tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30770761139629535052024-02-19T06:37:38.335+00:00Viva - Together for ChildrenStories from Viva people around the worldVivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-40732560394048817072011-05-19T17:31:00.000+01:002011-05-19T17:31:07.273+01:00VIVA BLOG SITE HAS MOVED TO blog.viva.org<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dear Viva fans, supporters, employees and any Viva - Together for Children blog followers.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Following the recent launch of our new website our blog has now also moved to a different site. If you would like to carry on reading inspiring, informative and educational articles on Viva and our work with children at risk you will find them either linked in on our new website at <a href="http://www.viva.org/">www.viva.org</a> or head directly to our all new, dazzling blog site at <a href="http://blog.viva.org/">blog.viva.org</a> We will obviously still be posting links on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/viva.togetherforchildren.page">facebook page. </a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thankyou and please do continue to read our stories! We look forward to seeing you there!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Love and blessings,</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Viva Communications Team.</div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-66396143948256631812011-04-28T14:24:00.001+01:002011-04-29T19:03:18.817+01:00Girl saved from trafficking in Nepal.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWURCD5jdoe1aJfkSBW_sD4NhTFBcxcQYXeKinMetBaax2d-VBmcg9u8-jS4LArwMj944qD-1T7AeDt1-MSXx2cUqDNuHV256TwGirbwdj1W8nhCx2BdQQ_6H0vWA0eENFXnHLB3AWein/s1600/1+Suren+sharing+from+the+flip+chart+in+one+of+the+indian+border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWURCD5jdoe1aJfkSBW_sD4NhTFBcxcQYXeKinMetBaax2d-VBmcg9u8-jS4LArwMj944qD-1T7AeDt1-MSXx2cUqDNuHV256TwGirbwdj1W8nhCx2BdQQ_6H0vWA0eENFXnHLB3AWein/s320/1+Suren+sharing+from+the+flip+chart+in+one+of+the+indian+border.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>“Look! This is what’s going on around you! This is the problem – fact! Open your eyes to the needs of your children!</i>” This is what one group of 5 Christian leaders heard when they recently attended a Viva partners meeting in the small Nepalese town of Nuwakot. </b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>“We want to help”</i> the five leaders proclaimed to Viva network staff. <i>“We truly do, but we don’t know how! We see this problem everyday here in Nuwakot. Women and girls treated as if they were nothing, being abused as if it were the God-given right of their “possessors”. Desperate girls have turned up on our doorstep pleading for help as they attempt to flee their abusers. But what can we do?”</i> One of the leaders, Makol, insisted.<i> “What can we mere 5 people possibly do to change a situation that is so deeply rooted in our society?” </i>The desperation was marked by the fine lines that creased his forehead due to the days, months and years of worrying for his people.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And Makol and his friends are right. In parts of Nepal giving birth to a daughter calls for celebration as it means that, later on, she will generate a considerable amount of income for her family. Trafficking has plagued the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal for many decades and it poses the main threat to the livelihoods of its children. Hundreds of thousands of young girls grow up in fear of the brutal destiny that awaits them: being sold into brothels in the red light districts of Kolkata, Siliguri, Kanpuir, New Delhi and Mumbai. And their parents rejoice in this as a success for the family…</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When a problem is so culturally embedded in a society, providing emergency help and intervention is just simply not enough. This is why Viva and our partners in Nepal created <b>“Daughter Project”</b>, to help ministries and Christian groups, like the one Makol belongs to, prevent, as well as intervene in, situations of child trafficking. Daughter exposes and challenges the root causes and consequences of child abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking in 9 regions along the Nepal-India border. The vision is to engage and raise awareness among communities about the realities of child sexual abuse and exploitation, so that these communities can be an informed and united voice on behalf of victims and survivors. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4KURvcOcalE7F5glmxkRWBaRI6fipALhbEFH6HvndO1OP6JuTtFMQv06YKe3MCN7RXml3ELY-ewyffwpVgeFBd2lIQDlZDn5TO3L2eukPBXewEmAO8QLzP9ZNxPO78yjNy7LPtdsnrav/s1600/nepal-kat-pok-treck11+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4KURvcOcalE7F5glmxkRWBaRI6fipALhbEFH6HvndO1OP6JuTtFMQv06YKe3MCN7RXml3ELY-ewyffwpVgeFBd2lIQDlZDn5TO3L2eukPBXewEmAO8QLzP9ZNxPO78yjNy7LPtdsnrav/s200/nepal-kat-pok-treck11+019.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Makol and the 4 other Christian leaders are not alone; there are people<b> willing</b> to help but they just don’t know <b>how</b>. So it’s all a case of building the confidence in these people and instilling them with the belief that they<b> can </b>help, by encouraging them to break it down into sizeable chunks that their capacities will allow. "<i>The strength of these particular Christian leaders is that they come from a town in the interior of Nepal. The area they live in is where trafficking is normally in its primary stages</i>,” said a Viva partner volunteer present at the meeting. <i>“Makol and his friends live in a tight-knit community. Using their status as pillars of the community they can get close to the families and work on strengthening the family unit. We must work with families to try and break the cycle of abuse and the cultural conflict that surrounds it in our country.”</i></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A few weeks later, Makol and his friends had started working with their local community, holding awareness workshops using the “Daughter” toolkit and working with families. <i>“We actually saved a girl from being trafficked!”</i> Makol beamed in one of the feedback sessions with network workers. <i>“She was going to be sent to India and we managed to save her and get her back to her family! It actually works! Thanks to our awareness campaigns the community spoke for itself as a united front against trafficking and the news got back to us,”</i> he excitingly recounted to anyone eager to listen. After this, and with the help of Makol and the friends of other Christian leaders, this same community was then able to address the root cause – help strengthen families and encourage them to celebrate their children instead of treating them as possessions. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is a story of one girl who was rescued from a life of who knows what abuse and torture and that is thanks to the work of 5 people. Viva and our partners in Nepal are equipping these willing people with the know-how to help girls and families together. On seeing this amazing ability to mobilise communities that “Daughter” has, other leaders have since joined forces with Makol in the fight against this problem that is so heavily engrained in local Nepalese culture. This is a great success for Viva’s work!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Watch this space as we report on how our “Daughter” grows from here…</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-5233010370542958332011-04-21T14:35:00.000+01:002011-04-21T14:35:59.588+01:00The sum of the parts: what working together for children really means!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ywD_OLB9clSOcOCerKFAXdNdga7AFKJdQ-XpNchuoOPuW_0s8f7_1jLScczRXo4tnmmFPLAMTk7UsystFMBrBU_zd9J7p_M18FpM3e1m3Z3DHmwy5uENRoaNZVQsdJgdDaisgsbeEE0R/s1600/Muanza+mim+trip+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ywD_OLB9clSOcOCerKFAXdNdga7AFKJdQ-XpNchuoOPuW_0s8f7_1jLScczRXo4tnmmFPLAMTk7UsystFMBrBU_zd9J7p_M18FpM3e1m3Z3DHmwy5uENRoaNZVQsdJgdDaisgsbeEE0R/s320/Muanza+mim+trip+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Have you ever had to study for a particularly hard exam, spending all night awake, drinking Colombia out of coffee and racking your brains over one particular question you just don’t seem to get? And how many new mums have felt so desperate when bedtime arrives and their tiny infant just doesn’t seem to want to settle down and go to sleep? <i>“I should know what my child needs!”</i> might race through your mind.