Young Journalists and Writers Raise Voices on Global Issues

Young Journalists and Writers Raise Voices on Global Issues an article by Zvijezdana Marković (a writer of YJAW) on YJAW blog

 Read more: http://www.mladiinfo.eu/2015/04/03/young-journalists-and-writers-raise-voices-on-global-issues/#ixzz3h0NI6x3Z

Sport, Peace and Development

Sport is a fundamental human right and involves all forms of physical activity that contribute to the development of physical fitness, mental well-being, and social interaction, such as play, recreation, organized or competitive sport, and indigenous sports and games. (United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace, 2003. p. v).

The question is whether we use sport in so far as we should in order to spread peace in the world and help new generations to get to know a new form of activity?

I think not enough, not so much as we should.

The sport can be an amazing thing. Why is like that? I am going to explain how sport can change our lives.

It can bring people of different backgrounds together on the basketball court, football pitch or athletics track, but the experience of playing together in safe and friendly environment that sports offer, truly helps youngsters overcome conflicts between one another.

Youngsters taking part may approach the game as black or white, one religion or another, but whilst on the sports field, they are only team-mates.

The game of course may only last a short while, but for those taking part in it, the experience of having their preconceptions questioned lasts a great deal longer, even for a lifetime.

It’s just like famous tennis player Boris Becker has said, the secret and the strength of sport lies in that “it has its own rules, it knows no skin color, no religion, no boundaries.”

The universal application of sport for peace is not practical; however, the concept of sport for development and peace should be acknowledged more in the international community since it has not been recognized enough and there needs to be a framework which addresses the general principles.

A good example is the foundation of Novak Djokovic that through sport for children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, helps to grow, play and develop in a stimulating, creative and safe environment, while learning to respect others and take care of their environment.

This gives the child a chance to face every challenge and be a winner in any field.

United Nations General Assembly has declared April 6th 2013 as the International Day for sports in honor of the memory of the day when they opened the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Before making a resolution on behalf of all athletes, Djokovic has strongly supported the idea that sport is recognized as a separate activity in the interests of international peace and development.

In the field, the collaboration among international organizations, governments, NGOs and local communities is essential to operate sport based initiatives that work towards development and peace and, moreover, further studies to examine cases that have been implemented in the world are needed in order to create a substantial framework of sport for development and peace programs and its evaluation and improvement.

Nikolina Kunić

SPORT: BUILDING TRUST, FRIENDSHIP, AND COMMITMENT {A TRUE STORY}

I have never been free with other youths before, despite the formal meeting I had at youth sessions organized by our church, at most, my communication ends with a hand shake, and the latter, a by-gone Story. Each gathering gave me the opportunity to connect with people, share ideas and argue about Proactive topics related to youth issues; especially dating. But I never gained anything worthwhile because I talked or debated on youth topics when asked to, and if not, I remained still. The youth revival sessions was fun, but the grand opening at the headquarter was the most massive; because youths from different backgrounds and church groups across the nation  came to sing, pray and share relevant ideas with other youth groups. There were music competitions, a'cappella groups with their angelic voices, and the cultural dance groups whose feet sway to the rhythm of tattoo talking drums; creatively, displaying the uniqueness of religion and Christianity. Indeed, heaven fell. At the grand opening, I stayed away from other youths, like a black moth in the midst of white butterflies, because I didn't know how to connect with them. I have been to a gathering, a youth convention, a praise night, etc., but I have never seen a congregation where each person from a different background interacted with his neighbor as if they had been friends for a long time. The flying ants buzzing around white glowing bulbs made me busy with my thoughts; while from the altar, a tall dark-skinned boy, perhaps a youth, sang Amazing grace, and tiny beads of tears rolled down my eyes for no just cause. At that hour, my heart started talking to me, like a man's thoughts at dawn, slowly beating the Nunc Dimittis. I could only hear the faint sounds of mumbled songs, and the erratic strokes of bass guitars and table pianos; only my inner self felt this miracle ; I was anew again. It was 6:00pm, and the sonorous sounds from the guitars and drums had diluted into the atmosphere, and youth leaders from different regions declared a call-up for all youth members in their chapter. I refused to attend to mine; I could not tell why I did. I guess the closing hymn made me linger a little. My thoughts scurried on the night before the service, the things I did afore, and how I managed to get here. My dad couldn't afford my transport fare, so a friend gave me a tip. I could remember how boring and humiliating the journey was. At 6:35pm, I had decided to ride along, perhaps, be akin to other folks who saw me as different, as I them. The bus had just warmed up and the youth leader, the pastor, and other youth members walked in gracefully like men heading to a war zone. It was Sunday again; the church was well dressed, choirs in their orange tinted aprons; the pastor in his charcoal-gray suit and brown polished shoes, walked down the aisle smiling; while the mother of the house--as the Catholics would call a nun,  blessed the morning with her dazzling Mazarine. The service began smoothly: from a brief sermon, to prayers, and finally a closing theme. The chairs were being arranged, while the church-cleaners came in to keep the auditorium neat. I had barely left the church before the youth leader announced a sport competition organized by the region. It was a program created to connect youths together, and a platform for different age groups to know what matters to them most by coming together to share profound ideas on educative topics through sport. We didn't actually commit ourselves to a great deal of practice, because time was unfriendly, and most of the youths never showed up. The final sport competition was held on a Saturday afternoon; just a few blocks away from our church headquarter. Youths thronged the occasion with their blue colored vests and white sneakers, while youth leaders maintained a white t-shirt. It was fun to be there, and seeing the faces of new people was the most thrilling of all. We were scheduled for the last run-up, which was "a game of eggs." It was played by a volunteered team member who was  supposed to run to a finish mark, carrying an egg on a spoon. I have never done anything like this before, neither have I been to a gathering where people run with eggs. Each team player was given a spoon, and the referee placed a raw egg on each of them; while they waited for his directives. The whistle had been rung and team players ran as gently as they could so their eggs wouldn’t fall. At the end of the mark, we came in forth position. Although we didn't received an award or price, the competition, gave us an edge. It brought both new and old members of our church together for the purpose of sustaining a mutual, perhaps, a cordial relationship with each other. Alas, I was able to meet people who actually understood me and who wanted to hear what I had to say. It is a day I will never forget. We talked, sat at a round table to eat; prayed and sang. The sport competition made us aware of our weakness—how we could solve the problems entangled in it; and how we should relate to each other never minding the circumstance at that point in time. If I have had a grudge with anyone in a youth group, I believe the competition would have healed it.

