http://www.ungei.org/ News from UNGEI en-us Copyright 2007, UNGEI http://www.ungei.org/rss/ http://www.unicef.org/images/hp_ungei_banner_thn.gif http://www.ungei.org/ http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_2135.html The World Day Against Child Labour will be celebrated on 12 June 2009. The World Day this year marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention No. 182, which addresses the need for action to tackle the worst forms of child labour. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/drc_2153.html KIPUSHI, Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 June 2009 – Covered in powder, Sylvian, 2, sits alongside his mother, pounding rocks with a mallet in an ore heap in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/nepal_2154.html KATHMANDU, Nepal, 12 June 2009 – Maya Waiba was still shy of her 10th birthday when a labour contractor in her impoverished village in the south of Nepal promised her parents that she would receive a decent salary and an education in Kathmandu. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_2147.html Media summary of the ILO report: Give girls a chance - Tackling child labour, a key to the future. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_2135.html The World Day Against Child Labour will be celebrated on 12 June 2009. The World Day this year marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention No. 182, which addresses the need for action to tackle the worst forms of child labour. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_2131.html Global, 18 May 2009, The Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are a 'make or break'moment for whether the G20 deal will benefit the millions of children and adults struggling to get aneducation, according to a new policy report from the Global Campaign for Education (GCE). http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_2129.html Global, May 8, 2009—A global push to enroll children in school faces an immediate financing gap of some $1.2 billion—a situation that threatens the goal of universal education by 2015, say backers of the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI). http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/usa_2120.html LOS ANGELES, USA, 22 April 2009 -The African First Ladies Health Summit concluded with a commitment by these influential women to use their positions to improve maternal health, stop the AIDS epidemic and promote girls' education. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_2122.html Limerick, Ireland, 18 to 29 May 2009 - UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education are organizing an e-Forum on "Teachers and HIV & AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges" from 18 to 29 May 2009. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/zambia_2119.html Lubwe, Zambia: Saturday, April 18th - Minutes before the Impact Fair starts, the students from the Leadership & Enterprise Course are practicing their presentations and fine-tuning their posters, putting the finishing touches on drawings of chickens and cell phones and overstuffed couches. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/thailand_2115.html As part of the initiative to promote gender equality in education, UNESCO Bangkok - along with the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), East Asia and Pacific (EAP) and South Asia (SA) - is pleased to invite entries for the Photo Contest 2009 on the theme of: Reversing Realities: Seeking Gender Equality in Education http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_2098.html ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 9 April 2009 – Adolescent girls in developing countries are the world's greatest untapped resource for stability and growth. As economic actors and future mothers, safe, healthy, educated, economically empowered girls have the means to escape poverty and ignite progress. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/bhutan_2097.html THIMPHU, Bhutan, 6 April 2009 – The Young Champions of Bhutan participated in a Youth Festival organized by the Department of Youth and Sports under the Ministry of Education this past December. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/rwanda_2094.html KIGALI, Rwanda, 24 March 2009—Rwanda's First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, recently presented the annual Imbuto Foundation Awards in Kigali, which honour academic excellence among primary and secondary school girls. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/usa_2087.html NEW YORK, USA, 6 March 2009 – Leaders from seven international organizations converged for a 'Girl Power and Potential' reception this week in New York. The event featured a panel of speakers outlining the strategies and goals of the United Nations Interagency Task Force on Adolescent Girls. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/usa_2093.html These are critical times for girls. As the global economy teeters on the brink, the wellbeing of millions in both the developed and the developing world is at risk. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_2090.html KHAMZARGAR, Afghanistan,3 March 2009– As I enter the house in this village north of Kabul, Maqbolah, 30, is reading out loud from a book to her fellow women students. She seems to be enjoying herself. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/eritrea_2089.html ASMARA, Eritrea, 5 March 2009 – The Hotel Embasoira in Asmara recently hosted an award ceremony for women teachers, organized by the Ministry of Education and supported by UNICEF. The event, a first of its kind in Eritrea, celebrated the work and long-term achievements of 12 educators. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/usa_2042.html NEW YORK, USA, 22 January 2009 – When Gaza's schools reopen in the coming days, Maram, 12, does not know where she'll go. "I want to see what happened to my school," she said in a telephone interview with UNICEF Radio. "I saw pictures of it – It was very, very destroyed." http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/sudan_2081.html DARFUR, Sudan, February 2009 - My name is Asrar Abubaker Ishag and I am 12 years old, I am studying at grade 7th in Elsaadia Basic School for girls, Nyala. I am the oldest of the five children in our family, my father is a policeman and my mother is a teacher. My family lives in Khartoum Belail area in Nyala. I have learnt a lot of things in the school besides the subjects. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/ghana_2074.html GHANA, 29 January 2009 - Every evening, 15-year-old Rashida* returns home from school, changes out of her uniform, and rushes to a neighboring farm to help her mother harvest vegetables. Her father is disabled, so the modest profit the two of them earn must cover food, clothing and other necessities for all seven children and their parents. Despite having precious little time to study, Rashida is one of the top students at her junior secondary school. But with so much responsibility on her small shoulders, she admits that it is sometimes hard for her to imagine a more promising future. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/usa_2042.html NEW YORK, USA, 22 January 2009 – When Gaza's schools reopen in the coming days, Maram, 12, does not know where she'll go. "I want to see what happened to my school," she said in a telephone interview with UNICEF Radio. "I saw pictures of it – It was very, very destroyed." http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/jordan_2020.html AMMAN, Jordan, 5 January 2009 – At a UNICEF-organized press conference here this morning, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah made an urgent plea on behalf of all the civilians living in Gaza – especially children – for a "humanitarian ceasefire" and for the international community to do all it can to help alleviate the suffering. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/1333_1995.html OSLO, Norway, 11 February 2008 - Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, education and development ministers, leading officials from multilateral and bilateral agencies, and representatives from civil society will meet in Oslo, Norway (16-17 December ) to recommend strategies for accelerating progress towards achieving quality Education For All by 2015. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_1988.html 26 November 2008 - In classrooms across the Commonwealth today, boys and girls are behaving very differently. Teachers from Malaysia and Seychelles report that girls are achieving notably higher grades in some subjects, while boys' performance is poor. In Trinidad and Tobago, many male students are showing clear resistance to learning, which is widely perceived to be a 'girl' thing. In some schools, female aggression is on the rise. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/jordan_1979.html AMMAN, Jordan, 23 November 2008 - Accepting the first ever YouTube Visionary Award via taped message, Saturday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah opted for a very non-traditional approach at explaining why she chose to create a channel aimed at breaking down stereotypes about the Arab and Muslim worlds on YouTube. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_1980.html KABUL, Afghanistan, 14 November 2008 – UNICEF has condemned the increasing number of attacks on schools and students in Afghanistan. A recent acid attack on 15 female students walking to school in the southern city of Kandahar blinded two of the girls and injured two others. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/niger_1984.html MARADI, Niger, 17 November 2008 – A respected tailor within her community, Aichatou has a life today that is a far cry from the one she was living just over two years ago. Back then, she worked as a street vendor in the busy town of Maradi, eastern Niger, on the border with Nigeria. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/liberia_1985.html MONROVIA, Liberia, 14 November 2008 – Peace came to Liberia in 2003, after 14 years of brutal, devastating civil war. Since then, progress to rebuild the country has been significant: the restoration of infrastructure, public services, the economy and the rule of law is well under way. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/brazil_1967.html SÃO PAULO, Brazil, 27 October 2008 – As part of an official state visit to Brazil, UNICEF's Eminent Advocate for Children, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, visited the UNICEF-supported Aprendiz City-School, a non-governmental organization located in the Vila Madalena district of São Paulo last week. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/argentina_1963.html BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, 23 October 2008 – Children at a UNICEF-supported school in Argentina received a royal visitor this week, when Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan dropped by. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/benin_1962.html TOVIKLIN, Benin, 22 October 2008 – "We want to go to school, achieve primary education, and go forward in order to become ministers, civil servants, teachers, physicians, top executives," sang 12 young girls from Toviklin, a rural town in the southwest of Benin. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/uk_1961.html UNITED KINGDOM, 13 October 2008 - Camfed's founder and Executive Director Ann Cotton has been presented with the Women of the Year Window to the World Award. The award salutes women whose courage and determination has brought much-needed attention to an international issue – in Ann's case, the lack of educational opportunity for girls in rural Africa. The award was presented by Sarah Brown, the wife of the UK Prime Minister, at the annual Women of the Year Luncheon on October 13th. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/1940_1949.html NEW YORK, USA, 1 October 2008 – Mariem Saidou Sall, 11, is in sixth grade at the Sarandougou School in the remote and poor Brakna Region of Mauritania. Like most of her friends and neighbours in the village, she rides the bus to school every morning. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_1928.html NEW YORK, USA, 26 September 2008 – Devli Kumari, now 11, came a long way from a stone quarry in India, where she grew up as a child labourer, to United Nations headquarters in New York, where she spoke at the launch of an 'Education for All' campaign during the General Assembly session this week. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_1921.html GENEVA, Switzerland, 17 September 2008 - The right to education in an emergency and how it can be used to address inequalities in such situations are themes explored in two linked events in Geneva this week. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/malawi_1916.html DOWA, Malawi, 11 September 2008 – Eveless Mayenje purposefully walks to class, knowing that she only has two terms before she goes to secondary school. At 18, she is much older than most of her classmates in the eighth grade. This does not in any way daunt her, as she is focused on staying in school. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/sierraleone_1915.html FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 11 September 2008 – West African singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo recently visited a UNICEF-supported girls' education project in Sierra Leone, where she called for stronger actions to help educate girls and lift them out of poverty. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/zambia_1912.html ZAMBIA, 10 September 2008 - Camfed Zambia this year launched an ambitious child abuse prevention initiative, funded by Irish Aid. Camfed's Zero Tolerance to Child Abuse Campaign breaks through the culture of silence surrounding child abuse, and calls on all sectors of Zambian society to put an end to it. Through this new initiative, Camfed is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to develop a National Child Protection Policy, as well as reaching out to educators, families, law enforcement officials, and politicians to establish safe and effective systems for reporting child abuse, and to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_1911.html 10 September 2008 - Camfed is delighted to announce a major new grant of $2.5 million by the Skoll Foundation. This grant is part of the Foundation's commitment to developing 'a global ecosystem of social entrepreneurs'. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/eritrea_1900.html HASHISHAY, Eritrea, 2 September 2008 – Amid the dry heat and the scorching sun of Hashishay village in the north-west of Eritrea, there lies an oasis of huts made of mud-brick walls and grass-and-bamboo roofs. Meriem Abubeker, a 22-year-old widow, lives in Hashishay with her four-year-old son. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/brazil_1887.html BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil, 11 August 2008 – Like many children in Latin America, Paula Correa did not have an easy childhood. Her father – an alcoholic – left the family when she was seven and never came back. A few years later she lost her grandfather, her family's main financial supporter. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/1555_1895.html The Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Gender Task Team, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Education Cluster Gender Working Group, International Rescue Committee (IRC), United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) and UNICEF will co-sponsor a training workshop entitled "Addressing Gender Inequalities in and through Education in Emergencies, Post-Crisis and Contexts of Fragility". http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/nepal_1888.html KATHMANDU, Nepal, 25 August 2008 - This week youth advocates from seven countries in South Asia will come together in Kathmandu, Nepal for a second round of media and advocacy training. Many of the young advocates trained cadres of young volunteers to help promote girls' education and gender equality back in their home countries. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/247_1842.html LONDON, England, 15 July 2008 - A team of 16 runners braved wind and rain to take part in the British 10K London Run on Sunday, 6 July for Camfed. So far the intrepid team has raised more than £11,000 for girls in Africa, which is enough to buy 1,466 pairs of school shoes. http://www.ungei.org/infobycountry/bangladesh_1841.html CHITTAGONG HILLS TRACTS, Bangladesh, 10 July 2008 – In a remote south-eastern corner of Bangladesh lies the Chittagong Hills Tracts, a semi-autonomous region, divided into three districts. Home to at least 13 indigenous ethnic groups and geographically and socioculturally distinct from the rest of the country, Chittagong Hills lacks such basic services as education, sanitation and health care.