Monday, December 9, 2013

We are all part of the human race, united through the global community. The United Nations in 1948 created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are all humans and are supposed to be protected by these rights. However, countries are guilty of not abiding by these laws and worst of all some people don’t know these laws exist.

The countries that people don’t know they have rights, tend to be the countries that are considered to be in a fragile state. Fragile states are countries that are still in the midst of developing; examples are Pakistan and Somalia.

These are basic rights that we take for granted. If these people living in fragile states knew about these laws would they have a different outlook on life or possibly have a better life? Article 26 states that everyone has the right to an education.

Nelson Mandela once said, “ Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Kids in countries that are fragile states tend to not have equal opportunities to education. Without education we see more child soldiers and trafficking. 




 Kids around the world who are starving for an education will go to great length to get it. No story will ever compare the fight for education like Malala Yousafazi. Malala is a 16 year old from Pakistan, who has captivated the world with her ambition and desire to receive an education. She wanted to receive an education so bad that she put herself in harm's way with the Taliban. Malala spoke out countless time about the right for education and how powerful education is. She called for help, to reform education when she was 11 years old. When the Taliban saw it as a threat they sought her out and shot  in the head, leaving her to die. Malala has had the last laugh proving how strong by persevering. She has become a symbol of hope to many people around the world for education. http://www.npr.org/2013/10/15/234730460/malala-yousafzai-a-normal-yet-powerful-girl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev-jPT5M9cU


Save the Children is an organization that supports education programs for children around the world, in a formal or non formal education environment. Through quality education the child can improve life long health, income and the ability to reach their full potential, thus breaking the poverty cycle. Youth delegates from around the world met on July 12th, 2013 at the UN to fight for education for all children. Approximately 50 million children in areas of unrest face barriers to education on a daily bases. Attacks on education is common. According to UN statistic, they're approximately 3,600 documented attacks on education in 2012. Save the children is asking our world leaders to help; by protecting education from attacks and assist with developing learning centers. Save the Children wants to empower learning by developing education and programs. The need to inspire learning through effective teaching programs  in the classroom and at home has been identified.Teachers need to be trained, parents need to encourage and help children at home and community centers need to be established to aid in the education process. The ultimate goal is that children don't miss out on the benefits that education brings.   http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6537739/k.767B/Google_Search_Results.htm?q=Education http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8744729/

Somalia is the country on the border of eastern Africa. It has recently gained the title of  "Most failed state in the world". This nation has a complex and extensive history and journey to independence. Though Somalia has recently gained independence, it is still very fragile on account of past invasions and wars. Also there is still tension and conflict today. 


A lot of conflict in the world are related to religion and ethnic diversity. When Africa was being colonized by when first world countries, the African countries where divided for resources to benefit the colonizers. Ethnic diversity, tensions and conflicts where not considered when they where dividing up land. Somalia is predominately practice Islam.  Al-Shabaab, which translates to the youth, is an Islamic extremist terrorist group that is trying to create an Islamic state. They control a good portion of Somalia. They have carried out many attacks over the years but have instilled fear in people and have made it harder for kids to receive an education in certain locations due to where the attacks are carried out. This group wants to recruit youth because they are easier to manipulate and control. Qur'an teachers in Halgan were warned not to teach our children false ideology that is used to recruit children to become fighters. Unfortunately these teachers where jailed by the Al-Shabaab. http://www.criticalthreats.org/somalia/al-shabaab-leadership





Somali schools infrastructure is poor, class sizes are large and educational resources virtually don't exist. It’s unthinkable to understand how fortunate we are to have the type of education we have in the United States,  we are so unaware of how much we take for granted. Kids in Somalia are starving for an education and will go to great lengths to receive it. Somalia is rated the worst in education in the world. Only 10% of children will get to attend primary school and the literacy rate is approximately 37.8%. Today, the number of students receiving an education is increasing.  Education is a form of hope for Somali people, hope for a better life.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html