Epilogue: Building Trust, Friendship and Commitment

I could see the look on our faces after the competition, how we held hands and laughed like we had  seen each other after a long break-up. Life is too short to hold grudges or start a war that may never seem to end. Creating a scene where young boys and girls can relate to each other and share their ideas, with a common synopsis of what they want, develops a foundation that cannot be subdued by fear. Trust, begins with understanding, and friendship connects an odd and even person together for the purpose of a mutual commitment; which is laid on the tiers of sport. In the world we live in, one of the key notions that have reduced racism and unemployment is sport.

People now see a difference in what they do, because they believe that partaking in a game that thrills people, encourages them to do more to keep it the way it is supposed to be. From my short story, I never had an a venue to express myself, and no one cared to listen to what I had to say, but the competition brought out a new leaf in me. Developing more channels for creative sport competition is a way to ease the tension of a poor relation that has separated youths across the world.

NAME: - VICTOR EHIKIOYA OMOVBUDE EHORVOUNMEN BROWN

COUNTRY: - NIGERIA.

School Drop-out; Major hindrance of the educational development of Nepal

Most of the times, we think about those children who have never been to school and we have the opinion that most of the out-of-school children in Nepal belong to the hard-core population who have economic problems. But there are some children also who have attended school in some parts of their lives but have never been able to continue it or have dropped out without passing their S.L.C (School Leaving Certificate), the secondary level of schooling in Nepal.  We always tend to look at the gross numbers of the students drop out but never try to analyze it. If we consider the extremely high dropout rates and if we assume that many of the out-of school population might have attend school at one point of time and they could have dropped out for some reason then.  In this case, we might need to look at the factors associated with school dropout more critically. Thus, enrolling the children in school is not the only solution of the issue.
Despite the fact that education-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have provided a pathway to effective planning, implementation and monitoring, there still exist many gaps in addressing education. Many children today leave school without being able to read and write effectively, making it harder for them to gain admission to higher levels of education. As per the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Nepal needs to ensure primary education for every child by 2015, which was short by 36 percent when the target was first set in 1999.  With only one year left to meet the education Millennium Development Goals, we can see a gloomy picture of Nepal's achievement.
Quantitatively, Nepal has made impressive progress in basic education in recent decades. Today over 90 percent of children enroll in primary schools, and there is virtual gender parity in enrollment.  But the quality of public basic education is very so poor. The result of School Leaving Certificate (SLC), a final secondary level national examination, often referred to as the 'iron gate' since it determines which students will be eligible for higher secondary programs, illustrates the bleak reality of Nepal's public education system each year. We have only been thinking about the growth rate in student enrollment in the school but we fail to analyze that how many of the students who get enrolled continue it and pass their S.L.C. Although Nepal has allocated 17 percent of the total budget to education, which is quite higher than other developing countries, it is unlikely to achieve the MDG mainly due to the high dropout rate. The report of Department of Education states that just 74.3 percent of children enrolled in Grade 1 reach Grade 5 while 45 percent quit school before reaching the lower secondary level. According to the report, 7.9 percent of students drop out after the first year while wild 59. 2 percent are out of the education system by the time they reach Grade 10.
There are several reasons why this is happening. Most of the students fail to continue their schooling because of various socio-economic factors. There is also a lack of equal access to education for girls, with many being forced into early marriages to help sustain the family financially while their brothers are sent to school. Sexual violence against girls, challenging family environments, poor sanitation etc. are some of the main reasons.  The United Nations Secretary General's Global Education First Initiative has a list of 18 barriers to school enrolment and completion, quality of learning and global citizenship. They are unaffordable costs, a shortage of classrooms, humanitarian emergencies, gender discrimination, child labour, shortage of qualified teachers, lack of learning materials, weak foundation of early learning, challenging family environment, mismatch of skills and today's livelihood, language barriers, hunger and poor nutrition, ineffective system to evaluate the performance of students. And these are the barriers to education of our country too.
There is a great need to address these barriers in education ensuring that government, civil society creates effective and sustainable partnerships that expand educational opportunities to everyone. Education is the answer to the greatest challenges we face in the society, we need to focus on overcoming the barriers on the best possible ways. We need to build schools, train teachers and improve the learning environment for all children. It has been shown that we could lift over 170 million people out of poverty simply by teaching every child in low-income countries basic reading skills.  So let us make this a reality in our country as well.
Education management, quality, relevance, and access are some of the critical issues of education in Nepal. Societal disparities based on gender, ethnicity, economic class, geographic hindrances have made the goal of education a challenge for the country. So why not make a move to overcome it?. There is solution for each and every problem. It's never too late to start. Let's not depend on government each time. Let us work from our side also to end this barrier of education. We all are the heroes, who want our country to progress. We, who are educated, are fortunate, now it's our turn to pay off. Let us take a step, may be small but break the barrier of education so that other will too get a chance to continue their schooling as we don't want any barrier to education. Let us say together, we want no barriers to education.

