Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

I listened to Episode 6 podcast on the World Forum radio that interviewed Meridas Eka Yora. He has opened 3 boarding schools for children who were orphaned by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.  His goal is to try and give children a "normal life".  His foundation is known and respected.  It is important that leaders take action and create a place where others can go to find help and to be of help to those in need.  For the children who were orphaned during this tragedy, their lives were changed for the better because one person cared.  It only takes one person to start a chain reaction of help to those who need it.  One person who knows the contacts of others who are able and willing to help children.




As I reviewed the Center on the Developing Child website I found they are creating work groups to focus in on  and learn more about important areas in early childhood systems.   "Guided by these strategic objectives, the Global Children’s Initiative has begun to build a portfolio of activities in three domains:

• early childhood development;
• child mental health; and
  
• children in crisis and conflict situations.

Each of these domains is being guided by a designated faculty working group that will facilitate continuing cross-disciplinary collaboration; design and implement new projects; and engage additional faculty, students, and collaborators beyond the Harvard community" (Center on the Developing Child, 2011).  It saddens me that we have to have a focus on children in crisis and conflict situations because in my mind children should not be involved in such states of despair.  Childhood for many children is not how I remember my childhood or how my children will remember theirs.  My children had a huge upheaval in their lives that caused our family great stress but it is nothing compared to the stress that some children have to live with daily.  I was able to get counseling for my children and form a network of support through family and friends when our family crisis took place.  Many children do have such support and systems in place to receive the same.  Children should not have do deal with such strife in their young lives.

Global Gathering in Moscow Put Spotlight on Early Childhood Issues-"In 2000, the world’s governments established a set of ambitious international goals—such as ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring that every child worldwide completes at least a primary education, and reducing child mortality by two-thirds—to be achieved by 2015. While progress has been made towards these targets, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2015 is not so far away, and governments are struggling to meet their obligations" (Lawton, 2010).  It is clear that issues affecting children are happening all over the globe and many countries are struggling to find ways to lessen the impact these have on young children.  I am curious to see how close the countries come to meeting these goals by 2015!

The website offers a direct link to their journal as well as signing up for their mailing list. I signed up for their email newsletter.  With so many resources in our field I sometimes become overwhelmed and forget which sources to check out.  Signing up for newsletters and updates from important sites such as this remind to educate myself on their newest research and support for our field.

References:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

http://www.fajarhidayah.com/en/photogallery/others/Fajar_Hidayah_brief_history.pdf

http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio