Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

For this weeks blog I decided to listen to the audio podcast of Delfina Mitchell. Mrs. Mitchell is the Director of the Liberty Children's home located on the outskirts of Belize City. This programs has been open since 2005 and is for children between birth and 5 years old. The children at this care center have been abandoned, abused, or orphaned. Many have disabilities, special need or are HIV positive. The focus of the Liberty Children's home and Liberty Foundation is to provide care and education to those children in need. They strive to provide high quality services of the children in Belize. They provide children with much more than just shelter and food, they provide them with an environment where children are respected, nurtured and treated as individuals. By helping children regain their self-esteem, the Liberty Children's home help children develop trust in adults and to form healthy relationships. 

In the podcast Delfina Mitchell talks about a 9 year old boy named Joseph that has recently joined the Liberty Children's home. Joseph was living in a bad situation in which he was abused and had witnessed his sister being abused and because of that he had shut down and did not speak for over a year. When he arrived at the children's home he was accompanied by his 6 brothers and sisters. Joseph was home schooled on the children's home grounds but eventually he was enrolled in school in another part of town. He struggle in school and after one week he was kicked out of school and sent home because he had a problem understanding. Mrs. Mitchell tells a story about when her and Joseph went horse back riding and he began to tell her about the abuse and neglect that he had encountered. For Mrs. Mitchell, some of it was hard to understand because it seemed as if he had regressed in his age and she had difficult understanding some of his words. Though he talked that day while riding horse, Joseph began not speaking again. As time passed he began to speak a little each week that had passed. The staff at Liberty Children's home began to provide Joseph a few hours a day of schooling and allowed him time in the garden because he enjoyed being outside. With the combination of slowly introducing him to the school environment and providing him medication, Joseph began to open up more and more. The kids would stop to listen to him when he spoke because they were shocked that he was talking. When Joseph spoke everybody wanted to listen.

The work that the Liberty Children's home does helps provide children with a safe haven. An environment where they can regain their childhood and innocents. It helps them heal from the traumatic situations in which they come from. It helps build their confidence in themselves and in others.

UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education 

For the second part of my blog assignment, I explored the UNESCO's Early Childhood Care and Education website. This organization works to improve education around the world believing that it is key in social and economic development. "The Organization aims to help build a sustainable world with just societies that value knowledge, promote peace, celebrate diversity and defend human rights, achieved by providing Education for All." 

I found it great that when it comes to access and equality that countries have committed to expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education especially for children who are vulnerable and disadvantaged. Governments in the United Nations are being urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services focusing on the importance of creating policies that favor the poor. The UNESCO also promotes high quality childcare for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. By providing these children with high quality services, it promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness. 

Resources

http://www.libertyfoundation.org.uk

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/world-forum-radio/

Sharing Web Resources

This week I did a little more exploring of the Global Fund for Children website. Since this is an organization that partners with others in order to change the lives of children, I was curious to know what partners/supports they had. In my search I found that the Global Fund for Children partners with a variety of corporations and foundations that devote time, expertise, and financial support. These partnerships help deepen the impact and expand the organizations reach in order to improve the live of vulnerable children around the world. 

 As I have stated in a previous blog, one major partner of this organization is the Nike Foundation. This organization along with six others form the Grassroots Girls Initiative and help fund organizations that equip adolescent girls with resources, tools, and options they need to create better lives for their families, community and themselves.With support from the Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation the Global Fund for Children has been able to fund educational opportunity and vocational training for children and youth in Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Johnson & Johnson contributes by working with children who have been infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS and children who are at risk of abuse or gender-based inequality. Another organization that plays a vital role in the work done by the Global Fund for Children is the ELMA foundation. This foundation supports community-based organizations that are creating opportunities for children in Africa to be healthy and educated.Those are just a few of the foundations and organizations that have partnered with the Global Fund for children to help improve the lives of children in need around the world.

I have not received a e-newsletter for this organization but the website has tons of new stories and videos. One of the stories/blogs that caught my interest was a blog written by a girl named Precious K. She is a youth participant at Media Concern Initiative in Lagos, Nigeria. In her blog she talks about her experience in Adobe Youth Voices (AYV), which is program within the Global Fund for children that empowers youth to share their voices and express their understanding of the world by employing various technologies. They are able to use digital art, video, and animation to express their understanding and voice their views. In her blog, Precious says that her experience with AYV has given her real knowledge and many advantages the can help others come together to create change in her community and the world through the use of multimedia tools. Through the program she learns about teamwork and is able to create personal projects. Adobe makes it easy to convey and idea or pass along information. The knowledge that she has gained from this program will help her with your future and the present.