Written by: 
Name: Bhawana Shrestha
Country: Nepal

Peace

From darkness to thunder,

Where in the streets do I wonder?

The pain I hold,

Yet there is no shelter for my soul to mould.

The streets are empty and cold;

The quiet night with voices of silent whispers unfold,

Where is peace which my heart can hold?

And then I see one hope,

It is a street which goes down the slope,

Where in morning Birds sing and fly,

And the loneliness I keep slowly dies,

The feeling of raging battle within me slowly flies.

BY MISHAAL SHAHZAD

ISLAMABAD,PAKISTAN

Education is the only solution for the betterment of our world

From the time an individual is born to the day that  he  dies learning and the acquirement of knowledge is paramount. Having an education whether it is from a school, life, a friend or a family member should be empowering in nature. Many people classify education as the certificate, degree, diploma that you get from a learning institution but I see education as a body of knowledge that you obtain that can set the stage for your advancement throughout life. Many have the certificates, degree, diplomas but are not advancing while others who don’t have this level of achievement are progressing.

Now do not get me wrong. I am all for people getting their certificates, degrees and diplomas but I am more concerned with how we apply what we have learnt to our environment. People having such certificates may asked to apply for jobs, it is worthy at some extent but they needs to move towards entrepreneurship to solve global problems. So what really is this thing we call education? is it just getting a certificate, diploma, or degree or is it the ability to possess a body of knowledge that can solve problems and derive solutions for our world?  

The word Education that many of us use today is what a lot of us are referring to as having a teacher or lecturer speak to us and we regurgitate what was said in order to pass the necessary tests to obtain that certificate, degree or diploma. However, the education that I know and believe that will put in motion the betterment of our world is the one where we challenge ideologies, philosophies and concepts coming to us in the lectures and textbooks and how best we can extrapolate their essence and apply them  to our modern day societies.

Our Education should be built on being revolutionary from designing technology, to how we handle and manage medical care, to how we grow food, and to how we deploy research methodologies and NOT mere regurgitation from a textbook or lecture.

 By

Lyn-Marie Blackman

Bridgetown, Barbados

Education is the only solution for better future of the World

Education is the only solution for everything. Education should have first priority." The expressions of 16 year old Pakistani school young lady Malala Yousafzai. Crusading for young ladies' rights to instruction in a nation where general proficiency rates are underneath 50% and those of young ladies possibly half or even less of that, at 15 years of age Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban last October for her movement  to promote Education.

Roughly 57 million youngsters worldwide don't have the chance to learn. Getting a decent education is the way to our development as individuals, as it permits information to be progressed from era to era.

Students attaining Education, whether it is in school or college or University, have numerous more advantages than an untalented and uneducated labourer. One learns to do critical thinking as they compose assignments for classes and build understanding. Education issues one a base level of comprehension that permits them to effectively take an interest in savvy discussions and makes them mindful and liberal in any circumstances. Training is vital to enhance the nature of human life. Knowledge and Education can never let you fail in any sphere of life. Education is a necessity and is vital especially for girls who can stand up for their own rights through Education.

In 1986, Mohammad Ayub left his village in order to seek employment in Islamabad. Increasing Poverty in the areas of Islamabad made him decide to come up with such an initiative which could help poor children attain Education and thus he decided to teach those who were poor and couldn’t pay for their Education. At first people’s reviews were very skeptical but later they got satisfied and as time passed Master Ayub took place in F6-3 park where numerous students come and master Ayub teaches them for free providing them with free books and pens as he thinks it’s education which will help them become better people. At the age of 65, Master Ayub is determined to continue his work and says these kids are diamonds and he wishes to be their helping hand till his last breath.

MISHAAL SHAHZAD

Pakistan

Rigid thinking and women empowerment

Woman empowerment: first we need to clarify this term what people think about woman empowerment because there is so misapprehension about this term as people unfortunately take it as western agenda. Empowerment is basically strengthening the spiritual, political, economic, social capacities of an individual and it is a multi-dimensional process through which an individual can exercise their rights freely and can enjoy their lives by having control on them . Women empowerment means that women have the right or control over their lives.

People talk and discuss a lot about women empowerment, but when it comes to practical dimension this term seems vague. There are so many reasons behind this phenomena, especially in our country where people are trapped in so called cultural taboos and obviously great misconceptions of religious teachings regarding women’s rights and their status. It has been seen that people like to talk about famous personalities for instance Fatima Jinah, MalalaYousafZai, Shermeen Obaid Chanai and quote their examples to their daughters and sisters, but when their women want to join any professionby their own choiceor want to excel in their field by availing any golden opportunity or if they want to marry with some who they like, they face so much resistance in their way;so the real problem is that people are so diplomatic. They show themselves broadminded but they don’t even know the meaning of broad-mindedness. They claim that they want to see women progressing in different fields but actually they are trapped badly in rigid thinking and prejudices that prevail in our society, in the end they would suggest their women to stay at home.So here is big question mark for all those people who talk a lot about women’s respect, women empowerment, gender equality and women rights.