</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There are many moments in life when we feel alone in the face of a certain problem. So what do we do? Well, naturally, we would seek out the advice of someone who’s been in a similar situation. And how often do we actually find that we are not alone; that many of our classmates have found that topic difficult, or that all new mums have felt frustrated at some point? Someone might even suggest a simple solution, “<i>Have you tried swaddling?</i>” that suddenly makes our lives that much brighter.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here in the UK there are many people and processes in place to help make sure that help is at hand. But what if you are a <b>poverty-stricken Mama and Papa</b>, living in the slums of Kampala, not only scraping together a few coins to care for your own 5 children but also trying to take care of the 2 abandoned children that you found sleeping on your doorstep? These are the kind of people that Viva reaches out to, through our partner networks. People with huge hearts, who <b>want</b> to take care of these children but <b>don’t have</b> the <b>money</b>, the <b>time</b> or the <b>know-how</b>. They can never look beyond what one day throws at them and they rarely get any rest, becoming so completely engrossed by simple survival that they are unaware of what is going on around them and <b>feel alone and desperate</b>.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Situations such as these are exactly where Viva, and that trusty word ‘networking’, come into the game!</b> The city-wide network in Kampala could help this Mama and Papa to meet others in similar situations, and to meet local projects, churches and groups who will provide <b>support, prayer and, eventually, necessary resources</b>. One small project once ran out of mosquito nets for their children, but, through the network, managed to get hold of other people’s spares… Another simple solution to a small, but potentially fatal, problem.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9o22CWxiUFG6HQTsjcDrOANk6sm-b8Z18JbxyPN1ZpNF6FUSVUbeZjC0mM5JheBhH2AEbnOd_micXcNKMdhSyL3PPgrEnUXLTR1WMZNoyzHnA7p41FUB7y4vKpl_XJQ4j3G-PQbRRg6oJ/s1600/Muwanza+trip+Mim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9o22CWxiUFG6HQTsjcDrOANk6sm-b8Z18JbxyPN1ZpNF6FUSVUbeZjC0mM5JheBhH2AEbnOd_micXcNKMdhSyL3PPgrEnUXLTR1WMZNoyzHnA7p41FUB7y4vKpl_XJQ4j3G-PQbRRg6oJ/s320/Muwanza+trip+Mim.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And that chain never ends… Our programme co-ordinator from Uganda recently went to Mwanza to share experiences and spread the <b>‘working together</b>’ philosophy to other smaller and younger networks in Tanzania. She told the tales of the Kampala network, and how it has <b>grown and developed over the years</b>, surviving some very tough times at first: “We have grown through the sharing of <b>knowledge and experience</b> and have come out the other side a much <b>stronger</b> and more <b>powerful</b> network able to impact the lives of thousands of children!” she shared with the Mwanza network.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“<i>When people are brought together by a common purpose there are all sorts of sparks of creativity,</i>” she commented, after the meeting. “<i>And when that purpose is children, you can just feel the added energy in the room.</i>”</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“<i><b></b></i><i>Have you heard about the <b>Early Encounter programme?</b> It’s a great success in Latin America. That could be a strategy to use with str</i><i><b></b>eet girls here in Mwanza,”</i> was one of the many suggestions shooting around the room. “<i>In the long term it’s always better to invest time and money into helping children get back to their families than keeping them in residential care</i>,” said the Kampala networker to her Tanzanian counterpart. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And the learning curve continues, long beyond the limits of this article; from the individual to the thousands, this ‘networking’ just keeps going and going…</div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-91663079344489578432011-04-13T12:28:00.006+01:002011-04-19T16:46:33.499+01:00Early Encounter means 2 children saved from the streets EVERY DAY!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2srhxE1KtKbyLpFtNYP5DIm6UFqfIUBY1eJ7oaRdgctbg38QU8hOa9ojdOidkLD9lvoK2UgsuvHxNIE9tElMSDbEdBXu95TeNtv9dETX2mTw2JbdR279Zb46nsr4L6Y4LCquGQUqnG7_/s1600/Early+Encounter+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2srhxE1KtKbyLpFtNYP5DIm6UFqfIUBY1eJ7oaRdgctbg38QU8hOa9ojdOidkLD9lvoK2UgsuvHxNIE9tElMSDbEdBXu95TeNtv9dETX2mTw2JbdR279Zb46nsr4L6Y4LCquGQUqnG7_/s320/Early+Encounter+14.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"><i>“I’m a numbers man, and these numbers are really something - 712 children are no longer on the streets of Latin America as a result of Viva and the networks this year. That’s nearly two kids every day!”</i> Brian Wilkinson, our Chief Operating Officer and main numbers man, has just recently returned from an <b>Early Encounter</b> programme visit in <b>Peru</b>. He particularly recalls one centre in <b>Lima…</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">When we arrived, the hall was filled with young girls and boys, cradled babies, mothers, fathers and even grandparents. Many parents were still arriving even after the event had already started, <b>some sweaty and tired from having to hurry from their jobs out on the streets</b>. However, their faces were lit up with smiles, despite the fatigue, knowing that in just a few minutes they would all take part in the celebration of something very special: <b>their child was going to be given the opportunity to go to school for the first time in their lives!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">In one corner of the room there was a table, covered with multi-coloured bags stuffed full of <b>school materials</b> – in fact the exact items, as I was told by a colleague, that these same children would <b>normally be selling on the streets</b> of the very congested Lima, home to more than 10 million people.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"><b>Not having books and stationary and uniforms is one of the reasons that so many children miss out on education in Lima</b>. And if they don’t go to school they are more likely to end up playing, working and maybe eventually living on the streets, which is why our Early Encounter project with the networks is working so hard <b>to try and catch children before they end up trapped in that life.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">So at this event 30 children were presented with these bags of school equipment, and it was a wonderful sight to see the <b>smiles </b>as they collected their gifts. Those children are now attending a local school that is part of the network, one that is specifically aimed at <b>teaching and supporting Lima’s child street workers</b>. <i>“We witness such a development of talent and skills,”</i> Doña Nelly, one of the teachers of the programme, explained to me. <i>“When we encourage them to continue, <b>children do start to realise that change is possible.”</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">But there is more to this celebration than meets the eye… Helping street children in Latin America is not as simple as just giving them a bag of school supplies or offering them a place to stay so they don’t sleep on the streets – in fact the majority of the kids aren’t actually homeless. They are normally children who get up at the crack of dawn to trawl the streets, selling anything and everything to passers-by, but, who then return home to their parents at night. And although these parents were all smiling and proud, allowing their children to go to school is actually a <b>real compromise</b> for them, as young girls and boys normally have much greater selling power. Letting them go to school means that the family’s income might take a serious hit. That’s why Early Encounter focuses so much on working with the <b>whole family</b>, teaching parents <b>how to care and provide for their children without putting their futures at risk.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handing out school packs.</td></tr>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">This ethos was really clear throughout the day, especially towards the end of the ceremony when the City Council’s Social Development Officer got up to speak. <i><b>“Children must live their childhood!”</b></i> pronounced Maria Isabel Gonzalez. She told the entire room, <i>“Treat your children well, don’t be afraid to hug them every day, and understand that <b>play is far more important than working.”</b> </i>Then one particular mother, also a local shoe-shiner, gathered up the courage to step out in front of all of us, grab the microphone and interrupt the meeting, just to show her true appreciation for what the network has done both for her and her daughter. I was so struck by the sincerity in her voice, and by the gratitude I saw in every parent’s face, that this ceremony will always be a lasting memory of my visit.