WE WERE LEARNING ABOUT UNICEF DAY FOR CHANGE TODAY. IT IS ABOUT HELPING ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN GET THEIR RIGHT TO EDUCATION. WE WERE UPSET TO HEAR THAT THERE ARE MANY REASONS CHILDREN DON’T GET AN EDUCATION…

Declan S: 57 million children don’t go to school. Some of the reasons are that there aren’t enough schools and there aren’t enough teachers.

 Abbie: Some don’t get to go because of poor weather conditions and also because there aren’t food facilities.

 Josh: There is also the fact that school is too far away and they have to walk 5 or 10 miles to get there. Another reason is that some of the teachers aren’t qualified.

 Christopher S: Some children can’t go because there isn’t enough space or because there isn’t clean water or toilets.

 Alistair: The other reason is because some children are forced to work or look after their family instead of going to school.

 WE WERE PLEASED TO LEARN HOW UNICEF IS TRYING TO HELP… 

Isla: They are raising money to build new schools and improve the schools which are already there.

 Rebecca: They are also sending over a School in a Box which contains things like rubbers, rulers, pencils, books, clocks etc.

 Alexander: They are putting in clean water pumps into schools so the children have something to drink.

 Emma: They are putting lunch facilities into schools so children can get warm, nutritious food.

 Taylor: They are building learning centres which children can go to at different times of the day or at night.

 Luke: They are training up and supplying teachers who can provide a quality education.

 WE ALSO LEARNED ABOUT MALALA YOUSAFZAI AND HER INCREDIBLE STORY: 

Christopher A: Malala is a girl who is now 16. She is from Pakistan. Five years ago she started writing an online diary complaining about the way girls are treated in her village.

 Tom: Girls weren’t allowed to go to school and were treated differently from the boys. She spoke out against the Taliban terrorist group.

 Rabeea: She was going home from school on a bus and the Taliban shot her in the head because she was speaking out against her. She went to hospital and they managed to save her. Now she is still speaking out and her message is that girls should be treated the same as boys and get the right to an education.

WE FOUND MALALA’S STORY VERY INSPIRING…

 Zenaib: Malala has inspired me because she has spoken out and still does and she isn’t afraid of anyone. She is trying to get rights for girls for education.

 Christopher A: Her story has inspired me too because no matter how many threats she got from the Taliban she is still pushing forward to get her voice heard and improve conditions for girls in Pakistan.

 Josh: I think she is very brave to stand up to the Taliban and speaking out on behalf of girls in Pakistan to have a right to an education.

 Rabeea: I was amazed by her story because she was the youngest ever person to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize which has been won by people like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

 Louise: I think she is very inspiring because she stood up for her rights and everybody else’s rights and she believes in her own personality.

 Christopher S: I think she is inspiring because after being threatened and almost killed she is still talking out about what she believes.

 Isla: I find her really inspiring because no matter how many times they threatened her or tried to kill her she didn’t give in.

 Mr Berginis: I find the story of Malala very emotional, especially seeing everybody raising their hands in the video and saying “I am Malala” to show their support.

WE DID OUR OWN TRIBUTE TO MALALA…

 WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MALALA…