Women are human beings, they have rights like men but they cannot exercise their rights like men dobecause people don’t want to accept this reality. Our society never raise questions against men’s empowerment but when it comes to women empowerment people take this term as something alien or strange. People especially male chauvinism resist to accept this reality plus our cultural barriers also play a very negative role in this regard.

With the passage of time a positive change has been observed with respect to women empowerment and gender equality as you can see high enrollment of girls in education sector and in professional sectors as well, so this is a green signal for women to come and prove their abilities and talent to masses. Things seems to change due to women education, social media, print media, awareness campaigns , NGOs working on women issues.These factors give hype to women empowerment.Now,its need of time to empower the women as our economy need more potential to grow. In this regard, women can play a vibrant role by engaging themselves in different sectors that boost the economy.

By Aisha Siddique 

Lahore, Pakistan

Rethinking Development

The term ‘development’ has come a long way since its inception.  In the period following World War II, ‘development’ became significant both as an enterprise and a scholarly discipline.  The notion of development emerged amidst the need of reconstructing Europe which was shattered by the war. Institutionalarrangements were made to expedite the development process. The establishment  of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) was a  stepping stone to this effect. More importantly, theorizing about special challenges facing backward regions and countries became dominant in the discourse of development.  Moreover, equating development with industrialization was rampant in the initial stage. The social and human dimensions of development were largely missing.  The ultimate goal was to raise income and give access to a range of goods and services to the people. It was about getting more prosperous, and prosperity was measured in dollars.

The wave of decolonization which gained momentum in the wake of the war also pushed forward the agenda of development via industrialization. The newly independent states of Africa, Latin America and Europe began to pursue development as a need to improve the lives of their citizens. Maintaining their newly acquired independent status also required them to economically self-sustain. Thus, it was natural for the emphasis being laid on economic dimension of development.

Against this backdrop, defining the development needs of the third world countries became a prerogative of the Western world. The industrialized West tried to impose their development model in  the third world countries. For instance, in the name of structural adjustment policies, these underdeveloped countries were required to comply by the rule of the market economy i.e. less state, more market intervention. To receive the foreign aid and grant, it became mandatory for these countries to pursue the market based development model.  Consequently, this prescription failed to cater the unique development aspirations of the third world. This is to say the third world still fails to invent their  own model of development. What type of development intervention is needed in this part of the world? What are the peculiar development aspirations? Are they exactly same as  the west or are they unique? If our needs are unique, then can a single approach cater them? These are some of the critical questions that we need to ponder over before initiating any development activities in our country.

The neo-colonization in the form of foreign assistance has severe repercussions on our development initiatives. The conditionality of such foreign aid is hazardous to the sustainable development of a third world country. On one hand, it has stifled local development efforts. On the other, the vested interests of the donors have been catered at the cost of  national sovereignty and integrity.

At this juncture, it is crucial to critique development. There can be no universal model of development and development cannot be uni-dimensional. Economic prosperity cannot be a sole determinant. Socio-cultural and value based dimensions are inextricably tied to the notion of the holistic development. Improving social relations, demonstrating ethically responsible development behaviours among others are of no less prominence. Particularly the third world countries need some audacity on their part to pursue a new course of development that best serves their interest. Replicating the West Centric model of development may have helped to bring foreign aid and grant, but it has distorted the local development initiations in these countries.

Development based on locally available resources is necessary because it will ensure sustainability. The use of labor skills and equipments that are available in our own community assumes greater prominence to achieve sustainable development. The traditional knowledge that we have needs to be integrated with the modern education, thereby aiming at a result that will help not only the present generation but also the future generation to satisfy their own needs. Likewise, this model of development will help us to carve the trajectory of our nation’s long term growth based on our own original knowledge and research. Rather than depending on other bilateral and multilateral organizations to initiate community based projects, if we can start on our own,this will become effective.

It is high time that development be redefined in our own context. Gradually inclining towards reducing the dependency on the Western world needs to be seriously contemplated. Based on the locally available resources, the path to socio-economic transformation can be carved. It is imperative that the policy makers in the third world countries think about envisioning a development aiming at  the best utilization of the resources- both human and non-human that are at their  disposal. Encouraging local industries and acknowledging the labor that people are putting into can be a major departure to accelerate economic development. In the same way, developing strategies to improve the quality of education and health by revamping the current institutional practice, thereby reducing the donor-led reforms assume great significance. Ensuring the meaningful participation of local communities in the decision making process of the local institutions is indispensable to accelerate development. Likewise, thinking development beyond monetary terms should be practiced.

By

Kushal Pokharel

Nepal

Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases

HIV is a virus which destroys human immune system. In the early phases of disease, the individual has no indications. Be that as it may, as the disease advances, the invulnerable framework gets to be weaker. HIV is transmitted through unprotected sex, transfusion of not contaminated blood, sharing of needles and between a mother and her new born child amid pregnancy and labor. A large portion of the Africans are victims of HIV.