""Stop Bullying" by Sanggar Anak Akar (Indonesia | 2010-2011)"

The work that the Global Fund for Children does is inspiring. With the help and support from corporations they have been able to change the lives of children all around the world. I think the idea of the Adobe Youth Voice is great. It allow children to voice their concerns and helps them understand the world they live in. It also teaches them skills that they can use later in life. They learn how to be team players and are able to speak out on their own knowledge and views. It gives them a voice and I think that is great.

"Tanadgoma – Library and Cultural Center for People
with Disabilities (Georgia | 2011-2012)"

""Stop Trafficking" by Sanggar Anak Akar (Indonesia | 2010-2011)"

Resources: 

Global Fund for Children-https://www.globalfundforchildren.org

Adobe Youth Voices: http://voices.globalfundforchildren.org

Getting to Know My International Contacts—Part 2

The podcast that I decided to listen to this week is talking with a women by the name of Maysoun Chehab. She is the Regional Early Childhood Care and Development Program Coordinator at the Arab Resource Collective (ARC). Your probably wondering what the Arab Resource Collective is. It is a non-profit and no governmental organization based in Beirut, Lebanon. In working with the ARC, Maysoun Chehab has coordinated ECCD projects in Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Egypt, and Yemen. Her most recent works includes introducing a conflict resolution model program to Lebanese schools. She has also developed a post-conflict community based psychosocial intervention program in Lebanon.

In the podcast Maysoun talks about her work with the ARC. The ARC works with ECD practitioners, policy makers and the ECD community in order to raise their awareness about early childhood care and  development and child rights. They also train early childhood caregivers on best practices. The ARC also produce Arabic resources that target the community, parents, and teachers. These resources provide information on issues related to early childhood care and development. 

I think the work the Maysoun does with the Arab Resource Collective is really inspirational. Organizations like this can be beneficial to not only the children but the parents and community too. I think its great that the help educate others on the issues of early childhood and development. 

Harvard University's "Global Children's Initiative" Website

In exploring the Global Children's Initiative website I came across an article entitled, "Zambian Early Childhood Development Project." Immediately I became interested in learning about this project and the work it does. The ZECDP is a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children's development in Zambian. In order to measure the full impact of the anti-malaria campaign on Zambia's human capital development, the ZECDP created a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children's physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers--the first assessment tool of its kind in Zambia (Center of the Developing Child, 2012). The Zambian Child Assesment Test was completed in May 2010 and combined existing child development measures with newly developed items. The early stages of the project demonstrate that comprehensive child assessments are feasible within standard population-based household surveys. The hope for this project is that will not only improve understanding of child development but also help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a changing world. 

Resources:

Center of Developing Child. (2012) Zambian Early Childhood Development Project. Retrieved from 

                  http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/zambian_project/

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website:             

                  (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)

World Forum Foundation Radio: Episode 5-Maysoun Chehab

                  http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/world-forum-radio/

Sharing Web Resources

The Global Fund for Children have not sent out a new newsletter, so in this blog I will talk about some a recent post  that have been added to the website.

The post that caught my attention was a post about the Grassroots Girls Initiative. This organization is partnered with the Nike Foundation. Their current grant with the Nike Foundation enables them to support approximately 20 partners that are working to equip adolescent girls with the resources, tools, and options they need to create to better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. 

The post talks about how venture philanthropy can close the poverty gap. The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) is a group of professionals from more than 25 countries that come together to share ideas and strengthen the presence of venture philanthropy and social investment across Asia. This group includes venture philanthropy organizations, impact investors, private equity, wealth management, academia and grant makers. I found it interesting that one-third of all children living in developing countries live in extreme poverty and some of the highest rates are found in South Asia. In South Asia more than 70% of children live in poverty, to me that number is extremely high. These children are more susceptible to trafficking and child labor and miss out on going to school. That saddens me to hear that these children are being robbed of essential opportunities needed to develop into healthy adults, not to mention robbed of having a normal childhood. The rise of venture philanthropy in Asia is necessary because they "offer a bend of capital and business advice to help entrepreneurial organizations achieve their ambitions for growth and development ( Lindsey, 2013)." At the recent AVPN inaugural conferences, they discussed the importance of making long-term sustainable impacts on children in their early stages of development, especially in the communities they serve. Strategic investments in community-based organizations provide security and hope for millions of people worldwide (Lindsey, 2013).

Resources

Lindsey, K. (2013). How Venture Philanthropy Can Close the Poverty Gap. The Grassroots Girl Initiative. 

