Ever since I've had The Boy my emotions are raw and likely to spill over at any opportunity. I can't watch the News anymore because I weep. To be perfectly honest, I cry at the CBeebies 'Happy Birthday' song (what? It's emotional thinking about the littlies growing up and suddenly being seven)!
When I watched Comic Relief this year I sobbed repeatedly. The tales that some of the people have to tell were awe-inspiring and humbling. The stories that really touched me were the children, the children who have little hope of living past the age of 5. Yes there are children in the United Kingdom who have horrendous lives, but I am not talking about those exceptional circumstances. I am talking about the children in developing countries who do not have the same basic rights as ours; the healthcare and the education. I have been extremely touched by the voyage that Christine from Thinly Spread has been on recently to Mozambique in a successful bid to raise awareness of the need to provide vaccines for every child.
Now as a primary teacher I feel very strongly about the right that every child has to a basic primary education. I'm not talking about the vinegar and baking powder experiments; I mean the right to learn how to read and write, how to do everyday maths, how to nurture their inquisitive nature and the right to be treated as children for a short time. In my school the children study the country of Lesotho because it is a comparable and contrasting country to Wales. We have a very strong link to one of the schools there, and the headmaster, Godfrey, has been to visit us, as well as vice versa, several times. I call him the headteacher but he is so much more to the children in his care, many of whom are 'boarders'. Many of whom, when they are taken back at the end of the week or term to their parents, find that actually their families have either died or moved on. So he puts them back into the battered van and takes them home with him.
Without wishing to inflate my school's ego, through our fundraising, last year this amazing gentleman was able to purchase a sizeable plot of land and build a new school for his pupils. That was an amazing moment for him, and for us too.
Not every child in a developing country is fortunate enough to have a 'Christine' or a 'Godfrey' or a school that is able to raise money for them.
This is where an organisation like ActionAid steps in. By sponsoring a child through ActionAid, you can make a real difference to their lives. You can make a difference to the other children in their community and help people who, through no fault of their own, are struggling to exist. This video shows a visit to Rwanda by Jimi Mistry to highlight how the work of ActionAid can help change children's lives forever.
Because every child has the right to a life.
Click here to sponsor a child with ActionAid
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