Malaria is brought on by a parasite called Plasm-odium, which is transmitted through the bites of contaminated mosquitoes. In our body, the parasites reproduce in the liver, and afterward contaminate our body cells. If not treated, fever can rapidly get to be life-undermining by disturbing the blood supply to organs. Dengue Virus resulted in numerous deaths in Pakistan.

Malaria and HIV and different sicknesses result in more than two million deaths per year.
In territories with malaria transmission, HIV expands the danger of malaria and fever in grown-ups.

HIV effected pregnant ladies who get to be malaria victims are at expanded danger of all the unfavorable results of malaria in their pregnancy.

• Almost 600 youngsters passed on each day of AIDS-related causes in 2012.


• Malaria intercessions spared the lives of three million adolescent kids somewhere around 2000 and 2012.

Mrs Shehnaaz from Islamabad is victim of AIDS who lives with 6 kids under her care: 3 young girls and 3 young boys around 1 and 13 years. She lost her spouse to the illness and is required to address her own particular needs and additionally those of the children she resides with. Individuals like Shehnaaz inspired Labor solidarity association to begin a system of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Mitigation. The association through this system has backed defenseless family units through their effective seminars.

Prevention of mother and Child transmission of HIV: A Pregnant HIV lady takes medicines in pregnancy and labor to combat the danger of passing HIV to their infants. Their new conceived infants additionally get HIV medication for 6 weeks after conception. The HIV medication diminishes the danger of disease from HIV that may have entered a child's body during labor.

•Needle Exchange: Always utilize new, unused needles or by flushing the needle and plunger with water each one time you utilize a medication syringe.

•Getting Tested: The best way to make sure of your HIV status is to get tested. With oral test, you can even get a cheek swab and get your results in 20 minutes.

•Get Lotions and Safety Nets: To battle Malaria it is imperative to utilize nets and creams which don't permit mosquitoes to draw close to you and don't let any water stand adjacent your spots especially after Rain.

To conclude it’s on us to take best care of ourselves and avoid everything which is prone to these diseases as if we do self-safety and get careful with every step these diseases can never come near us.

By Mishaal Shahzad
Islamabad
Pakistan

Nigeria’s Broken Children

Do you know that Nigeria has an internally displaced population of 3.3million? And most of these displaced people are women and children? As things are, these 3.3 million people are only the officially registered internally displaced persons and many other unregistered internally displaced persons may exist. About 850,000 people in Nigeria’s North East region are internally displaced and the National Emergency Management Agency has set up only 23 camps to cater for them. What this means is that this agency expects an average of about 36,956 people to live in any one of these 23 camps which are mostly National Youth Service Corp camps or secondary schools that do not have the facilities to deal with such a population.

Sometimes, I wonder what it means to be displaced. What it means to abandon your home, to run from the certainty of all that is familiar into the uncertainty of mountains and bushes. In all my questing, I have asked a few people; what that all important thing they will take is: when they hear bombs in distance and the sound of gunfire approach, what is that one thing they take as they leave, of all the people I have asked, two variables kept recurring; certificates and cash. A few people said things like iPads and travel documents, but those were really few.

In justification of the choice of their certificates, most people say that when the insurgents eventually are conquered and there is relative security, only their certificates will help them rebuild their lives. Considering that, since the civil war in 1960, at no point have Nigerians been forced to leave their houses such as now; and when there is a constant threat of death education mostly becomes secondary, it is encouraging that people still believe in the capacity of education to get them out of hopelessness and into opportunity.

In all of these, children are perhaps the worst hit as they are most times pulled from schools and develop an unwillingness to return to education. It is not hard to imagine why. The insurgents who terrorize them serve to fight and banish Western education, the psychological effects of this is in time schools begin to remind these children of horror,  death and bombs.

Perhaps to alleviate this, in addition to clothing and food drives we carry out for displaced persons, we should provide these camps with teachers and mentors. With guides and matrons, because when you live in such atrocious circumstances, there is the tendency that your world becomes small; reduced from beauty and possibilities to the sound of shelling and gunshots.

This by itself is a tragedy we must never allow to happen , we must raise structures that empower Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) to change their mindsets from those of victims to survivors. As it is, we are doing dangerously little to help child victims and it is only our help that can help them win the war against the very same insurgents who made them leave their homes and schools in the first place. Doing anything less will amount to the insurgents winning and the children loosing.

Most people argue that from the United States to Kenya and Pakistan or France, Nigeria is not the only country battling insurgency either on its shores or in an ally nation. The thing with the Nigerian state is that we lack the capacities these nations have demonstrated in dealing with these insurgencies and even when we make progress in infrastructure or the economy, lives don’t improve because the basic necessity of security is not provided.

On one of the only times I met a displaced child; I asked her the kind of questions you expect a concerned older person to ask. I asked her ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’. I half expected to hear ‘doctor’ or ‘pilot’ or ‘hair dresser’, but no. Her face turned blank and she said “Alive. I want to be alive when I grow up.” I did not ask any more questions. The tragedy that the Nigerian state has become hit me.

 By Adejoh Idoko Momoh.

International Volunteering: ”The Act Of Giving”

One of the most interesting acts to life is giving.

Allowing your inner self welcome the possibility

Of sharing even the smallest property you

possess.

Today, we have a world that solely depends on

our attitudes and ideas to survive. The beauty of

it all is that we, as humans, have the opportunity

to make things happen like a miracle. Over the

past years, hundreds of youths across the globe

have done a great deal of change in the Areas of

”Health , Hunger, Rape, Education” etc. But the

concept is, there’s still more to be welcomed;

and i believe we are up to it.