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-70831683297787849722011-04-07T11:32:00.003+01:002011-04-07T17:50:30.383+01:00Miguel's dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj709RHK0citdA46g6AZLn9HPkc24bdAr4eTIXeMZTfzxE1OsTjJ4xFp8ewLceBxTWp3TzW7Q8VJkwhGtx7Q15_3cfahydXNjbUt_cnqZSWMaiMSQ5IQTmW44guvNr9dMz10APVgZwcHf6T/s1600/Miguel+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj709RHK0citdA46g6AZLn9HPkc24bdAr4eTIXeMZTfzxE1OsTjJ4xFp8ewLceBxTWp3TzW7Q8VJkwhGtx7Q15_3cfahydXNjbUt_cnqZSWMaiMSQ5IQTmW44guvNr9dMz10APVgZwcHf6T/s320/Miguel+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“<em><strong>Life is not easy, and as children we have faced many people treading on our dreams. But with my songs I am saying that whoever you are and whatever has happened to you, you can live your dreams.”</strong></em></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Miguel Arevalos has helped to lead several <strong>nationwide campaigns</strong> against child abuse, he is a singer and songwriter for a local band and he will soon begin presenting his own TV show, broadcast to <strong>150,000</strong> people in <strong>Cochabamba, Bolivia</strong>. Miguel is also just about to celebrate his 15th birthday.</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“My father left us when I was seven”</em> Miguel confides quietly. <em>“He was very bad with alcohol problems and so angry, it was hard for us and for my mother.” </em>When he abandoned them, <strong>Miguel’s mother was forced to send his two sisters to live in a local orphanage</strong> while she and Miguel sheltered at a <strong>boys’ home</strong> that is part of the <strong>Cochabamba network</strong>. Yet it was here that he had the chance to become a Child Leader. <em>“We had a vote, and out of six others I was chosen to be the representative for our project</em>” smiles Miguel, proudly remembering his peers’ faith in him. “<em>I was our ambassador, our leader, and it was my job t<strong>o plan how we could make our community listen and take notice of the needs of children like ourselves</strong>.” </em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Approximately <strong>100 boys and girls</strong> from various projects in Viva’s six Bolivian networks are participating in the<strong> Child Leaders programme</strong>, collectively representing more than <strong>10,000</strong> young people across the nation. The programme trains up and supports young people like Miguel to be a voice for their peers, helping them to plan campaigns and events to change local people’s attitudes to domestic violence and child abuse, mobilising them to change children’s situations. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since first becoming a Child Leader, now over four years ago, Miguel has <strong>spoken out</strong> for others in a variety of different ways, beginning with the network campaigns and growing into singing, songwriting and now television presenting. His band, Tuex, is made up of three boys and two girls all under the age of 18. Miguel says that it is his vision that one day their songs will be played all over the city, “<em>in market squares and discos and all the popular places, </em><em>speaking out against things such as violence, abortion and abuse</em>.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Miguel’s songs will also feature in his new television show, due to air in April this year, alongside music from other local bands, interviews with Christian leaders and information on issues in other countries. Miguel says<strong> he wants to inspire local children to look outside their situations and see the needs of the wider world, as well as encourage them about their own lives.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Miguel’s leadership skills have grown and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvCZrqoYfzpjwSd2VCNPF5z60mcA4ZWJ54tJR5UeJELNGveBUt94X2tlylEunsE0RDSypoTyiJENHkvSty14_scmy_nLpV2r3FxvVhZVWqqZwgH4DFIPnrrqRFdOrUF8-lEmI8zjIXG1g/s1600/Miguel+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvCZrqoYfzpjwSd2VCNPF5z60mcA4ZWJ54tJR5UeJELNGveBUt94X2tlylEunsE0RDSypoTyiJENHkvSty14_scmy_nLpV2r3FxvVhZVWqqZwgH4DFIPnrrqRFdOrUF8-lEmI8zjIXG1g/s200/Miguel+2.JPG" width="190" /></em></a>changed, so has his family. His mother is now one of the co-ordinators of the boy’s home where they once sheltered, and the modest income she receives has enabled the whole family to live together once more. “<em>I am so thankful to God for my life</em>” Miguel concludes gratefully. <em>“Before I was a Child Leader I would never have had the courage to do any of these things, or even dream them. But being taught about my value to God and how I should be treated, and actually seeing positive change in my situation, gave me such confidence and hope</em>.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Thanks to Miguel that message, speaking of confidence in your dreams and hope for the future, will be carried into homes all over Cochabamba this year.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click <strong>below</strong> to read this and other stories in the most recent vivanews.</span><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=335e3bcb-3005-4515-9217-79a4608a4afd" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-13760577873306981662011-03-31T17:54:00.001+01:002011-04-01T17:11:31.959+01:00100 successful students graduate Viva Equip in Uganda!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQE5SRJyTo7OjzYMdR4v_crPR-Thpa3bwhAlJWyT7YlJJ3ZiyW92r4wWqty7sUgFgB-NgdDG6VaNicEz-zLiWHPY8w7BTU7XrpQJw9k0izLrMgGWemt2YL9xwDMy_6v6M1RuPZpKgtV1y/s1600/VEP+Grad+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQE5SRJyTo7OjzYMdR4v_crPR-Thpa3bwhAlJWyT7YlJJ3ZiyW92r4wWqty7sUgFgB-NgdDG6VaNicEz-zLiWHPY8w7BTU7XrpQJw9k0izLrMgGWemt2YL9xwDMy_6v6M1RuPZpKgtV1y/s320/VEP+Grad+7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>“Children were lining up outside my office to confide in me!”</strong></em> An excited Macu tells a room full of smiling graduates, as she delivers a heartfelt speech at the recent Viva Equip People graduation ceremony on Saturday 26th March. </span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Macu, a recent Viva Equip graduate herself, is a <strong>Child Restoration Outreach Manager</strong> working in central Uganda. <em>“I have been working with children for years, but before this training there were many grey areas where I just felt like I didn’t have the resources to help or protect children properly,”</em> she explained to her fellow classmates, who were nodding in agreement. <em>“<strong>But thanks to this training, my staff and I can now look after children much better.</strong> And what is most amazing is that the children are the first to notice the improvement.”</em> She continued enthusiastically, <em>“Never before have children queued so patiently at my door just for the opportunity to speak to me! But this is because they know now that there are people who will really listen to them and who think it is important to help them.”</em> Her closing remarks beautifully summarise the overall benefit of the Viva Equip training: <em>“<strong>I am a better person for it- I am a better worker, mother, neighbour, manager and friend and this will all now be reflected in my work with children</strong>; in how I treat them, care for them and protect them against the dangers that they have all had to face so far in their short lives.”</em></span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Macu is not the only one to feel this way. The ceremony has been an <strong>overwhelmingly positive event</strong>, with every conversation, speech and presentation reflecting the <strong>newfound confidence</strong> and ability of the 100 graduates in the room. When the course began, they were among the many people in Uganda willing to help children at risk but sometimes lacking the belief that they <strong>can</strong> help. Yet Viva <strong>believes in these people</strong>, and the VEP training is our way of making them believe in <strong>themselves</strong>. We want them to know that they <strong>can</strong>, <strong>do </strong>and <strong>will</strong> help thousands of children in their lifetime. And it’s not just theoretical, as David Nebali discovered… </span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCQpI_PEoIkEMBr7UEoTzmzeukKftc-zeS-pqNfmz4bgOxh68HsDsxIc8g1t_EvEY7xRX2VtKRq3hoHpG2XYloh-7eN_vg1XDwPuw_MpzGhksekg8S54prKiownhxUeDXRwdb3wUDBZGG/s1600/VEP+Grad+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCQpI_PEoIkEMBr7UEoTzmzeukKftc-zeS-pqNfmz4bgOxh68HsDsxIc8g1t_EvEY7xRX2VtKRq3hoHpG2XYloh-7eN_vg1XDwPuw_MpzGhksekg8S54prKiownhxUeDXRwdb3wUDBZGG/s200/VEP+Grad+9.