We want to set an example again this year with our Christmas campaign. Let’s do good together! We are allocating €10,000 to three pre-selected projects in the areas of emergency aid for refugees, education and nutrition. In all three areas, we want to provide concrete support for children who, without such support, would usually have no chance. We would be delighted if we could also motivate you to give hope! You will find the link at the end of the article.
We would now like to briefly present the individual projects to you:
“Hundreds of thousands of children and families are left with nothing”
The war in Ukraine is shaking the world. Innocent civilians are killed in the attacks. Those who manage to leave their homes in time are fleeing to neighboring countries in fear of their lives. People have fled across the border with scantily packed suitcases and bags – many of them girls and boys. Here they are faced with nothing. Many have experienced terrible things, lost their homes and loved ones. War and flight have traumatized them. Millions of children and their families leave behind their fathers, husbands and friends who have to stay behind in the war. Ukraine’s immediate neighbors are among the main host countries. Countries such as the Republic of Moldova and Romania are particularly burdened because they are already among the poorest countries in Europe. Kindernothilfe has therefore been supporting its partner organizations in Moldova and Romania since March 2022.
“School and education for children and young people in Guatemala”
In Guatemala, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line. Income distribution is extremely unequal. The Central American country is still suffering from the consequences of the civil war that raged from 1960 to 1996. The government has not yet succeeded in breaking through the criminal structures within the communities, the economy and politics. In addition to poverty and natural disasters, violence and organized crime pose a particular threat to the security of the population.
The precarious economic situation of many families contributes to child labor in particular. This is exacerbated by a lack of job and training opportunities. However, a lack of education fuels the vicious circle of child labor: if parents do not earn enough, families rely on their children to work in order to survive. But without education, they have little chance of finding a qualified job later on that will enable them to provide for their families. In turn, their children have to work hard instead of learning at school.
The project of Kindernothilfe and its partner CEIPA provides working children and young people with alternative educational opportunities so that they can obtain a recognized school-leaving certificate. Here they can learn with the help of afternoon lessons and attend secondary school. It is aimed at children and young people between the ages of 10 and 20 who come from poor and extremely poor families. They work as domestic workers, porters, shoeshine boys, assistants in agriculture, on construction sites or in other areas – especially in the so-called informal labor sector. CEIPA has developed a special educational model that is tailored to the needs and life situation of the children. The model is recognized by the Ministry of Education and is constantly being developed further.
“Working together to fight hunger and secure food”
Kindernothilfe and its partners support the principle of food sovereignty, which is defined as “the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced sustainably and with respect for the environment.” (European Forum for Food Sovereignty). Planning effective projects requires a good analysis of the situation and knowledge of the context-specific factors. In its projects, Kindernothilfe works with local partners who are familiar with the respective circumstances and have established good relationships with the project communities. This ensures that the projects focus on the right areas and meet people’s needs.
In order to improve the nutritional situation effectively and sustainably, a wide variety of measures are interlinked or integrated into projects on a modular basis. For example, 14-year-old Rosaline from a remote mountain village in Haiti attends a Kindernothilfe school program. In addition to French, mathematics and social sciences, she also learns how to grow vegetables in the school garden. The girls and boys receive seeds for cabbage, pepper tomatoes or corn, for example, which they sow in their gardens. The vegetables harvested are used in the school kitchen for lunch.
In its worldwide projects, Kindernothilfe specifically supports families in developing their agricultural traditions with modern knowledge.
© Kindernothilfe
