Students launch Africa Hunger Alert - International Grassroots Campaign

UN Chronicle, June-August, 2003 by Alan Kirby

Kids learn through action. A project like this teaches them about our world, politics, geography, cultures, the media, the United Nations and how to be an involved citizen both locally and globally.

The promotion of our democratic ideals and global citizenship is the most important thing schools can do. Making a difference in the world will have a lasting change in my students which drilling for a standardized test could never replace.

We are still collecting aluminum cans, and we are hoping to help others who are interested in staging events to help the famine. We are also hoping that celebrities who care about this issue will become involved in order to raise awareness about the famine. We can be contacted through our website (www.famineafrica.com).

RELATED ARTICLE: UNICEF Online Campaign for Girls' Education

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in conjunction with a leading pan-European children's entertainment company, launched on 4 April an online campaign to collect pledges in support of its drive to get more girls into school. The campaign was developed jointly as part of the overall partnership between UNICEF and Fox Kids Europe (FKE) to promote the "Go Girls! Education for Every Child" programme, a major part of the UN agency's initiative to get by 2005 more girls into school in 25 priority countries.

"Far too often, girls are denied the chance to go to school, to learn in a safe and protective environment, to be taught by well-trained teachers, to be treated fairly and as equals", UNICEF Director of Communications Marjorie Newman-Williams said. "The pledge campaign calls on the world to help us give both boys and girls the same opportunities."

The campaign has five points which outline what it takes to ensure that every child has the best possible education: the best start in life, the best schools, the best teachers, safety, protection and fairness. To make a pledge, supporters can log on to any of the twelve dedicated and fully localized Fox Kids Cup micro-sites worldwide. Those interested can make their pledge until the Fox Kids Cup 2003 international finals, to be held from 22 to 26 June in the Netherlands. UNICEF, however, plans to continue collecting pledges through various alternative methods over the next two years.

The Fox Kids Cup is a six-a-side football tournament for girls and boys under 13 years of age. It will be the biggest in its history, with close to one million players taking part. FKE and UNICEF first teamed up last year to promote the "Say Yes for Children" campaign, an initiative in which over 94 million people pledged support for ten basic principles to protect and improve childrens' lives.

Alan Kirby teaches German at Seckman High School in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He is currently working on his M.Ed. in educational administration. The Africa Famine Alert campaign grew out of an initiative proposed by Mr. Kirby