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David works in a community church in the mountains of Kabale, west Uganda, and through his role as Child Development Officer he has implemented the <strong>Child Protection Policy</strong> that they were taught to devise at VEP and can already demonstrate the big change seen in the way church members operate in his community: “<em>For the first time a church worker reported a child protection issue to me, something that has never happened before!”</em> A 16 year old girl from the community had abandoned her home and studies to marry an older man. “<em>We encouraged her that it is so important for her to finish her studies.”</em> David is still working with the girl, counselling her and encouraging her to move back home with her parents. <em>“<strong>Thank goodness it was not just buried in the community, as it would have been before</strong>. Now I think we will soon see a breakthrough, as she is beginning to realise the enormity of her actions.”</em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Viva Equip People is not just having a local effect, transforming individuals, but it’s gaining <strong>national recognition</strong>: the <strong>government of Uganda</strong> insisted on sending a representative <strong>to honour the graduation ceremony</strong>. The Guest of Honour, Mondo Kyateka, <strong>Commissioner for Youth and Children’s Affairs</strong> in Uganda, closed the event by giving an encouraging speech to the graduates: “<em>There is no better calling than working with and supporting children; they constitute the future. I want to thank Viva and the network for initiating the professionalisation of working with children in this country</em>.”</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like more information on the benefits that Viva Equip brings to organisations, their workers and children everywhere, or you would like to support the work then click <a href="http://www.viva.org/equip/">here.</a></span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-91316318761640606472011-03-24T16:32:00.001+00:002011-03-24T16:37:18.466+00:00Breaking taboos in Bangalore.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Many people in the UK think that children are learning about sex too early. Magazines, television and the Internet have made it a familiar topic for most young people before they even reach secondary school. But in Bangalore, India, it seems that children may be learning about it too late.</strong></span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“Sex education does not happen in most of India</em>,” says Karuna Sagili, from Viva’s Delhi office. <em>“All matters of the body and sexuality and sex are seen as taboo. In one school in Bangalore the teachers have stuck some pages together in the biology textbooks, so that children would not look at the pictures often. It is photos of a man and a woman, and all the parts of the body.” </em></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Karuna feels that this <strong>widespread reluctance</strong> to discuss, or even acknowledge, sexuality, is a <strong>major contributor</strong> to the country’s <strong>high rate of child sexual abuse</strong>.<em> “Things like rape or child abuse are never discussed by anyone, so how can those problems be dealt with and people be helped</em>?” Well, on the southern tip of the subcontinent, the <strong>Bangalore chapter of Viva’s ASHA</strong> forum is helping to answer that question. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An India-wide project focused on bringing an end to child sexual abuse, <strong>ASHA</strong>, uses the city-wide networks as its local bases. <em>“In Bangalore the team felt that we needed to begin simply – to affirm that sexuality is not bad, but is God-given</em>,” shares Karuna. <em>“Unless a child learns the value of their body, how can they ever realise what abuse is?”</em> So, the <strong>ASHA team is going into local schools to talk with children about healthy expressions of sexuality</strong>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The seminars have been held in several local schools and church-based education projects, and so far <strong>348</strong> girls and boys aged 10 to 16 have attended the sessions. One child wrote in her notes: <em>“From now on I will not trust anyone who makes me uncomfortable”.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the seminars are over, the team make sure that they carefully follow up with the schools. The ASHA team go back into the schools on a weekly basis following the sessions, and as different needs arise they can bring relevant network contacts with them, such as doctors or trauma counsellors. <em>“Just talking about the issues, and seeing children become more aware, is such an important step,</em>” says Karuna. “<em>Only once the taboo is broken can we see the way forward to making sure India’s children are always kept safe</em>.”</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Click on the photo below to read the full article in vivanews.</strong></span><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=bff321c5-484d-40ca-aa85-c0a0381c34d9" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-24146419624340169602011-03-18T15:20:00.003+00:002011-03-18T15:52:01.177+00:00Booming bass, flashing lights, jangling pianos… help for children at risk!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2m898pPfDFrvPiqCrqSYEbn8RaUs7muVJ2V9lcelRahQiOKZO7_TforqBw_h-L8cZR3kvHdRXQdVgZGT9OpsE4KL2UkGDMKt9UmdXwa9-2ZMfcrly5pyKbl9X156JglPTkfbmULyy6XE1/s1600/Number+8+flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2m898pPfDFrvPiqCrqSYEbn8RaUs7muVJ2V9lcelRahQiOKZO7_TforqBw_h-L8cZR3kvHdRXQdVgZGT9OpsE4KL2UkGDMKt9UmdXwa9-2ZMfcrly5pyKbl9X156JglPTkfbmULyy6XE1/s320/Number+8+flyer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">Last weekend about 50 of Oxford’s music-loving 20-somethings <b>helped to raise money for children at risk by going to a rather unusual house party</b>....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"><i>“It all began when I bought a smoke machine back in January… you can’t have a smoke machine and not scheme about how to use it!” </i></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">says self-titled ‘Event Organiser’ Chris Swinburne.</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;"><i> “And since we know so many people who are musical and in local bands, it seemed a great idea to have a kind of house party event that could showcase that.”</i></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">Featuring local acts such as <b>The Kid Steel</b>, <b>Drake’s Drum</b> and <b>Charlie Mike</b> <b>Sierra</b> (look and listen below, in the video!) playing a mix of covers and original tunes, and collecting over<b> £50 </b>for Viva, it really raised the bar for the average house party. <i>“We just charged a small entry fee, more of a suggested donation really, so it was very low-key,” </i>Chris explains. <i>“<b>But it seemed a great way to turn a fun evening into something more meaningful too.” </b></i>The Number 8 housemates transformed their living room with blackout curtains, a full lighting rig, the infamous smoke machine and even a live TV link for those in other parts of the house!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">Ears still ringing, guests trooped out at around 1am offering parting comments like <i>“completely brilliant” </i>“<i>best house party ever</i>” and “<i>so, when’s the next one?!</i>”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif;">“<i>We’d definitely do it again</i>,” Chris enthuses. “<i>I loved every minute of it. Perhaps in the summer we could make it a whole street party…</i>” So, if you’re an Oxford resident keep your eye on Headington to see if Number 8’s neighbours can be convinced! For everyone else, no matter where you live, <b>why not start brainstorming about how you could do some</b> <b>FUNdraising for children at risk?</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrkGH4rJWh3Fa-IE5XNKkJ9vjUYbyzZhnBsj43VLtEvKPh5Nw_c3bIcBkmf4Ch1TegtyvdNriueB8jQG6DCh8AFWP9Foj3W1T19169ihuV7Ej68vUazZRO4hson2jmR9vm6Bo5o26fUws/s1600/Number+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrkGH4rJWh3Fa-IE5XNKkJ9vjUYbyzZhnBsj43VLtEvKPh5Nw_c3bIcBkmf4Ch1TegtyvdNriueB8jQG6DCh8AFWP9Foj3W1T19169ihuV7Ej68vUazZRO4hson2jmR9vm6Bo5o26fUws/s320/Number+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4K2lmaWI4BcF5TxJ-RD-hlk5ejuKe-5uCF0CK56XL2fHJg-tuioFh13oaPemXlI4U9fobkrbjYEm8Csyz55RAeWF21K8K-e3wiSPkQzCzip4tTu7ec33_zyMc49RJm01UGXC76BtVpRyG/s1600/Number+8+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4K2lmaWI4BcF5TxJ-RD-hlk5ejuKe-5uCF0CK56XL2fHJg-tuioFh13oaPemXlI4U9fobkrbjYEm8Csyz55RAeWF21K8K-e3wiSPkQzCzip4tTu7ec33_zyMc49RJm01UGXC76BtVpRyG/s200/Number+8+%25282%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=9fa22a6a-f4ce-49a4-bcce-db45128db197" style="border: none; float: right;" /></div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-80154377939352673412011-03-14T18:29:00.000+00:002011-03-14T18:29:37.358+00:004-14 European Prayer Conference: empowering youth through prayer.