UN Cyber School Bus

This page has information that is especially suitable for kids to understand. Of course, it is not only for kids.  Here are some of the features available.

1. Against All Odds: "This interactive online game was created by UNHCR to increase students' awareness and knowledge about refugee situations by putting players in the position of a refugee."
2. Stop Disasters: "Learn how to respond to different disasters in this new simulation video game from UN/ISDR."
3. Food Force: "Play this popular video game on world hunger. Six different missions. For 8-13 year olds."
4. Flag Tag: Do you know the flags of the countries of the world?
5. PANWAPA: "...a new online world designed by Sesame Workshop to help young children develop skills needed to become global citizens."
6. Country-at-a-Glance

Water (Part 1)

Today's topic: Water.

"Why?", you ask.

Think about how important water is. Water is essential to life on Earth. Living things can not endure very long at all without water.

I was sitting in on a leadership meeting at the church I work at a few weeks ago. Long story short, the church has just raised enough money for EIGHT wells to be built by Gospel for Asia. I was able to relate my own experiences around the world seeing how valuable clean water is which prompted me to think aferwards about just how valuable the substance is. It's valuable for health and sanitation but as a tool for evangelization among non-Christians. Throughout this fundraising venture with the church, I have looked more into the wells and clean water, in general. An a recent article, GFA said that each well will impact hundreds of people! Praise God!!

I will assert that we, in the western world, underestimate the value of clean water--or water in general! When's the last time you:

• Turned on the faucet
• Flushed a toilet
• Cooked (with water)
• Washed your hands
• Washed your car
• Went swimming
• Enjoyed a nice, refreshing cup of ice water
• Enjoyed coffee, cocoa, or cider
• Took a shower/bath
• Washed your clothes
• Washed your dishes (by hand or dishwasher)
• Watered your lawn (think summer, Midwesterners!)
• Put water in your car to prevent overheating (okay, maybe just me...last summer!)
• Washed off a piece of fruit
• Drank from a water fountain
• Ran the shower to help with congestion

You get the idea....I bet you wouldn't use even a fraction of that amount of water if you had to pump water out of a well or fetch it out of a river...and then CARRY IT! Let me tell you, water buckets are HEAVY! I watered plenty of dust in my six months at JCC. And you probably wouldn't care nearly as much about the temperature after all of that... :-) But here, at home, we like our "creature comforts", don't we. Addicted to our hot showers, nice bubble baths, "just-right" cup of coffee....aren't we? This is as much to me as anyone.

This is essentially the first installment of a series about WATER and how we might better be informed of the issues. Water--clean water especially--is critical in Sierra Leone as it is throughout the world! If you read this blog or follow Jonathan House at all, then please take note of this and pray! Pray for clean water in the villages of the church plants, for the poorest, for the "least of these", for the wells at Jonathan House to work without mechanical issues. The driest, hottest month of the year in Sierra Leone is March. And it gets HOT!!! Then the rainy season will start in late April, May. The World Water Day (UN) also takes place in March coincidentally.

Let me leave you with this YouTube video about water. And as always, if you have any contributions, feel free to let me know. Contact information is at the top of the right margin.

Free Rice.org

For every question (on a variety of subjects) you answer correctly they donate 20 grains of rice. If you need to improve your vocabulary (um, maybe you need to study for the GRE?), geography, chemistry knowledge (element symbols anyway), etc....this is a great way to do it. They work with a UN program. Very cool. Try it out and feed someone.

allAfrica: [Sierra Leone] Ranks Last in Child Labor

Concord Times (Freetown)
16 April 2008 Ibrahim Jaffa Condeh and Kevin Hill

Child Labor is a huge problem in Sierra Leone. Many of the JCC kids have been personally involved with it (some were even held as slaves) and to be worst among the countries surveyed--that's a huge deal!! "78% of children ages 7 to 14 in the country are engaged in child labor"--that's huge! Later in the article it cites that UNICEF that one in six children in the entire world are involved in child labor. So it's not only a Sierra Leone or Africa problem, it does affect countries around the world, just Sierra Leone is the worst of those surveyed.

An excerpt:
"According to a recently released report by UNICEF on child labour and school attendance, 78% of children between the ages of 7 and 14 in Sierra Leone are engaged in child labour. The study, which covered one quarter of the world's population, ranked Sierra Leone last among nations surveyed..."

"The achievement of universal primary education is one of the Millennium Development Goals. Child labour, which can exclude primary school aged children from accessing an education, is a major obstacle to reaching this goal The UNICEF report found that "children from poor households and from households without a formally educated household head are more likely to be engaged in child labour and less likely to attend school", a situation that shows that "poverty is the root cause of child labour." The survey considered both economic activity and household chores and tried to distinguish between acceptable work and child labour. Child labour is work done by children that should be eliminated because it violates international labour standards, harms the child, or interferes with school attendance."

State of the World's Children Report 2008

UNICEF released their State of the World's Children Report earlier this year. They should have tables for each country available soon and if I remember I will let you know or post it. In the meantime, here are some interesting stats and numbers:

1. Under-five mortality rankings. Note that of the worst 10, all are in sub-Saharan Africa except for one (Afghanistan). Indeed 38 of the 39 worst under-5 countries, are sub-Saharan African countries! All of the best countries, except for one (Singapore) are European.

• Worst (Highest rates) 10: Sierra Leone, Angola, Afghanistan, Niger, Liberia, Mali, Chad Equatorial Guinea, DRCongo, Burkina Faso
• Best Worst (Lowest rates) 10: Sweden, Singapore, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Andorra, Spain, Slovenia, Norway, Monaco

2. Nutrition. For Sierra Leone

• Percentage of infants with low birthweight in 2006: 24
• Percentage of under-5's (2000-2006) suffering from: being underweight-30 (8% severe)

3. Health. For Sierra Leone

• Orphans (children aged 0-17) due to all causes, 2005: ~340,000 (31,000 to AIDS)

4. Education. For Sierra Leone.

• Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate 2000-2006: male-60%, female-37%

5. Demographic Info: For Sierra Leone.

• Population (thousands) 2006-- under 18: 2827, under 5: 999
• Life Expectancy: In 1970-35 years, In 2006-42
• Total fertility rate (2006): 6.5
• Percentage of population urbanized (2006): 41

6. Child Protection: For Sierra Leone.

• Percentage of child labor (5-14 years) 1999-2006: Total--48
• Percentage of children living with disability 1999-2006: 23

For a more succinct version and to learn what some of the terminology means, visit the page below--

SoWCR in 20 Questions (and Answers):

http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/youth/informed.php