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It has been said that it takes a community to raise a child. In Canada education is a major part of the child rearing process, not only is education a right and an enforced guarantee, but the ability to read, write and socially interact comes from this nearly flawless system. Knowledgeable teachers, safe facilities, school supplies, and academic and sexual education are abundantly available for Canadian youth. Unfortunately in some countries, like Tanzania, Africa, education is not a right, instead it is a rare privilege. Independent families (families which are not receiving financial aid) with an income may be able to afford to send the oldest of their children to school--those are the well-off families. Education is the seed of a person’s success. When planted, a child develops moral and social roots and then later branches out to understand and think about new ideas, innovations, and next steps. With these branches, people learn how to survive, interact, make a living, and, most importantly, stay healthy. A major problem in Africa is the spread of HIV/AIDs. Millions of children are orphaned each year because of this terrible virus. Thankfully we do not see the same devastating affect in place like Canada, where the education system is so strong. Education in some parts of the world is so scarce that only 1 in 4 will become literate. In Tanzania Africa, the literacy is only 69%. That means that nearly 1/3 of the population has never been educated. The resulting social and economic devastation in Tanzania is so overwhelming that many people feel that we cannot possibly bring about any significant change, but at CDCI West, we feel that there is hope for individual children. It only takes $250.00 to send a child to school in Tanzania. This includes not only academic education, but also education on how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs. Included in this tuition is a daily meal, perhaps the only meal a child will eat, and a uniform, perhaps the only clothing a child will own. An education in this society can change a life, improving a child’s potential and hope for a better life. Though the problem in Africa is too large to fathom, we can make a difference one child at a time. The 2007-2008 Interact Executive of CDCI West, would like to ask the community for some help. Within our high school, we have set a goal to send as many children as possible to school in Kilema, Tanzania. With a goal of 20 children, we have begun to organize events, like our Car Wash on June 14th, and our in-school auction on May 16th, to help us reach our goal. However, wouldn’t it be amazing if we exceeded it? To quote Craig Kielburger, founder of Kids Can Free the Children, “it takes a community to raise a child”. Cobourg is a small, but mighty community. We believe that with the support of our community we can exceed our goal. We, as a community, can assist the children in Kilema by providing them with an opportunity to learn—an opportunity to change their lives. Donations for our auction, participation in the car wash, money donations to the school (cheques payable to CDCI West Interact Club), as well as community initiatives are always welcomed an encouraged. Please understand that we are not expecting to change the world, but we can change the lives for the children of Kilema. We can make difference. Written by Liz McIelwain |
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