<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>“Seeing the synergy between prayer and activism was a great awakening</em>!”</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpQ31yiJbolY10ncs2wqhfb7bBWwVGkI9CLcrf7CDivMSb-gu5GCxbVTgBRLUoit7pzVlcza2cGqAwl3VY1k9Y2AhFc0jz4ENWfIsv7JiKKYUHoxlOifHoARuPNQN2ANOOI8byiUv2WVB/s1600/Chrissie+414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpQ31yiJbolY10ncs2wqhfb7bBWwVGkI9CLcrf7CDivMSb-gu5GCxbVTgBRLUoit7pzVlcza2cGqAwl3VY1k9Y2AhFc0jz4ENWfIsv7JiKKYUHoxlOifHoARuPNQN2ANOOI8byiUv2WVB/s320/Chrissie+414.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our <strong>International Prayer Co-ordinator, Chrissie</strong>, recently had the privilege of seeing what children can accomplish for their nations when you just give them the chance.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 18th - Tuesday 21st February witnessed the <strong>1st European 4-14 Consultation of Children in Transformational Ministry</strong>, hosted by<strong> Viva</strong> and <strong>Hope for Europe</strong>. 4-14 gets its name from a variation on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10/40_Window">10/40 Window</a> theme. It refers to the fact that children between the ages of 4 and 14 are the most open and receptive to every form of<strong> spiritual</strong> and <strong>developmental input</strong>. </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chrissie says, <em>“This is an opportune window for a previously silenced group of people to become key figures of transformational ministry. God is calling us to alter the way we view children and to respond to their importance and rightful place in his kingdom.”</em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>30</strong> attendees between <strong>10 and 14 years</strong>, representing <strong>Finland, Slovakia, Croatia, Belgium, England, Scotland </strong>and<strong> Austria</strong>, all came together in Hastings for a weekend of <strong>prayer, discussion and activism</strong>. Children were invited to speak out about the problems that the young people in their own nations are facing, to listen to God and guide each other in <strong>praying for a better world for young people. </strong></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“It was a time for us to stop and realise how broken the young people of Europe are. One example brought to light was that the young people of Finland were suffering terribly high levels of depression. We were then able to pray together for all the hardships of the youth of today.” </em></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And was it successful? <em>“It most certainly was! It was such an incredible experience. There was a <strong>real sense of a blessing from God for Europe’s youth.</strong> Both adult and child attendees went away with a change in belief of what God can achieve.”</em> The 30 young people who came to the event were so inspired that they went away and started up their own Facebook groups for further discussions and interaction. <em>“It was so great for children of different nationalities to get to know one another; lots of fun was had all round and <strong>prayer was recognised as a wonderful form of advocacy</strong>. We have also kick-started the process of these <strong>young people leading prayer and change movements in their own nations.</strong> I can’t wait to see where this leads.”</em></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Viva believes in networking, in working together for children. But, as Chrissie reminds us, <em>“we must also work <strong>with</strong> them. This weekend has so clearly shown that when children are given an opportunity, they rise to it.”</em> She sums up the weekend with this clear call: <em><strong>“We must give children a voice and then we must listen. I know God is.”</strong></em></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div></span></div><em></em></div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-36650963149470930362011-02-23T11:54:00.001+00:002011-02-25T09:37:03.777+00:00Uganda Elections: the results are in, but what does this mean for children?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGQ9hXD2DTlQ__x5n_f8R3-UvuzjQTLMQ0Nqndc7o6WQ0T5SCtVFfP-OGx1Vm7ev1W0WSnhUlJv0g5Cw0YaT29chpIpueyoWRhFlEF8FkwLvaci5MB1gH_dUvipBxj_gEakbGFuL680Sz/s1600/2653531349_7bd720e5f1_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGQ9hXD2DTlQ__x5n_f8R3-UvuzjQTLMQ0Nqndc7o6WQ0T5SCtVFfP-OGx1Vm7ev1W0WSnhUlJv0g5Cw0YaT29chpIpueyoWRhFlEF8FkwLvaci5MB1gH_dUvipBxj_gEakbGFuL680Sz/s320/2653531349_7bd720e5f1_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After much campaigning, debate and speculation, Yoweri Museveni has won the Ugandan Presidential Elections for the <strong>fourth time</strong> in a row. But what does this mean for 57% of Uganda’s population – its children...? </span></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The answer is, we don’t yet know. BUT...</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What we do know is that before the elections the Ugandan Government launched a National Strategic Plan for providing comprehensive services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). The National Strategic Plan states that the government is not able to meet its mandate for providing for all children and currently only reaches 11% of all vulnerable children with any form of support. So the government has appealed to <strong>civil society</strong> and to <strong>faith-based organisations</strong> to work with them in the <strong>huge task</strong> that lies ahead. The country has been given large grants for improving education and health and Viva hopes to partner and support them in the delivery of this.</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our partner networks in Uganda are hoping to sign a <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorandum_of_understanding">Memorandum of Understanding</a></strong> with the government to have the work they do for children at risk recognised officially. Isobel Booth-Clibborn (Regional Co-ordinator of Viva Africa) and Rudo Kwaramba (National Director of <a href="http://www.worldvision.org.uk/">World Vision</a>) recently met with the <strong>Archbishop of Uganda</strong> to share and discuss what the country is doing for Uganda’s children. At the meeting Archbishop Orombi said, <strong><em>“The most significant thing any leader can do is to invest in youth and children.”</em></strong> He said he was encouraged to see more of his diocese taking this seriously.</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7tKNEw2fj6UPXMwKmSiTuSMwMaG1gVDOUnQ99f9y605iAlJcGgy8meMPYwbMr5v3cfB2Hwyk0aM61Ee297fDyDPzE5IZrsb1mHio7Ris8_YOIMRga3t_ZY2o59kGKXyDLjDZIZIT_gM5/s1600/2653362199_6307c5bd4c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7tKNEw2fj6UPXMwKmSiTuSMwMaG1gVDOUnQ99f9y605iAlJcGgy8meMPYwbMr5v3cfB2Hwyk0aM61Ee297fDyDPzE5IZrsb1mHio7Ris8_YOIMRga3t_ZY2o59kGKXyDLjDZIZIT_gM5/s320/2653362199_6307c5bd4c_b.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Viva believes there is great value in equipping the church as a key partner, through networking, to make a difference in the lives of children at risk across the country, through different denominations as well as grass roots churches.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a further note, Kampala was supposed to be hearing the results of its <strong><a href="http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/-/859108/1113102/-/k31sq3/-/index.html">mayoral elections</a></strong> today, which could also potentially have a big impact on the children of Uganda, however, they have been cancelled due to "alleged rigging" and "ensuing violence", with the new date to "be communicated later".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep an eye on the Viva blog to see where all this takes us and the children of Uganda….</span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-31837621660270017572011-02-10T15:15:00.017+00:002011-02-11T16:51:18.698+00:00NOW in Kampala, Uganda: child-friendly voting!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>This news is coming straight from Kampala where, as you read this, projects and churches from our partner network have taken to the streets to encourage voters to consider the rights and needs of Uganda's children.