A huge step in ending poverty is changing our perceptions of those who are experiencing poverty. I'm inspired by Sister Sudha Varghese who has opened two schools for India's "untouchable" girls (girls in the lowest rung of India's caste system). Sister Varghese is helping the girls change their perceptions of themselves and challenging us to rethink our views. Here's a National Post video about her work.
In developing countries one third of girls marry before their eighteenth birthday. According to the UN, some girls marry as young as seven. That's not right. Teenage girls in America are taking action to help their peers around the world have a childhood.
Read more about Girl Up, an organization under the aegis of the UN Foundation that is speaking out and making change on the ground.
Alex Weber is ten. He has successfully organized Wheels for Wells, a cycling event bringing together about 100 cyclists in Alberta to raise awareness and funds for drilling wells in Africa. View the video.
Students in Cochrane, AB and Ottawa, ON take action on water issues by doing the Amazing Walk for Water. Way to go!
Stop Child Labour: Wednesday, May 16, 12:00 - 1:00 pm EDT
Every child has the right to a safe childhood. But worldwide millions of children are forced to beg on the streets or pushed to work in dangerous mines and factories. Join Harry Kits, World Vision's Peacebuilding specialist, in a discussion on child labour as he sheds light on artisanal mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo and labour in the chocolate industry. Find out how your class can speak out against child slavery.
Register your grade 4 - 8 class for these webinars at global_ed@worldvision.ca.
Transformative Community Development: Thursday, April 19, 12 pm EDT
Take a closer look at community development in Rwanda. World Vision's Eva Harden and Autumn Ballek will share stories, images and videos from their recent trip to the field. Get a glimpse of what life is like for children in Rwanda and how World Vision works to transform communities.
For all those who missed this informative and interesting webinar on global food and nutrition issues, here is a link to the recording. Enjoy Alison Mildon's presentation. View the webinar now.
Mon, March 26, 12 - 1 pm (EDT)
Wrap up Nutrition Month by chatting live with a registered dietitian. Alison Mildon, World Vision's Child Health and Nutrition specialist will answer student questions about the role of proper nutrition in fighting hunger and poverty. Compare your typical meal to that of a child in a developing country and learn about the impact of malnutrition on school-age children. Register your grade 4 - 8 class at global_ed@worldvision.ca.
The UN recently declared that the drinking-water Millenium Development Goal has been met. Between 1990 - 2010 two billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources. However, 783 million people still lack access to safe water and 2.5 billion people remain without access to improved sanitation facilities. Read more.
A person drinks on average 2 - 4 litres of water each day, but it takes 2000 - 5000 litres to produce one person's daily food. Learn more about this year's World Water Day theme: Water and Food Security.
What action is your class taking on World Water Day? Post a blog and tell us about it. Get resources and videos for learning about water issues here.
Today is International Women's Day. Reply to the blog "International Women's Day" and tell us about a woman who inspires you.
When my mother was in her final year of secondary school, her brother was kidnapped. After paying the ransom, her parents could no longer afford to pay for my mother's school fees. She was one of the top students in her class. Not wanting her to miss out on graduating her teachers pulled together...
Please Note: This webinar has been postponed. A new date will be posted shortly.
Thursday, March 1, 12:00 - 1:00 pm (EST). Live webinar with Carleen McGuinty, World Vision's Child Protection specialist. Carleen will share stories from her travels to illustrate the issues of child labour, early marriage, under-age military recruitment and trafficking. She will answer student questions about World Vision's work in child protection and discuss how the right to an identity can help protect children from these vulnerable situations while improving their access to education and health care. To register your class, email global_ed@worldvision.ca. Post your students' questions for Carleen by replying to the discussion: "Questions for Carleen".
Check out our Toronto Global Educator in action presenting a workshop to students at Pickering College. Read the article.
Join Amboka Wameyo, gender and advocacy expert at World Vision Canada, for a live talk from Tanzania. Amboka will answer student questions on gender and development in Africa, including the issues of early marriage, the link between gender and poverty, male and female social roles and access to education. For grades 8 - 12.
Register your intermediate class or group for this educational webinar. Email global_ed@worldvision.ca
Schools in British Columbia and Manitoba participated in a live video chat with two WV staff currently visiting WV projects in Sudan. Anne-Marie Connor, Program Manager for Africa, and Jackson Acha Atam, Program Officer for Sudan, share with us the impact Canadians are making to improve education in Sudan. View the webinar.
Hello World Class Educators,
We're pleased to announce that our Global Educators, Catrina Ziesman and Nancy Ross, are offering free classroom workshops on child rights, access to water and world communities. Book a workshop for your students by emailing global_ed@worldvision.ca. Workshops available to schools in the Greater Toronto and Ottawa areas. The requests are coming in, so book your workshop today! Don't miss out.
Happy New Year! If your 2012 resolutions include making an impact on others, here are some ideas to get your whole class involved in learning about global issues, speaking out against injustice and taking action for change. Get started!
