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This fortnight's thi>e The right to play Issue 130
 
 


Children's Rights are Human Rights

What does it mean to be a child? For some it means a time for discovering the wonders of the world, a time for playing games and having fun, a time of innocence, a time for education, a time for developing the skills and knowledge that will be the foundation for a fulfilling adult life. For others there is little of this. For many children throughout the world childhood does not really exist. Childhood means having to take responsibility for providing food for your family, to walk long distances to fetch water or to go to the markets. Being a child might even involve looking after a sick family member and so not having the opportunity to attend school. This is no childhood at all. Whether you can have a childhood or not depends on whether you are poor or not.

Young Girls

The child shall have full opportunity for play and recreation, which should be directed to the same purposes as education; society and the public authorities shall endeavour to promote the enjoyment of this right - United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (Article 7)

Unfortunately for many children around the world, the right to a childhood is not a reality.

Caritas Australia supports a program in remote areas of Bolivia in South America which gives childhood back to children. This program, called Pujllay (meaning learning through play) provides an opportunity for young people to experience the "normal" parts of childhood while learning valuable skills for life in their communities. Not only do they get to meet for two days per month with other young people to learn such skills as first aid, health and hygiene as well as human rights, the young people are also taught how to grow fruit and vegetables which means that they can make a valuable contribution to the nutrition of themselves and their families. They are also given skills in the raising of animals such as poultry and rabbits further contributing to the good health of their families.

hands

Perhaps just as important to the children participating in the Pujllay program, is the opportunity for these children to break from their routine, where many have caring responsibilities at home. It is an opportunity to get together with other children and do what children love to do: sing, dance, play games and simply relax with other kids.

Child

We sometimes forget how important it is for children to play. In fact it is through play that we learn the most important life skills. Just think what the games we play as children teach us:

  • Doing puzzles teaches us about shapes, sizes, number and problem solving.
  • We develop motor skills by pushing and pulling toys or by riding on them. We develop fine motor skills by painting or by using crayons.
  • We learn about eye and hand coordination by throwing and catching balls.
  • Play teaches us about relationships and how to develop them through sharing and taking turns. They teach us valuable negotiation skills, about how to approach others so that you will not be left on your own. Games also teach us about leadership and about being a follower. Games teach you about cooperation and teamwork.
  • Games help you to express and work through your feelings. Games can teach patience and success in games can boost confidence.
  • Games help to develop language through listening to others, by talking as well as by learning rhymes and songs.
  • Playing with others is the way friendships develop.

Alex is an 8 year old boy who participates in the Pujllay project in his Bolivian village of Chipiriri. Alex has a 3 year old brother who he is responsible for when his father is away doing seasonal work. Alex's mother died in a truck accident in 2004. He has many more responsibilities than most children. At least through the Pujllay project he has time to be a child as well as make a valuable contribution to his family and community.

Children

    

Teaching and Learning Activities

Religion/ Social Sciences/ Literacy

1) Go to www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion/
lentenStories4_secondary.htm to read more about Alex and the Pujllay project that is supported by Caritas. Answer the following:

  • What are the main aims of this project?
  • For how long has Caritas been supporting the project?
  • What sorts of topics are covered at the Pujllay meetings?
  • Who are the members of Alex's immediate family?
  • Where do they live?
  • Locate the region that they live in by looking at the map at media.maps.com/magellan/Images/BOLIVI-W1.gif
  • What does ASONGS stand for?
  • How does the project help Alex to contribute to the well-being of his family?
  • How many families in Alex's village have benefited from the Pujllay project?
  • Compare your life to that of Alex.
  • What do you have in the way of responsibility in your family?
  • Do you have to mind any younger brothers or sisters?
  • Do you help in other ways around the home?
  • Do you help to provide food for the family?
  • How do you think you would cope with what Alex has to do?

2) Order a DVD or video from Caritas called "Make Poverty History" which shows the Pujllay project.

3) Write a diary entry that Alex might write about a normal day and then another diary entry after a day at Pujllay.

4) Go to www.unicef.org/football/
world/index.html where the "Global Child" is profiled. Answer the following:

  • How many children are there in the world?
  • Of these how many are living in extreme poverty?
  • How many children will have to work?
  • How many children will miss out on an education?
  • How many children will not finish Primary school of those who start?

5) Go to www.caritas.org.au/education/childrights.htmto view a plain language version of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Ask each student to design a poster based on one of these rights and display them in your classroom.

6) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/
country_profiles/1210487.stm to find out more about the country that Alex and his family live in. From this site, gather information for a poster or a Powerpoint presentation on Bolivia.

Some points to include might be:

7) The Pujllay project assists in providing "food security". What do you think this means?

Go to www.cafod.org.uk/var/storage/
original/application/phpdlKgYR.pdf for some suggestions for activities to engage young people in thinking about food and hunger.

8) Go to www.cafod.org.uk/resources/
secondary_schools/food_and_hunger/
food_factsheet_ks3_ks4 Read the information and then do the following:

  • a) Write in your own words the meaning of food security.
  • b) What does malnutrition mean?
  • c) How does being malnourished affect a person's life?
  • d) What is the link between poverty and malnutrition?
  • e) What are the causes of people going hungry in our world?
  • f) Why is emergency food aid not an answer to the problem of food insecurity?
  • g) What are some effective ways of improving food security?

9) Go to www.pbase.com/beamsclan/coch to view photos of the region that Alex lives in.

10) Complete the online quiz on hunger at www.alertnet.org/quiz/
112652241128.htm

11) Go to www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/
112679922732.htm for a detailed explanation of how food insecurity can lead to full blown famine.

12) Play an online game which deals with the issue of child labour at www.globalgang.org.uk/carpet/index.htm Play an online game about hunger at www.food-force.com/

13) Millennium Development Goal 1 aims to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty as well as reducing the number of those who do not have enough food to meet their daily energy requirements. Go to cyberschoolbus.un.org/mdgs/index.html to find out more by clicking on the Goal 1 icon.

Mathematics

1)

  • a) Estimate the number of hours that you attend school each week.
  • b) Estimate the number of hours you spend doing work around the house.
  • c) Estimate the number of hours per week that you spend watching television.
  • d) Estimate the number of hours that you spend surfing the internet or playing games on the computer.
  • e) Estimate the number of hours that you spend playing sport.
  • f) Estimate the number of hours that you spend each week talking to or playing with friends.

2) Now plot this information onto a bar or column graph.

3) Now repeat this exercise for Alex. You will not have enough information to complete this absolutely accurately but consult others in your class or group to make a realistic estimation from what you know.

4) Now compare the two graphs. What differences and similarities do you observe?

PDHPE

1) From your own experience and knowledge, choose a sport or game and make a list of skills that you would learn and practise while playing it.

2) Go to www.unicef.org/football/
world/afghanistan.html and find out about the introduction of football to Afghan children in refugee camps. After reading this information, work in small groups to come up with a list of benefits of playing sport for children in their situation. Click on the Iain Levine video/audio link and listen to his explanation of why play is so important for these Afghan children.

  • Why did these children have to rediscover play?
  • What skills does it teach them?
  • How might these skills help to promote peace?
  • Does sport have the same purpose in a country like Australia?

3) For more social justice topics and activities related to football (soccer) go to www.cafod.org.uk/resources/youth_leaders/
youth_topics/a_beautiful_game

4) Go to www.unicef.org/football/world/index.html to see how sport and football in particular can contribute to peace and democracy throughout the world. Choose one of the countries mentioned and in small groups, research the stories and then give a short presentation to the rest of the class groups.

5) For more information about world hunger as well as nutrition, including lesson ideas go to www.feedingminds.org/info/info_level.htm

Parish/Community/Social Justice Groups

One of the main targets of the Make Poverty History campaign is for more and better aid. Recent news about money paid by the Australian government from its aid budget highlights the problem of how the aid budget is allocated and how much of it ends up in the pocket of Australians rather than assisting those in need. Read the following article at www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/
story/0,20281,18286962-5001021,00.html and consider contacting your local Member of Parliament to inquire whether this amount of money (around $1 million) will be reallocated to the Australian aid budget.

Consider an awareness raising campaign focusing on the numbers of children who are hungry, cannot attend school and who have to work to assist their families to simply survive.

For more information on the importance of play to a child's development go to www.napcan.org.au/documents/
resourcepdfs/NAP032.PDF

A useful awareness raising tool "Debunking Myths about Muslims in Australia" is available from the Edmund Rice Centre. It can be downloaded at www.erc.org.au/just_comments/
1131689123.shtml

Order your copy of From Money to Meaning: Young People and Work from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council as well as Ending Hunger: How Far Can We Go? At www.acsjc.org.au/

 

  
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