</strong></span> <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixudh584HOqqa0kn_jMUvr9S62NSL_qbUldfTYnDS08rZWYGTv_Ga_q5GJBix0DiXlMn3uTXHZEad-9i6xXO_sS7cE5tf6pKaGPw41i8-NZRMxNoQPApjFGhMXbTxP0HZyMigWRKZ4X7-s/s1600/UG+flyer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixudh584HOqqa0kn_jMUvr9S62NSL_qbUldfTYnDS08rZWYGTv_Ga_q5GJBix0DiXlMn3uTXHZEad-9i6xXO_sS7cE5tf6pKaGPw41i8-NZRMxNoQPApjFGhMXbTxP0HZyMigWRKZ4X7-s/s200/UG+flyer.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZt2YDdi9iU0VEA1Rco3EhuSAQCmze7wa1sa6DgyEQ5JHTvlkdsRXYXfJXInbhiFIKOS3kiaCn5mVYw_0yWOA3v0jpgAdKD7mRwQ7C6mrVUVdZw3Z4K1gZR1qkFB7BpnFnuGOnJzY1HsY/s1600/VotingFlyer+UGANDA+feb+2011.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the light of the upcoming elections for a new President and government (Friday 18th February) the network are conducting an <strong>advocacy campaign</strong> encouraging citizens to think about children when they vote. They have been asking questions such as: Do you recognise the importance of today’s children? Will the person you vote for be the best person to lead the next generation into the future? </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Thousands of flyers and car stickers</strong> are being given out across Kampala today. They hope to continue this through the local election period, which follows on from the presidential elections. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The network is also continuing to promote issues surrounding children at risk in general, through <strong>TV adverts</strong> shown just before prime time Ugandan news both before and after polling day. They hope it will encourage those newly in power to think about their responsibilities towards the children and young people of Uganda.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People currently being filmed for the TV adverts include Henry Orombi (the Archbishop of Uganda), Rudo Kwaramba (World Vision’s National Director) and Judith Babirye (a well-known Ugandan gospel artist). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On each short advert the Ugandan spokesperson says ‘During this election period I’m keeping children safe, what about you?’ Listen <a href="http://www.vivatools.org/downloads/Radio_advert_English.mp3"><strong>here</strong></a> to one of the <strong>radio adverts</strong> that Ugandan citizens have been hearing all week.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCePL_jcXQK2clWQ_9e6oOXt7ywD_9LAT-Fn1iYlHlhN2HsApn3W9wGSKbiB6UQB0WCrF755oJKYvNtqC0WfKyympErR3cpTiEkSZ0RsjR-Ju5zBv_hYQH25BFmtyge2IUrgkaxmlH9OEy/s1600/Leafleting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCePL_jcXQK2clWQ_9e6oOXt7ywD_9LAT-Fn1iYlHlhN2HsApn3W9wGSKbiB6UQB0WCrF755oJKYvNtqC0WfKyympErR3cpTiEkSZ0RsjR-Ju5zBv_hYQH25BFmtyge2IUrgkaxmlH9OEy/s200/Leafleting.JPG" width="194" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like to follow the election progress situation in Uganda you can find updated information on the following platform for Ugandan news and information: <a href="http://www.weinformers.net/tag/uganda-2011-general-elections/">http://www.weinformers.net/tag/uganda-2011-general-elections/</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch this space for more information and stories on the awareness-raising activities that Uganda are doing to promote children’s rights…</span></div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-54754994581709880402011-01-28T09:14:00.002+00:002011-02-04T10:53:22.704+00:00Daya gets a new home<strong>In a culture that places great importance on family and tradition, bringing a child from the streets into your own home is not something people do lightly. Yet when Udita Kapoor met seven-year-old Daya in one of the poorest parts of Biratnagar, Nepal, she knew that was exactly what she wanted to do. Why? Because what she had learned through Viva Equip People had engaged her heart as well as her head.</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4T7JBO_yLM1zG-ANf5MVTvmEtDj1Vqnu4gkf4v0lYrpUJ1bvyB9_Wudw0HZvwy90jWKXnqzXjIzjaaVRHe4HDfJVADiQpvKW1rkNt99n-cWzIArV5yOVxxyfDSvmKjSf8Y5ZgdrI_CqE/s1600/Daya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4T7JBO_yLM1zG-ANf5MVTvmEtDj1Vqnu4gkf4v0lYrpUJ1bvyB9_Wudw0HZvwy90jWKXnqzXjIzjaaVRHe4HDfJVADiQpvKW1rkNt99n-cWzIArV5yOVxxyfDSvmKjSf8Y5ZgdrI_CqE/s200/Daya.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The <a href="http://www.viva.org/equip">Viva Equip People training</a> is currently running in Biratnagar, Butwal and Kathmandu, and Udita is one of 20 church and project staff taking the course in her area. Learning how to help children in the context of their culture, family and background, and understanding how to value and listen to them, were quite new concepts to Udita, and she found that it transformed the way she interacted with children.<br />
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She came across Daya during a visit to a community project, and discovered that he had no family to care for him. He was simply drifting, begging and relying on the charity of neighbours, and as he had been living this way for several years his health was very poor. Udita felt moved by Daya’s situation, and was compelled to respond in a much more personal way than she would have ever considered before. She chose to take him into her own home, giving him good food and proper clothes, and taking him to the hospital to receive proper treatment and medication. <br />
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Udita’s decision was not an easy one as many people, including her own parents, were quite opposed to her looking after Daya. But she now has the support of her new husband, who she married just a few months ago, and together they have given Daya a safe home and a new family.Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-78036065630765314072011-01-28T09:08:00.002+00:002011-01-28T12:26:25.768+00:00My Viva Equip trip to India<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>There’s nothing quite like your first experience of India. The combination of muggy heat, exotic spices and petrol fumes hit me almost as soon as I stepped off the plane a few weeks ago. It was my first trip to India, and I didn’t quite know what to expect. </strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had travelled out to Delhi to teach the co-ordinators of three of our city-wide networks (in Delhi, Dehradun and Hyderabad) how to run <a href="http://www.viva.org/equip">Viva Equip Projects</a> in their respective cities, using Viva’s Quality Improvement System. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGNl3fKsZC_jiOOMoHWuH9YBveqTS-raBNudhyF7Lw4n16bFwF3zhLQM1oRW42rWUm8rIyXrmqyaWbc9wNNal-nskC6JdcoSCnxylRzjBY3fBUGYXk2OY346d0lY9Ixwgz3h0P_xC2JxE/s1600/India-.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGNl3fKsZC_jiOOMoHWuH9YBveqTS-raBNudhyF7Lw4n16bFwF3zhLQM1oRW42rWUm8rIyXrmqyaWbc9wNNal-nskC6JdcoSCnxylRzjBY3fBUGYXk2OY346d0lY9Ixwgz3h0P_xC2JxE/s1600/India-.JPG" /></a>I was a little intimidated before we began, as I was training five men, but they were such a lovely group that after about five minutes I felt completely at home with them. Our time flew by, and their enthusiasm was so encouraging - there seems such a hunger and thirst for quality care in India. </div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Those five guys represent networks that are connecting a total of more than 170 projects, and they are hoping to enrol between 50 and 60 of these to the Viva Equip Projects programme. But those are just numbers, and don’t really convey the heart of what this training will mean in the lives of children. The thing that made me so enthusiastic about starting Viva Equip Projects in India was that I know the kind of transformation that is possible when organisations are not only compassionate but also capable. I’ve seen it happen in other cities around the world as I’ve helped to introduce Viva Equip, and I look forward to seeing it take off here too. </div><br />
But even on this trip, although the programme is just beginning, I caught a small glimpse of what that might look like here when I spent a fascinating two hours talking to a woman called Sharmla. While Sharmla hasn’t had a chance to do Viva’s Equip training yet, she is involved in our <a href="http://www.viva.org/GirlChild/">Girl Child</a> initiative helping to mentor young girls in the slum communities of Delhi. She had been working with one girl whose mother was a prostitute, who was really pressurising her daughter to start working with her. They struggled for money, and the girl knew that resigning herself to prostitution would provide much-needed income, yet she was reluctant to end up in her mother’s situation. <br />
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Because the Girl Child programme had prepared Sharmla well, she knew how to support and encourage the young girl, helping her to stand up for her rights and fight for a different future. That girl is now in school every day, getting an education that will hopefully prevent her from ending up in the same awful situation as her mother. Other projects in the network are also working together to support the family, and the girl’s mother no longer feels so pressured to use drastic means to bring in money for her family. <br />