The International Volunteers Day:

”… Is the celebration of outstanding youths who

have not only done a great deal of change in the

affairs of our every day life, lent a helping hand,

or opened their hearts to listen to the brooling of

”Africans, Middle Easterns, or Asian children,”

but those who aspire to influence their

community with their positive and proactive act.”

” A friend once said: I would love to put a grin on

a gaunt face. But i don’t know how?”

Well, i believe the most interesting way to make

this happen, is to begin by understanding your-

self : its purpose, and your willingness to be a

blessing to others. ”It all begins with you.”

"... The Ebola outbreak reeked a huge quantum of fear in the atmosphere, and lives were lost. Over a hundred souls in Northern/Eastern Africa– it all happened in a flash.

But…The truth is, the drugs, medications and

preventive aids brought good tidings to Africa,–

but it was the enthusiasm of proactive youths

(Not fearing a contamination), that actually gave

hope to those infected.

”The world cannot heal itself. Only a heart with

love can.”




Name: Victor Brown Omovbude

Country: Nigeria

"Volunteering : Those In Need!"

Volunteering is an Outstanding

Act. An act of lending a helping

Hand, a willingness

To paint a Smile

On a rough face.

With grace, let us raise

Hands with an open

Heart. To entertain

Both the crippled, and the needy

In this economic weather–

Which changes dramatically,

Like the thoughts of man.

And like a lark’s dying

Speech, let our thoughts

Be as calm as the daunt’ess

Ocean at eve; as we embrace,

The ugly, the languorous,

The slaves, the homeless,

And the infected,

Into a world of peace.



”We can’t save earth without volunteering.”

Name: Victor Brown Omovbude

Country: Nigeria

You

Are the worst enemy I
will ever face. You
are that man of different
creed or race. You

Am I that different?
Do my eyes disconcert

You? Why you?
You killed her! It was

YOU! Get back here and pay for your sins!
We may lose the battle but you will never win!

You killed her!
You raped me!
You stole my life!
You broke my things!

We will fight, and fight, and fight once more, without any knowledge of what tomorrow brings.
Peace
Is now the caged canary that sings
Set down your guns, open the cage
Watch the bird wash away the rage.

By
Zara Williams-Nicholas

Peacock

Have you ever thought to yourself having only one leg but also being happy and dancing like a peacock is possible? You may call me insane but it's not a foolish question that I am asking as I have seen someone really doing it here in Nepal. Neelam Dhungana, 21, an amputee, who lost her one leg in a tragic bus accident while she was only 15, has the power to dazzle you with her mesmerizing dance performance. I bet, you will start imagining yourself in her shoes and feel miserable for having both legs and still not being able to have those flawless steps like her. Neelam is an exemplar in this mentally handicapped society where, physical disability is associated with failure, with dependency and with not being able to do things (even the regular chores of life).

Neelam as her name suggests, is really like a gem stone (The Blue Sapphire), with a captivating beauty and never ending smile. Her school mates always had a dream of dancing like her as every one used to appreciate her dance moves. Any cultural program at school and Neelam wasn't there; the program wouldn't be interesting, and theywould opine. She was synonymous to a peacock.

Our life is like a Pandora's Box. We never know what tragic surprises it has for us when we open it. The same happened with Neelam when she was just on the edge of her youth. An ambitious dream of being a famous actor, a blissful teenager, thousand youthful aspirations and most of all the best diversion of her life; dancing were all shattered in a road mishap made by a careful driver when she was rightfully walking on her own lane holding the hands of her best buddy. In the tragedy she not only had to lose her friend forever but she even had to mislay all her dreams and lead her remaining life as an amputee with only one leg. When she remembers the very day she says, "I learnt that my leg was amputated only a day after. Though my family members were around me giving me hope, but in private I used to admit the misery and shed tears for the misfortune of not being able to dance any more.
Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. For her, disability was typical trajectory. After a period of time, she started to adapt to her new situation, and started making much of it. She started dancing even with her one leg without giving notice to others for her happiness as dancing was the ultimate ecstasy of her life. After five years of practice (which wasn't easy), her talent got the limelight on a local stage on the occasion of 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities' a year back with the support of Bhima Khatiwada and Mina Acharya, who too are physically disable; whom Neelam likes to credit. Since then, she has never stepped back from her aspiration of being an actor. "Even if life is sometimes hard, my spouse, parents and mentors have always supported me and helped me become the one-leg dancer of Nepal.", Neelam shares.

We often assume that people with disabilities are unhappy. But in fact we're wrong. Surveys reveal people with disabilities consistently report a quality life as good as, or sometimes even better than that of non-disabled people. Human flourishing is possible even if you lack a major sense like sight, ability to walk, or beingphysically dependent on others. Sometimes, disabled are driven to greater achievements than before. That's why if we presuppose that physical difficulties for people result in misery for them, then we are wrong.

What is more important here is the social blockade rather than the physical impairment itself. It's true that in general, disabled people usually have fewer choices than non-disabled people. Most societies still have limited accessibility for them, which have certainly created some problem for them. Otherwise, special people like Neelam are much better than mentally jammed people of our society.




Yes, it's also true that physical impairment undoubtedly involves greater degrees of misery than average human should endure. Apart from that, there are some examples like Neelam whose transformative life stories teach us an important lesson that human beings are capable of adapting to almost any situation and can march on to triumph, overcoming all the misfortunes. Neelam, even after such misfortune still dances like a peacock.

Written by: Bhawana Shrestha
Country: Nepal

What is this life!

Life —— a set of philosophies, emotions, expectations, struggles and achievements. Sometimes, this life amuses the mind of a person; this is something beyond the limitations of a human mind. It takes a lifetime to comprehend the purpose of this blessed "Life". This life is a precious gift of Almighty to His creation. The purpose of life is to discover your gift; the meaning of life is giving your gift away. Life is a race there is no other destination but grave. Life is a game played by everyone, where your performance will figure out your consequences. Life is a waiting room where the wait ends on the moment which leads to eternal life. Life is a colorful journey that depends upon the miscellaneous ideas of a person. Life is an art; how to know, deal, and lead the people. Life is what we make it. Life is all about faith, knowledge and great understanding between mind and soul. Life is a continuous struggle; one only gets whatever he believes in and whatever he struggles for. Although, Man may be captain of his soul and master of destiny.

*Too many ‘life’ words used in the above para, replace them with ‘it’

The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings. Life is a race between good and evil, between your attitude and aptitude, your dedication towards your destiny. It is a war between heart and mind. The mind adjusts and materializes the ways to overcome this materialistic world but only the heart discovers the absolute destiny. Only the heart knows how to find what is precious. There is only one journey, going inside yourself. Life is an examination whose question paper is same since long, defined and publicly announced.

The life of this world is merely a deception and a test for all. What is eternal is the life after death and we have to realize this fact before our time runs out. As Quran says:

"It is He who has created death and life that He might try you—which of you is best in deeds; and He is the mighty, the most forgiving." (67:3)
We in today's life remain in search of power and fame; we keep running for the accomplishment of our desires. A poor man striving to get one meal throughout his life, lives with satisfaction and gratefulness to God for blessing him whatever he desired for. That poor man is leading a better life. As compare to the people living in this scientific age who make themselves the powerful and successful man of the world but have done nothing for the life after death because they didn't have time to interpret the true essence of life.

Life comes with no guarantees, no time and no second chances. You only live once but if you do it right once is enough. Life started since the birth of Adam; life comes with ups and down. Mistakes are the second name of experience. One who will learn from his mistakes, will lead to a meaningful life. An adversity of a life builds up character of a man.



Everything happens for a reason. Life should be to serve humanity and never harm anyone from your soul. As Rumi said, "This world is a mountain in which your works are echoed back to you".

According to Iqbal the rhetorically attributes of man should be






We can't direct the winds but can adjust our sails. Turn your doubts to question, turn your question to prayers and turn your prayers to God. Be the rainbow in the storms of life. Life is to the fullest; live it's every moment meaningfully, keeping an eye on its end. Life is a story, write it by yourself under the shadow of divine rules.

By

Majida (Maya) 
C.S.S. Academy Latifabad 
Pakistan

The Battle against HIV & AIDS in Kenya

It is estimated that more than 33 million people in the world today are currently living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It is also estimated that more than 30 million people have died from HIV-related complications since the earliest cases were detected in the early 1980s. While it is trite truth that huge progress has been made to increase access to HIV treatment in the past twenty and more years, and that new HIV infections have significantly declined in some regions, the pandemic, nevertheless continues to wreck havoc in many more areas and efforts to control it seem distant.The number of newly infected people each year in most scenarios far outnumbers those who gain access to treatment by an estimated two to one ratio.

It is reported that Kenya has the fourth largest HIV epidemic in the world. In 2012, out of a population of about 40 million, an estimated 1.6 million individuals were living with HIV and there were approximately 98,000 new infections. The HIV & AIDS epidemic in Kenya has since been often referred to as being generalized. In essence this means that it affects all sections of the society including children, youth, adults, women and men alike. According to a Kenya AIDS Response Progress Report, a concentrated certain group of Kenyans are more susceptible to contracting the virus due to their vulnerability to HIV transmission.

These groups can be categorized as follows;

a) Men who have sex with men (MSM)

b) Persons who inject drugs (PWIDs)

c) Sex Workers

d) Women and young girls 

HIV prevalence among MSM in Kenya is almost three times more than the general population. Condom use among this group is reportedly fairly low. It is important to note that sexual relations between men remain illegal in Kenya and can carry a prison sentence of about 21 years if found guilty. Homosexuality is thus largely considered taboo and repugnant to the cultural values and moral code of the Kenyan Nation. This stance leads to high levels of stigma and discrimination towards MSM as well as towards other members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community in Kenya. This often acts as a huge barrier and deterrent for these individuals to seek HIV treatment and testing.

I will not belabor with the jurisprudential arguments on the law and morality and how these two are either distinct or analogous hypotheses. However, what I would like to direct your attention to the Kenyan Constitution in specific to Article 43(1)which guarantees every individual the highest attainable standard of health-which is important to the realization of the right to life. Articles 26,27 and 28 in my mind also suggest that everyone has a right to life and that everyone shall be subjected to equality and freedom from discrimination in every sphere including access to medical care and treatment irrespective of sexual orientation or preference.