World Vision is looking for two experienced Global Educators to conduct in-class workshops with students in grades 2 - 8. One position will be based in Toronto/GTA, and one in Ottawa. Chosen candidates will be trained to deliver 20 classroom workshops from early January to mid-March using World Vision Global Education resources. An honorarium will be paid. Must have own transportation. Bilingualism is an asset for the Ottawa position. Please send your resume and cover letter to global_ed@worldvision.ca by December 16, 2011. Click here for the job description sheet.
We’re launching the Think|Act|Change Contest to reward teachers who are igniting students’ interest in global issues. To win one of our dynamic TACKS (Think|Act|Change Kits) simply tell us how you’re using World Vision Global Education resources in your classroom to get students thinking about global issues and acting for change.
Contest opens January 1 and closes February 29, 2012. Twenty winners will be selected in March to win a TACK. Click here for details including description of prize pack and submission instructions.
Tune in to a virtual conversation hosted by UNICEF on November 30 at 10:00 am (EST) for a look at the world's progress in fighting HIV and AIDS. December 1 is World AIDS Day. The rallying cry for this year is to reach zero: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. The UN has mapped out a clear plan to take the world to zero in three years. Read the new UNAIDS Report. View the video below to learn about World Vision's Hope Initiative.
Students at a World Vision built school in Uganda perform an educational drama about AIDS. Jon Warren, WV.
December 1 marks World AIDS Day. Our video and unit plan Circle of Friends provides a powerful way for students to learn about the impact of HIV and AIDS on children in Africa. Explore the challenges and experience the hope through the eyes of five school friends in rural Malawi. Suitable for grades 4 - 8.
This video illustrates World Vision’s Hope Initiative. The Hope Initiative is actively working to reduce the global impact of HIV and AIDS on children, their families, and communities. It is dedicated to caring for children orphaned by AIDS and other affected children and educating boys and girls about preventing HIV.
On Universal Children's Day you're invited to join the Birthday Bash Take Action Project. Celebrate children's unique identities while raising awareness of the importance of protecting children's right to a legal identity.
New resources will be available for exploring personal identity, naming and birthday customs from around the world and the impact of birth registration on protecting children's rights.
The Birthday Bash will launch on November 20.
Learn more about Universal Children's Day.
According to CNN, about 9.5 million people are struggling with the flooding in Thailand - that's more than the population of Alberta and British Columbia combined. Water- and insect-borne diseases are expected to spread as the murky waters rise.
World Vision is on the ground distributing thousands of emergency survival kits, hygiene supplies, food, water, blankets and mosquito nets. The first of three Child Friendly Spaces has been established to help children cope with the disaster. Watch the video to learn more about Child Friendly Spaces in Thailand. Read more about World Vision's response.
October 16 is World Food Day, a day to shed light on why one in six people around the globe go hungry every day. Rising food prices is having a huge impact on many families around the world. Canada is one of four countries in the world where families spend less than 10% of their income on food . In countries where people are living on less than $1.25 a day, families are spending more than 50% of their income on food. Rising food prices means that many of the world's poor are eating less, skipping meals, spending less on health care and sending children to work for low wages rather than to school (David Morley, Unicef Canada).
We want to hear how your class or school is involved in fighting hunger in your global or local community. Are your students participating in a "Harverst for the Hungry" to collect food for your local food bank? Or, are they involved in a project that is helping families in developing countries fight hunger? We want to hear about the amazing things students are doing to help others, so post a blog in the World Class Newsroom and tell us your stories.
World Food Day is a perfect opportunity to begin learning about hunger and mobilize your students to take action. Here are some ways your class can get involved:
- Participate in the Horn of Africa: Famine No More Take Action Project. No where in the world today is hunger and malnutrition worse than in the Horn of Africa where famine is affecting more than 13 million people. Learn about the challenges of refugees and internally displaced people and take action to support World Vision in providing emergency food, water, shelter and agricultural support to families and communitites experiencing drought and famine in East Africa.
The resources for this project are easily integrated into social studies (e.g. exploring Canada's connections to the World, taking concrete actions as responsible global citizens), writing (e.g. students posts blogs to share their own experiences of leaving their home country and coming to a new one, or to raise awareness of the crisis in East Africa), media literacy (e.g. examine the media used to report on the crisis for bias, points of view and intent of message) and health (e.g. explore the importance of food and nutrition and the impact of not getting enough food).
- Join the Communities Take Action Project and support World Vision in providing families and communities around the world with the gift of animals, seeds, fruit trees, agricultural tools and training and school feeding programs. Learn about communities around the world as you explore your local community and take action through World Vision’s Gift Catalogue.
The resources for this project support themes in social studies (e.g. comparing communities, ways that individuals and groups interact to meet community needs) and science (e.g. develop an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships between the plants and animals that live in them, identify ways that animals and plants help meet human needs).
Has your science class ever hatched chicks? Deepen their learning by looking at how chickens can provide an income and food for families around the world. Lead your students in organizing an awareness event and fundraiser to purchase chickens for families who are hungry.
A Hungry World is a comprehensive resource for learning about the global food crisis. Designed for secondary students, it provides useful background information for teachers of all grades. Section 4 gives information on World Vision's response to global food insecurity and has lots of action ideas. The appendices contain fast facts other helpful worksheets.