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This girl’s life has been turned around, and all because Sharmla had the right information and the right skills to help her. Girl Child is focusing on one particular area of need, and Viva Equip will be helping projects working on a variety of issues, but the principle is still the same – transformation is possible when people, and the organisations they belong to, are both willing and able to help children.<br />
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I loved my first trip to India, and I hope I get to go back again some day. Not only for the amazing sights, sounds and smells, but to see how Viva Equip Projects is empowering people like Sharmla to bring new hope to their country’s children.<br />
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<em><strong>* J from Viva, UK</strong></em>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-61058083280156879952011-01-28T08:51:00.001+00:002011-02-01T11:27:26.756+00:00Uganda’s children have their say on Viva Equip Projects<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We often hear great stories of how <a href="http://www.viva.org/equip">Viva Equip Projects</a> is helping organisations become stronger and more competent, and we know that will ultimately be beneficial to the children in that project’s care. But why take our word for it? Let’s make a trip to the classrooms of House of Joy in <a href="http://www.viva.org/advocacy">Kampala</a>, and hear what their children think of the training their project has received…</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Charity Nnabayego, aged 8</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHeu9qW85iP9HPV8RDSZib1rmsEaPrZAjbYdrNeOffTqZoskrXYEa8gWtO634BQ8zV1niGMVm9AtIPcM2vMEiQQKRdko6bSDx4QGlVGKSZSo3o1GXhNiMbtUoA531NX0ZBOUX2Dh1WagA/s1600/Charity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHeu9qW85iP9HPV8RDSZib1rmsEaPrZAjbYdrNeOffTqZoskrXYEa8gWtO634BQ8zV1niGMVm9AtIPcM2vMEiQQKRdko6bSDx4QGlVGKSZSo3o1GXhNiMbtUoA531NX0ZBOUX2Dh1WagA/s200/Charity.jpg" width="138" /></a><strong>Over the last year, what have you seen changing here?</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Teachers treat me well, and never shout or hurt us. And I go to my studies in a good chair and a good desk, so I am learning much better. I am more clever now than before.</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Do you feel safe? If so, why?</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Yes, so very safe, as I know now I can talk to my teachers and they will help me.</em></div><br />
<strong>What are you thankful for? </strong><br />
<em>I am close to safe and clean water now. I am very happy here.</em><br />
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<strong>Amos Kirye, aged 11</strong><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjkXTtQLmZHdqsxv6CN3uDYIOmA1ZPQK8wLS1ROThE16nXyDBFvBHrCwRKeE-AEcQ8IC2qfbyhNH5sr-qQZA4MhiQFNz7D37a_oWq8tCEDxN5BO_NwHpk1xSDQ11NVPfSx2Ni6kofoDkT/s1600/Amos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjkXTtQLmZHdqsxv6CN3uDYIOmA1ZPQK8wLS1ROThE16nXyDBFvBHrCwRKeE-AEcQ8IC2qfbyhNH5sr-qQZA4MhiQFNz7D37a_oWq8tCEDxN5BO_NwHpk1xSDQ11NVPfSx2Ni6kofoDkT/s200/Amos.JPG" width="200" /></a><strong>Over the last year, what have you seen changing here?</strong><em>We have such a good diet and eat well, and they give us more time to rest from our hard classes and we play. They have bought footballs for us also. This is my favourite!</em><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Do you feel safe? If so, why?</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>I am now a leader to others, as I am a head prefect in my school. So I feel safe and I can help the other children to know that they are safe.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>What are you thankful for? </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>I have good health, and my mother and father are living and take care of me. And I think that the government should provide free uniforms for us when we go to school, so I am praying for this also that God will work it.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Shadia Mwesigwa, aged 14</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5P1fZ_kx2BO-JsvKnBvVnxm6AIqVOMkM5r0G9wPdRsN4vVWpnBOJCa_HbDrv03SrDrFv_ke8z4RzF0_WYYvejMeWUirWopCizLluzytr32i2bYsjAYsb9pM88wZ2nyh-MbBMOwTESymS2/s1600/Shadia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5P1fZ_kx2BO-JsvKnBvVnxm6AIqVOMkM5r0G9wPdRsN4vVWpnBOJCa_HbDrv03SrDrFv_ke8z4RzF0_WYYvejMeWUirWopCizLluzytr32i2bYsjAYsb9pM88wZ2nyh-MbBMOwTESymS2/s200/Shadia.jpg" width="200" /></a><strong>Over the last year, what have you seen changing here?</strong><em>We have proper latrines now, and a [bore] hole with clean water for us. We also can study in buildings now instead of outside, and we each have one chair.</em><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Do you feel safe? If so, why?</strong></div><em>I know I am safe and cared for because of the things people do for me. That shows me I am safe.</em><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>What are you thankful for? </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>I am brighter than I was before, and I know more. I know God better and I love to pray so much more. I am also able to get school fees for my studies.</em></div>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-43615218670872100322011-01-28T08:42:00.000+00:002011-01-28T08:42:35.850+00:00Viva Equip People journeys to Somalia’s frontline<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdZnfdTtUCH7PB-yKzIUnbuf5_632MB49vLiq0uJsovD8HgHhkramCVRwvSMHLkBDYgxs8YxasCtLVR4BkYQnx8vqOXKNHGI_z6XO2rEqt9Zee2i8S_uvNzqJfNAKIrHnYhA9yhRET1zw/s1600/Oketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdZnfdTtUCH7PB-yKzIUnbuf5_632MB49vLiq0uJsovD8HgHhkramCVRwvSMHLkBDYgxs8YxasCtLVR4BkYQnx8vqOXKNHGI_z6XO2rEqt9Zee2i8S_uvNzqJfNAKIrHnYhA9yhRET1zw/s200/Oketch.jpg" width="175" /></a><strong>Oketch Mukhwana, a soldier in the Ugandan Army, took part in <a href="http://www.viva.org/equip">Viva Equip People</a> when he began working in the children’s department of a military hospital.</strong> <em>“We are working with the children of soldiers”</em> Oketch explains, <em>“and there are so many special things about their lives we must understand if we want to help them properly. But before I did not have any experience of working with children, and there was so much I did not know. When I started on this Viva programme it was amazing how my eyes were opened.”</em> Oketch was particularly struck by the module about understanding each child in his or her context, learning what exact risks children face and how to help them thrive despite the problems. </div><a name='more'></a><br />
Unfortunately, halfway through the training, Oketch was recalled to Somalia for a peace-keeping mission and had to leave the course. However he insisted that the Ugandan Army send someone else to replace him, saying <em>“we must not miss out on this training. It is so vital.”</em> He visited the Viva Equip People centre in Kampala before he left, to talk to staff about how he could use what he learnt even while he was stationed in Somalia. He said that he would ask to be assigned to a children’s department while he was out there, and vowed to <em>“fight for and protect children’s rights while in Somalia and elsewhere on the frontline”.</em><br />
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<em>“I wish they would make it a policy that every Ugandan army officer working with children undergoes this training”</em> Oketch told us. <em>“And when I am leaving Somalia I will definitely be back to finish this course, even if the army does not pay for me I will come! I hope to be ready for the start of training in March, and I am very excited about it.”</em>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-10180636904800334322011-01-26T20:18:00.000+00:002011-01-26T20:18:15.403+00:00Is Viva Equip making projects too good?<b>From staff management and financial accountability to child protection and wellbeing, <a href="http://www.viva.org/QualityCare/">Viva Equip Projects</a> has built a great reputation for addressing issues of effective child care. But in La Paz, Bolivia, it seems a new issue has emerged, for which Viva Equip Projects is not the solution but in fact the cause: the projects are getting too popular!</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8udIhDGIR4ciYPGk3N3uyVbZmUlOKjrTx5tx6SgW5zK1QxbHGR9gMqMkC27JWOuPP3JJVTEugItoG5AF3aqDtU1LNWCTRv_JH2fGxkQe0FMr1E2jeWpRZQu4nScuJIIXtDHlQy9U18Pxf/s1600/Bolivia-QIS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 154px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 201px;"><img border="0" height="145" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8udIhDGIR4ciYPGk3N3uyVbZmUlOKjrTx5tx6SgW5zK1QxbHGR9gMqMkC27JWOuPP3JJVTEugItoG5AF3aqDtU1LNWCTRv_JH2fGxkQe0FMr1E2jeWpRZQu4nScuJIIXtDHlQy9U18Pxf/s200/Bolivia-QIS.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Local projects which have undergone the training have seen such a noticeable improvement in the quality of care they offer, that they have now reached capacity and are struggling to take in any more children. <i>“Projects here used to have problems where children would run away and go back to the streets, they were so used to their old way of life”</i> says local Viva Equip co-ordinator Henry Pers Lopez.<i> “But now the care in the projects is so good that the children are no longer running away, and it actually means that the organisations are getting so full!” </i><br />
