire to let young people participate in the media in order to contribute for making this world a better place.
The last step is to raise the authorities’ interest and determine that they pass a “youth-participation” law or give any other legal frame to our initiative. This can be achieved if we write letters to them and if we organize spectacles, meetings, or other events that could determine the public and the governors recognize the importance of youth-participation in mass-media. (Of course, in order to make this possible our group needs to grow a lot, to become a world youth force, otherwise we won’t have the power to make our voices heard).
We need to be well-trained!Like every Mass-media professional, young people need to learn how to work in this field in order to be capable to participate and convince the public to listen to their voices. We must learn the structure of an article so we can write it right, know what questions we are supposed to ask and how we should ask them in an interview, learn how to conduct a TV program , how to captivate the whole audience or raise the public’s interest on a certain theme. Young people should be allowed to join mass-media teams already working on certain social projects and after obtaining enough knowledgeabout communication matters, they should receive the permission to make themselves a report. This project, would it be newspaper reportage, a short movieor a radio debate, can prove the world what they have learned and would show other young people that helping others is actually a very exciting and rewarding experience!Young people and artArt contests are a great opportunity for young people to express themselves, prove their talents and determine a change.
*Mass-media should promote contests on social themes, in order to raise awareness or change people’s attitudes and reactions. For example:
-essay contest on “Ending discrimination”
-drawing contest on “Peace and solidarity”
-music for a campaign “Against indifference”
*The contests `s winners will benefit by free publicity and support for their careers if, in exchange, they will chose to support a cause, start a campaign ,get involved in humanitarian projects, etc.
*In the case of performing arts (like dance, music, acting) the competitions can become real shows , opened to the public of all ages. If these spectacles would be announced and advertised by mass-media, they would be a great fund-raising opportunity for NGO`s.
*The first step for a united society is that the mass-media encourage participating at these contests youth coming from any social environment, of any race or religion, disabled or not, so that the world could understand that talent is universal.

Ailen Laura RodrÃƒguez, Argentina
Grosu Luciana, Romania

How Have Young People Taken Part In The Tsunami Relief? (Part II)

2005-10-18T23:56:00.000-07:00

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE:

There could have been created volunteer centres where the victims of the tsunami (especially children and teenagers) could access freely the internet (with the help of an assistant) and:
-receive emotional support, realize the whole world cares and wants to help them, get in contact with other young people around the world and receive their thoughts of love and solidarity. This could help them overcome the strong depression they feel now.
- start some online courses with teachers all around the world (online volunteers) and learn because many schools from South Asia were destroyed and children and young people have no place where to go, they are isolated and lonely and cannot continue their classes for the moment.
-ask directly for the material help they really need: they should have a password and access to a special website where they should post their needs.
- receive free online consulting as many diseases are about to spread in the region and a quick diagnostic may save lives (we also need online doctors volunteers)
-learn how they could protect themselves and avoid being the victims of child traffic (a great problem now) and maybe report missing persons to the international organizations that are now in the area.
Also, in some countries we were not allowed to collect any humanitarian aids as only money donations were accepted. We wished that the transport for the humanitarian aids was free of charge so that we could have sent directly a few things to Asia.
We learned pretty soon that donations were no longer needed as there had been raised enough money. Although these were good news, I felt bad because our mission of citizens of the world shouldn’t have been limited to fundraising. I would have liked to help in a more concrete way-for example get in touch with a child-victim and develop a personal relation with him: send him needed things , encourage and support him, help him see he is not alone. This could have been achieved if international organizations would have started a “become a trusted friend” program and would have collaborated with firms to facilitate Internet access and reduce costs for mail delivery and international phone calls between Asia and the rest of the world.
The tidal wave that has devastated all of South East Asia caused an even bigger wave: one of immense solidarity and brotherhood. Young people have come together throughout schools and organizations to reach out to the victims of the tsunami in Asia. As they have shown their great efforts in being widely creative, they’ve demonstrated their great capacity to be effective and helpful in times like these. As we all have put conflicts aside to help our neighbouring countries in need, we realised that the power of taking action can change a lot.

Norhalina Binti Mohamad Termidzi, 18, Malaysia
Lucianna Grosu, 17, Romania
Camille Chouan, 16, France

