BOLIVIA

Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America. Casa Nazareth in Cochabamba houses 500 orphaned and abandoned children who would otherwise be on the streets. Project Amanacer, run by the daughters of charity, rescues children from the terror of the streets and helps restore their childhood. Community programmes reach out to approximately 2500 children living and working as street children. School supplies are needed for primary education, essential to break the cycle of poverty and to give children the best possible start if they are to have hope for the future. Funds are also needed to support the community workers, the point of access for the street children (the right to be safe, the right to education, the right to health).

BOSNIA – HERZEGOVINA

Tuesday’s Child first project was building a safe playground for children with severe disabilities in a little school Sunce (sunshine) in Mostar, the front line of the Bosnian-Serbian war, which left 14 percent of children orphaned. On our first visit, we met an American lady Janet Leff. Janet has worked tirelessly throughout the region since the war and has touched the lives of so many.Tuesday’s Child is fundraising to sponsor a range of Janet’s projects for children and families……educational materials, computers, dental treatment, wood for the winter, playgrounds, medical supplies and supporting severely ill children with specialist medical treatment. We also support The Sound of Us (p 10) - it has brought so much joy that we wish to roll out this project to other institutionalised children (the right to health, the right to education, the right to have a voice, the right to play and leisure, the right to special care for disabilities and special learning needs).

BRAZIL

1 Photo by Ali McAllister 2 Photo by Helen Regan Bem Me Quer Co-ordinator

Bem Me Quer (Wish You Well) is an outreach programme run in the shanty towns of Sao Paulo, Brazil.The children enrolled in Bem Me Quer come from a background of extreme poverty with complex family problems – parent(s) in prison, drug addiction and HIV. Parent(s) are unemployed and often out trying to make a little money on recycling. There is no chance of schooling until the age of 7, if at all, and with no room to play at home and often no parental guidance, many children turn to the streets. Bem Me Quer identifies children most in need of psychological support and helps them to prepare for life (right to education, the right to information, the right to health).

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

The recent civil war in eastern DRC has devastated many aspects of life and children are among those most affected. A population size equivalent to that of Ireland, north and south, died either through direct conflict or displacement. Mulongo is a school catering for about 2000 children. The school is one of many decimated during the war. It needs rebuilt and basic school supplies and a playground facility with better salaries to retain underpaid teachers.The Active Christian Evangelism (ACE) Group, lead by Dr Graham Fry, is funding the project; more funds are needed. Other areas in needs are feeding programmes, health promotion programmes and support of a new maternity hospital.

Some of the photos in this booklet are of the children of Mulongo (the right to education, the right to health, the right to play and leisure).

EGYPT

The Holy Vincent of Paul School, Aboule Darde, Alexandria is a primary school catering for 400 children, both orphans and an intake from the poorest of the poor families in the region. The school provides education and full meals to all children. They are urgently in need of funds to sustain services (the right to education, the right to health).

ETHIOPIA

Link Community Development (LCD) is an organisation doing great work in promoting primary school education in countries in South Africa.They provide skills training and capacity building to teaching Children of Holy Vincent de Paul school Photo by Sr Charlotte we are hoping to help staff and school management and community ownership of schools. LCD are presently twinning primary schools in Ireland with primary schools in Ethiopa. Again primary education is crucial to break poverty and oppression and give children a brighter future (the right to education).

GHANA

Reading is essential to child development. Most children in Ireland have a great collection of story books and fairytales, not to mention colouring books and fun learning aids.

The Aketenkye library project wishes to develop a rural library facility for 456 children from 9 different communities. The focus is to help children learn independently and prepare them for a better future. (the right to education, the right to play and leisure).

GRENADA

In 2004, the hurricane Ivan caused widespread devastation to Grenada, a country of already considerable poverty. Social deprivation escalated and children and the elderly were the most vulnerable. Many lost their homes completely and lives were shattered. 

The Grand Anse Centre for Social Development is a school for girls from the ages of 13 to 17 yrs, who have dropped out of school for social reasons and fallen behind. This school gives girls a much needed second chance and a helping hand back to mainstream education.

In addition to general studies, it teaches life skills and provides one-to-one counselling. A hot meal is also provided each day, an incentive for attendance and facilitates well-being and learning.

The school is in need of funding for maintenance and basic equipment and materials. Their motto, grow where you are planted, is close to Tuesday’s Child’s heart.

ISRAEL

Oh little town of Bethlehem….

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cause human misery and suffering, especially for little children. Tuesday’s Child is fundraising to support a number of projects in Israel – Gaza, Bethlehem, Ain Karem and Bethany, all co-ordinated by the daughters of charity. In war torn Gaza, the muslim children are starving. Fifty of the poorest families, receive a weekly food parcel of dried foods. These parcels are given out through the nursery schools in the area. In Ain Karem, a centre for 60 children with severe disabilities, from the ages of 5 – 22 yrs, the need here is basic but essential – diapers for the children, all of whom are incontinent. In Bethany, a girls school needs a new school bus to transport them safely to school.

The Holy Family Children’s Home in Bethlehem is a crèche looking after 110 children, 1 – 6 yrs old either orphans or children from the poorest of the poor families.The Home provides love, security, education and medical care to these children. Again, they are in urgent need of funds (the right to health, the right to education, the right to play and leisure, the right to be safe, the right to special care for children with disabilities).

MOLDOVA

Moldova is the second poorest country in Eastern Europe. Tuesday’s Child are fundraising for children in two regions here – Transnistria and Brecini. We are hoping to help 5 institutions housing and schooling children with different disabilities – physical and special learning needs. In Brecini, we hope to implement IT learning for children. Many children have never had a holiday or know the fun of spending a day at the beach and we hope to raise money to send the Brecini children on summer holidays (the right for to special care for children with disabilities, the right to education, the right to play and leisure, the right to information).

ST LUCIA

The Holy Family Children’s Home for abandoned children in Castris, currently looks after children from 3 months – 13 yrs old. Children live in the Home and receive all their meals there. They attend the nearby school.There is no outdoor play area and leisure facilities within the home are minimal. Th e children need a safe playground area to play in as well as books, toys, games and a computer playstation... (the right to play and leisure, the right to be safe, the right to information).

ZIMBABWE

The Nahera College, on the outskirts of Harare provides practical skills training to teenagers in the area.The Centre, run by the Franciscan community, teaches skills such as woodwork, building, roofing and plumbing. The Centre caters for 20 residential students at time and full meals and recreational facilities are provided. Each intake runs for 18 months at the end of which a diploma is awarded. The project keeps teenagers off the street and the skills training enables a start in employment and proactive contribution within local communities (the right to education, the right to health). “I call you to be love and light where there is darkness” (Medj. message 25 Oct 2007)