               Retrieved from https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/gfc-in-huffington-post-how-venture-

               philanthropy-can-close-the-poverty-gap/

Issues and Trends: Poverty

In this week's podcast, Susan Lyon talks about here experiences and work in the Early Childhood profession. She started teaching at the age of twenty-two and since then her passion for children has continued to grow. In working with children, she wanted to advocate for children by listening to there wants and needs. Susan Lyon wanted to make an impact on children's lives and prove that quality work can be done in public centers. After seeing the exhibit "100 Languages of Children", she was inspired to bring it to the Northern California area. She held professional developments and brought Italian educators in to speak. Eventually, Susan Lyon started a project called the Innovative Teacher Project.The project consisted of a network of schools holding a round table. The schools take turns presenting their school to the group and they hold discussions on quality work. 

The podcast was kind of vague when it came to the issue of poverty. Though it was, I could see how a project like this can help areas where poverty exist. The way the schools in this community come together for the benefit of the children is a great way to learn more about the children and families in the community. You are able to see the needs and wants the children in the area and work together to improve the quality of service they provide. I think another way to extend on this program would be to proved families with tools and resources that could assist them in their needs.

I was unsuccessful in my attempt to reach Susan Lyon, so I have completed the alternate assignment. The country I chose to read about is Mongolia. Through my reading, it seems that the government is aboard the "lets reduce poverty train." They have developed a plan of action and a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The paper sets out the principles of poverty reduction policies in Mongolia. These include economic growth, rural development, human development and good governance. In Mongolia, they also deal with people migrating to the area. Since the 1990's the migration has increased rapidly and the patterns of movement has changed. Migrants are moving from rural areas to more urban areas. Many of this migrants face hardships and don't benefit from the move. Children growing up in those households do not benefit either. 

Resources
Childhood Poverty Reserach and Policy Centre: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org
World Forum Foundation Radio. http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

Sharing Web Resources

Last week I wrote that the organization I would focus on and learn more about was 
the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
 I have decided that I wanted to focus on another organization instead, one that has recently caught my attention. The organization is the Global Fund for Children and they focus on helping children regain their innocents and help them enjoy their childhood by allowing them to just be kids. They work with trafficked children, refugees and child laborers all around the world. They transform the lives of children on the edge of society by helping the regain their rights and pursue their dreams. Global Fund for Children invest in organizations that enable the most vulnerable children in their communities to thrive. This organization does a lot of great work that benefits children in harsh situations. 

The Spring newsletter for the Global Fund for Children had a lot of interesting information. One of the first thing that caught my attention, was the letter written by the CEO. In it Kristen Lindsey talks about how stress and trauma from a tragic situation effects children's development and everyday life. She talks about how sever stress can cause a child to have difficulty learning and developing health relationships. In order to aid in the problem and find a solution Global Fund for Children and their partners help by guiding children and youth through the steps of grief and recovery and help them prepare for adulthood. 

Through the efforts of the Global Fund for Children and their many partners, they were able to invest more than $960,000 to other organizations that work in conflict affected areas in 26 countries. They partnered with more than 60 organizations and was able to touch the lives of more than 200,000 affected children. Their goal is to create local solutions to protect and heal children and families in conflict-affected areas and thus far they are doing a great job but their is more work to be done.

Reference: The Global Fund for Children http://www.globalfundforchildren.org 

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

In order to establish professional contacts, I decided to reach out to two professionals whose organizations have struck my interest. In choosing the two professionals I wanted to get in contact with, I thought about educational programs I would find most interesting and areas I didn't know much about. The first professional I chose to reach out to is Mr.Eric Atmore. He is a part of the OMEP South African National Committee and a member of the National Early Childhood Development Alliance. The purpose of these organizations is to improve the quality of practice in the Early Childhood field and to see ways to cooperatively and positively influence policy-making and implementation. I look forward to learning more about the South African Early Childhood programs. The second professional that I decided to reach out to was Mrs. Yvonne Dionne, OMEP Comite National Canadien. She is a member of the Canadian Child Care Federation. What caught my interest about the Canadian Early Childhood program and practices is that they promote safety and healthy growth and development through providing the best in early learning and child care knowledge and best practices. Their website provides tools and resources that are helpful to parents and educators.Though I have not received a response to my emails, I remain hopeful that I will gain  great professional contacts. 

In selecting a early childhood organization to study, the chose was not hard to make. Throughout the courses I have taken, I have began to learn a lot about the National Association for the Education of Young Children. I wanted to continue learning about this association and how its view on the Early Childhood field. 

"NAEYC's mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources." (NAEYC website) I think this is a great website and a great association. The focus on improving professional practice and working conditions, working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education and build high -performing and inclusive organization of groups and individuals.

References:Canadian Child Care Federation: http://www.cccf-fcsge.caNational Assocaition for the Education of Young Children: http://www.naeyc.org/