Granted, the Kenyan Government has made significant contributions to addressing the HIV & AIDS pandemic but a correlation and consistency remains to be seen in theory and in practice. One of the greatest strides taken was in 2006 with the enactment of the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control ACT 2006 which establishes the first ever tribunal (only one in the world) to handle legal issues relating to HIV, including discrimination against people living with HIV and protecting the confidentiality of medical records. Since its establishment in January 2012, the tribunal has received 400 complaints, admitted 14 cases and delivered two judgments.

Although the HIV prevalence among the general Kenyan population has fallen with rigorous campaigns around testing at VCT centers, sensitization and education campaigns as well as free ARVs medications provided at Government clinics, women and young girls unfortunately continue to be disproportionately affected by the epidemic. In 2012, Government statistics report that 6.9 % of women in Kenya were living with HIV compared with 4.2 % of men. Young women aged 15- 24 in Sub-Saharan Africa are almost three times more likely to be living with HIV than men of the same age. This can be attributed to discrimination that women and girls face in terms of access to education, employment, healthcare to name but a few. As a result, men will often always dominate sexual relations with women not being able to practice safe sex even when they know and understand the risks.

In the wake of the recently publicized partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Nike Foundation and the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on a $ 210 Million initiative to reduce new infections in adolescent girls and young women, governments in Sub-Saharan countries should also accelerate efforts in prevention initiatives targeted at the most vulnerable groups as identified. More people should be encouraged to know their status and thus be able to access treatment, care and support regardless of other collateral factors. The Kenyan Government should also work on overcoming social, cultural and legal barriers that hinder access, treatment and testing of all its citizenry. Leaders should also start thinking of sustainable ways to scale up and fund existing prevention and treatment efforts to curb HIV & AIDS.

By
Kate Kiama

Write for Girls

Every young adolescent girl all over the world is being assaulted by society based on her gender, she often gets beaten, raped and in some countries even murdered. It is a huge problem that can cause young girls to feel as if they are not an important part of society and it can destroy their self esteem. I’m sure that every young girl is special in her own unique way and because of that they should be respected and allowed to be who she really is.They are often afraid to talk about that, but when the whole world is silent, even one single voice becomes powerful.
Every girl should have the dignity, respect, education and freedom she deserves. The best way to help young adolescent girls is to unleash their own potential to change the world. God bless those ambitious young adolescent girls who are willing to fight for their rights!
By
Ermina Beganovic

FORBIDDEN WISHES

Poem - Genre: Gothic Fiction

At the hillside a beauty feel so blue..
Picking rue by the light of the moon..

She was a divinity's creature but, attuned...
A dark sinister as bible construe...

Hoping mercy would show her face...
To a gothic revival in her way....

Sarah, she was a sign of pure yin...
But in a deep love with an angel of sin...

That queen of snow certainty deprived...
In a tainted perdition, and then she cried....

Abandon to love was the only settlement,
But oh God! it is an immortal sentiment...!!!

By
Sarah Bhurgari Pakistan

What is this life

Life —a set of philosophies, emotions, expectations, struggles and achievements. Sometimes, it amuses the mind of a person; this is something beyond the limitations of a human mind. It takes a lifetime to comprehend the purpose of this blessed "Life". This life is a precious gift of Almighty to His creation. Its purpose  is to discover your gift; the meaning of life is giving your gift away. 

Life is a race there is no other destination but grave. It is a game played by everyone, where your performance will figure out your consequences. Life is a waiting room where the wait ends on the moment which leads to eternal life. It is a colorful journey that depends upon the miscellaneous ideas of a person. Life is an art: how to know, deal, and lead the people. Life is what we make it. It is all about faith, knowledge and great understanding between mind and soul. Life is a continuous struggle; one only gets whatever he believes in and whatever he struggles for. Although, Man may be captain of his soul and master of destiny.

The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings. Life is a race between good and evil, between your attitude and aptitude, your dedication towards your destiny. It is a war between heart and mind. The mind adjusts and materializes the ways to overcome this materialistic world but only the heart discovers the absolute destiny. Only the heart knows how to find what is precious. There is only one journey, going inside yourself. Life is an examination whose question paper is same since long, defined and publicly announced.

The life of this world is merely a deception and a test for all. What is eternal is the life after death and we have to realize this fact before our time runs out. As Quran says:

"It is He who has created death and life that He might try you—which of you is best in deeds; and He is the mighty, the most forgiving." (67:3)

We in today's life remain in search of power and fame; we keep running for the accomplishment of our desires. A poor man striving to get one meal throughout his life, lives with satisfaction and gratefulness to God for blessing him whatever he desired for. That poor man is leading a better life. As compared to the people living in this scientific age who make themselves the powerful and successful man of the world but have done nothing for the life after death, because they didn't have time to interpret the true essence of life.

Life comes with no guarantees, no time and no second chances. You only live once but if you do it right once is enough. Life started since the birth of Adam; life comes with ups and down. Mistakes are the second name of experience. One who will learn from his mistakes, will lead to a meaningful life. An adversity of a life builds up character of a man.

Everything happens for a reason. Life should be to serve humanity and never harm anyone from your soul. As Rumi said, "This world is a mountain in which your works are echoed back to you".

According to Iqbal, the rhetorically attributes of man should be: we can't direct the winds but can adjust our sails; turn your doubts to question, turn your question to prayers and turn your prayers to God. Be the rainbow in the storms of life. Life is to the fullest; live it's every moment meaningfully, keeping an eye on its end. Life is a story, write it by yourself under the shadow of divine rules.

By Maya Halepoto

C.S.S. Academy Latifabad