**Special thanks to Aimi, Amy and Afiq from Malaysia who have helped to write the witnessing in this article!

Extreme Violence On The Internet

2005-09-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I read an article on Readers' Digest which chilled me to the spine. I am sure that sexual pornography on the Internet is something that everyone knows about its existence , but now, there is something new and equally, if not, more horrifying - violence . This is the latest degradation of the human culture, which shows horrifying and gruesome executions, murders, suicides, genocide, etc. in wincing detail.
Among the first movie posted on the Internet is the gruesome execution of two American Jewish who were kidnapped by Islamic terrorists. Both were beheaded. Don't be mistaken, though....this website is not sponsored by militant Islamists. It is a site based in the USA with the main purpose of displaying hundreds of images of dead corpses, mangled bodies, and dying persons. The internet is full of such violent web pages. Another website boasts that it "collects images and information....to present the viewer with a truly unpleasant experience." True enough, since among the site's recent photographs was one of a man being hit by a car, and another , one of the most grotesque is that of a person killed by a shotgun blast.(in Reader's Digest). What has happened to the human sense of respecting the dead or dying and also their family members? And what has happened to the good sense of protecting children from violence? Internet connections and PCs are so easily available, especially in modern countries, so it is really easy for minors to gain access to such horrifying sites. Children are so impressionable that they may think that such violence is a normal part of our lives, therefore, they will become less sensitive to it. This will ultimately create violent young adults in the future. It is no wonder that people are so brain-washed these days that they use violence to reach their aims. PATHETIC!! Can you imagine your relatives or siblings or friends or family ending up appearing on these websites? Wouldn't you feel furious at the thought that they were not given the due proper respect even after their deaths?
One family posted a message on a website claiming that a photograph of their nephew, who committed suicide by throwing himself in front of the train, was published on the website. The website posted this cruel response:” We ask that, in the future, this family conduct their suicide in a less public manner." I could almost feel the glee of the website's reviewer when writing such a thing. This could only make young children feel that violence is the most enjoyable thing and that violence is…well, cool.
I think that these websites should be boycotted. Parents MUST stop their children from viewing these sites; they should protect their children from such evil. Children's minds are very easily deformed by the environment. Do we want this aggressive behaviour to mark their little minds and turn them into violent adults in the future? Please give your suggestions on how this can be curbed. I would like to say that we must take action as soon as possible. Otherwise, the future will be black indeed for all of us (because violence will prevail). Do we really want this to happen?

Yuzi,16,Malaysia

Child Marriage-A life long “curse” on innocent children

2005-09-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

It was May 11, supposed to be the happiest day of the families of many children in a small rural village in Gujarat, India. It was “Akha Teej” (third day of the Chaitra of Hindu calendar) an auspicious day when most marriages take place as no consultation from the pundit (Hindu priest) is required. Six-year-old Sejal was all decked up like a bride little knowing that she will soon be tied up in nuptial knot with a boy barely two years older than her. She is not alone, there are scores of children her age or maybe some a little younger or older who are also going through this ritual, blissfully ignorant of its implications. During the ceremony the child grooms are led in with processions. They come in wearing colorful costumes with customary swords in their hands. Sometimes due to long rituals the brides and grooms are found sleeping in their parents lap until the time of “saat phere” (a custom which requires the bride and groom to go round around the sacred fire seven times) approaches. After the ceremony the child is taken away and is re-met with its partner only after about 10-12 years. It may seem to be a game to kids, but a big decision about their lives is being made even as they remain blissfully ignorant. Child marriages may be illegal in independent India, but are still a living reality in the distant rural districts of India. In the past marriages were performed on the sly during the night, now it is done in broad daylight in the presence of political leaders and the administrative rank and files. From my point of view, I think that the political leaders do this so as to gain popularity at the time of elections but people of the rural areas would want to elect such leaders so as to keep their centuries old traditions and practices alive. Hundreds of children fall prey to this social evil every year. For this concerted efforts from the government, social agencies and the local people is much needed so as to remove this “curse” put on children .Yet no such initiative has been taken to do away with this practice and children who have been married in their in their childhood will have to live with the fact that after 12 years or so they will re-meet with a person whom they have never seen or met for the past 12 years and will have to live with that person forever whether they like it or not. What did these innocent little children do to deserve such a life? Kathleen Soares 16, India Acknowledgements: Story of Sejal- UNI

Youth Participation and Mass Media (Part I)

2005-08-28T05:03:00.000-07:00

What’s wrong with the Media?

Nowadays, many young people have access to the radio, but they listen only to music programs. There aren’t actually any programs to inform us about how youth could get involved in social activities, about how they could take action in order to determine a change.

For this reason, we affirm that young people aren’t given the opportunity to participate in interactive radio programs. Of course, there are indeed some radio programs created by youth. Nevertheless, these are only entertaining programs about minor issues. Youth are not interested only in knowing which the latest entry in the music hit’s top is. They also want to learn about relevant things and how young people can get involved in solving different social problems.

There should be radio programs for teens that do care about the world! Neither TV Channels have programs about social issues or dedicated to young people eager to fight to make their countries a better place. Although the impact of images is a very, very big one, there are no reports focused on youth volunteering or presenting NGO’s activity in a specific field. How young people could get involved if they never find out about what’s happening around them?

Newspapers and magazines are still the most popular media. They reach people who could never watch a TV program or never had access to the Internet. Yet, youth can’t even participate to these important publications, their opinions, ideas and attitudes find no place in the pages of the big journals. Although social, economical, political and cultural changes directly affect young people, we can’t express our views, we don’t have the right to participate at taking decisions and we are not allowed to propose solutions, not even for our problems! !!!!School magazines opened to any student desirous to write are usually covering only education-related themes and their addressability is restrained to those working in this field. !!!Teen magazines are really interesting and exciting, but because of their “cool-attitude”, they are actually never read by serious adults. !!!Teenagers who win writing contests are allowed to collaborate with literary magazines, yet they can’t use their imagination for improving our real world, too.

The difference between what we are shown on Medias and what we want to see:
Society’s belief is that adolescents don’t care about anything, only enjoying themselves and thinking of petty things like clothes, parties, dating, etc. As a consequence, the Mass Media shows only what the shallow young persons want to see, such as soap operas, violent TV shows, small-minded programs, advertisements of fashion clothes, etc; which make us all look like complete trivial and cold people. Despite the fact that few adolescents are indeed indifferent and insensitive, there are a lot who do care. We are not all selfish teens who don’t have a single clue of what is happening in the world and don’t care about it. The Mass-Media has put on all of us a fake label, about what we like and how we act. But our concern goes beyond the trivial stuffs which are shown in the Medias. We want to be informed about what’s going on; we want to know where to go, what to do, and how we can determine a change. If teenagers were given the opportunity to participate in the Medias, everybody would see what we really are: youth wanting to make a change.

Ailen Laura Rey, 18, Argentina.
Grosu Luciana, 17, Romania

HOW HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE TAKEN PART IN THE TSUNAMI RELIEF? (Part I)

2005-08-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

The tsunami in South-East Asia of December 26th 2004 gave rise to one of the biggest humanitarian movement and concern, from populations all over the planet. Millions of dollars worth of emergency help were collected. More moving then the huge funds raised for this cause is the human effort from people of all ages, determined to bring their contribution. This article deals with the participation of young people all around the world in the intense relief, with a commentary from Hantu Lina, a young teenager from Malaysia who bore witness of the massive help flock in her country. It is ironic how a tidal wave can affect the majority of South-East Asia’s population. Not only that the tsunami has geographically altered this region, but many courses of lives have been marred by this predicament. The scar will never heal, but it is up to the citizens of the world to make it stop bleeding. Young people all around the world, from remote countries, got involved and gave a helpful hand to Asia. From Europe, to Africa and Latin America, they all organized fundraising events such as “school-shows” or “support campaigns” in their cities. They also sent needed things for the tsunami’s victims. On the UNICEF forum, the members sent letters and drawings through internet. They addressed the letters to the Voices of Youth members from the affected regions who delivered them to the children. Even children have been helping in the tsunami relief by raising funds and sending letters. With the help of DO SOMETHING, an organisation for young people who are making a difference, children have been able to sent letters to victims (especially children) in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India. DO SOMETHING created the Do Something: Kids Tsunami Relief Fund so that young Americans could directly help young people in Asia who have been affected by the disaster. All funds contributed to the Do Something: Kids Tsunami Relief Fund will go towards rebuilding three schools, a medical clinic and an orphanage. Fun ways to raise money for the victims have also been suggested: babysitting, holding a neighbourhood carwash, raking leaves or snow for money, going door-to-door to collect donations, etc. Not only have these creative ideas given children a fun way to help out, they have become aware of the situation in Asia and have been trying their best to raise money. For more information, visit www.dosomething.org Another very popular idea that has helped raise funds, especially in the United States, is the one of selling custom moulded silicone bands with the saying ‘Tsunami relief’ on them. You are provided with about one thousand bands in the colour of your choice, with the saying of your choice, and it is then up to you to sell them around you. People on the Voices of Youth Forums of the UNICEF have related the fact that they have been able to raise more than two thousand dollars with these bracelets! The best part: people who make a donation by buying these bracelets carry on their wrist the symbol of their support towards the tsunami victimsTo participate, you can buy silicone bands on http://likelance.com/ Youth of Malaysia has stood up and faced the challenge. Numerous activities have been organized by the NGO’s and have been a success. It has been involved in the events that have been carried out. Below are some of the major events that have been held in Malaysia for the past few months. DIRECT PLEA FOR DONATIONS There have been various ways of collecting funds: -Donations by sending short text messages (SMS) *Electronic Media -Donations through newspapers (most of the Malaysian newspapers are involved in getting the Malaysians to help out by donating) *it was a big success: people in Malaysia have been sending checks and money in large sums. -Major coverage by teenage newspapers (BRAT’s) to attract more participation by teenagers in Malaysia. -Shopping malls and teenage fashion outlets are willing to contribute a percentage of their sales to help out. -Booths have been set up to collect second-hand items (clothes, blankets, etc.) in major shopping complexes.

Norhalina Binti Mohamad Termidzi, 18, Malaysia
Camille Chouan, 16, France
Luciana Grosu,17, Romania