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Many of the projects in the La Paz network are either schools or transition homes that are preparing children to be re-integrated into their families, fostered or adopted, and so they are a vital help and support to their neighbourhoods. While it is a very positive step that their standards of care have been so tangibly improved, it highlights the need to ensure that as many organisations as possible have the chance to develop the quality of the care they offer. <br />
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Henry reports that the network has now begun referring children to government institutions and other organisations outside the network, as member projects simply have no more room: <i>“We always make sure children are going to a place that can give them the best care possible, even when those places are not part of the network. But we know that organisations are stronger when they are part of a team, and when they have been given proper standards. So we are just wanting to do Viva Equip Projects more and more. We are hopeful one day this will not be a problem because every organisation in the country working with children will have done the training!”</i><br />
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<b>** Could you or your school, family or workplace help even one more project to receive this vital training? Check out how you could support <a href="http://www.viva.org/equip">Viva Equip Projects</a></b>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-52787088101666194482011-01-21T08:44:00.001+00:002011-01-21T08:44:32.229+00:00December December the month to remember... in El Salvador<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bxk2njwu2QyzHx9bqMaq6-aWG3oe3j-ijaFH3BdNmLTYD1k1WGnFnfIm-DNbnU71vStmq5-MS27QXOATC7E1IQ_xRkRmWSaJu0Dk2qAxn7PhNaj2_9U8jvHqlE8yrveroQD461wLCOBB/s1600/Cp-logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bxk2njwu2QyzHx9bqMaq6-aWG3oe3j-ijaFH3BdNmLTYD1k1WGnFnfIm-DNbnU71vStmq5-MS27QXOATC7E1IQ_xRkRmWSaJu0Dk2qAxn7PhNaj2_9U8jvHqlE8yrveroQD461wLCOBB/s200/Cp-logo.gif" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<strong>How many of us wish that we could send a message directly to the government? That we could tell them the things we think are important, and highlight what needs to change? Well in a community playground in the heart of El Salvador’s capital city, 400 children let the leaders of their country know exactly what was on their minds.</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaadaUwPjthqmMTPDONouIE_VKfQTCpTtn3mFlwTdNHE6w4zwdmLmGB1d8b-OIlQiFnOBi9uahDRKIcFDGfylKFIJzyE2o1A5z5DqBJnrNhd1lQAhfOg2zzRfbbaR6i7Mf6-PEkRZ4SDr/s1600/el-salvador.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaadaUwPjthqmMTPDONouIE_VKfQTCpTtn3mFlwTdNHE6w4zwdmLmGB1d8b-OIlQiFnOBi9uahDRKIcFDGfylKFIJzyE2o1A5z5DqBJnrNhd1lQAhfOg2zzRfbbaR6i7Mf6-PEkRZ4SDr/s200/el-salvador.gif" width="200" /></a></div>For this particular Christmas Party our local network partnered with the Ministry of Social Inclusion, and together they developed the idea of allowing the children to send messages back to the wider government. So amid the chaos of games, clowns, face painting and presents, a giant mural was created with hundreds of messages for the country of El Salvador. Every child at the Party was encouraged to write or draw on the mural, which was delivered to the local government offices in the week following the party.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>El Salvador is home to more than 7 million people, approximately 36% of which are under the age of 14. Yet despite their youth, this group seem to have a pretty good grasp on the things that could help their country become a better place. Roberto, aged 12, wrote that <em>“we should have no children on the streets”</em> and 9-year old Nancy wrote <em>“let there be no violence and crime”.</em> Nubia, at only 11 years old, was very direct in saying <em>“the President should do good things for the country”</em> and a surprising environmental awareness was shown by Ramos, aged 10, when he wrote <em>“Do not cut down trees, and you will have a better El Salvador. We must look after our country for the future”</em> and illustrated his message with colourful forests and rivers.<br />
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So although the party is over, who knows what changes we might see this year, now that the El Salvadorian government have a clearer picture of what a third of their country thinks is important…Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-26788222733088716782011-01-21T08:44:00.000+00:002011-01-21T08:44:05.755+00:00December December the month to remember... in Kenya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YtWLlCbrxyXgz-D1Bl-K4xrs8HT5ifZ_7-Pwila6JUNmyEHf4y-UZC3gcl45ol26w9Dr9hzODcC8XN7kjtrHMJ9A2bR1pTMZfX-EMjmLmBXTdqNYK2xDxmjQCqAAVdT3CZneL2DuqAkO/s1600/Cp-logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YtWLlCbrxyXgz-D1Bl-K4xrs8HT5ifZ_7-Pwila6JUNmyEHf4y-UZC3gcl45ol26w9Dr9hzODcC8XN7kjtrHMJ9A2bR1pTMZfX-EMjmLmBXTdqNYK2xDxmjQCqAAVdT3CZneL2DuqAkO/s200/Cp-logo.gif" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<strong>In the Manyatta slum, opportunities for children to stand up and be heard by crowds of over 800 people are pretty rare. Yet that’s exactly what 12-year old Gaya got to do at the Viva Christmas Party in his community just a few weeks ago.</strong><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp0nc3dl-HfOceqhFL6tWzJFDzBvuq4wHZxrtvGCPQujiLcJvDS6u-D304hfMXFrTxaxXpg3aBCdw-sLevKgIc9zUNC8OdTDgQT5KYpoMGjsSN8rDPv9mSEfeq9N8w_IMQMQ_tpWKh-6t/s1600/Kisumu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp0nc3dl-HfOceqhFL6tWzJFDzBvuq4wHZxrtvGCPQujiLcJvDS6u-D304hfMXFrTxaxXpg3aBCdw-sLevKgIc9zUNC8OdTDgQT5KYpoMGjsSN8rDPv9mSEfeq9N8w_IMQMQ_tpWKh-6t/s200/Kisumu.JPG" width="200" /></a>Gaya’s church is part of our city-wide network in Kisumu, Kenya, and so when the network decided to hold a Christmas Party he was one of more than 700 children to attend the festivities. The meal they ate together provided a welcome change from the daily fare of maize and beans, the presents they received were, for many, the first toys they had ever owned and the games were enjoyed by attendees of all ages. </div><a name='more'></a><br />
In the afternoon all the children and adults gathered together to hear the Christmas message, which Gaya had been chosen to help present. <em>“I spoke for a time of 10 minutes and they were all listening to me!”</em> he told us proudly.<em> “I never had this opportunity to speak to so many people, it made me feel very honoured and happy.” </em><br />
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As a result of the party Gaya is now involved in Viva’s Child Ambassadors programme, which focuses on developing children’s leadership skills and empowering them to play a part in shaping their own futures. He felt so encouraged by his experience at Christmas, and by the network’s faith in him, that he wanted to commit to help other children gain confidence to talk with adults and know they have the right to be heard, and has vowed to<em> “speak up for children everywhere, and help them to do the same thing.”</em>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-71916388087904287232011-01-21T08:43:00.000+00:002011-01-21T08:43:28.101+00:00December December the month to remember... in India<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoQZ3wfNgF35jEeyZ0C2KQjUeuvwjR8eYLImEsNybuleetcTp9Go-5bOA9AqoCvbCZAzVK8RgDxHzzeNDAgascLl0hPA_iO3HKxSz6fkM399gSKLnEwwITrWRDlQO3zVhWsD-y5WH6xBA/s1600/Viva+Christmas+Parties+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoQZ3wfNgF35jEeyZ0C2KQjUeuvwjR8eYLImEsNybuleetcTp9Go-5bOA9AqoCvbCZAzVK8RgDxHzzeNDAgascLl0hPA_iO3HKxSz6fkM399gSKLnEwwITrWRDlQO3zVhWsD-y5WH6xBA/s200/Viva+Christmas+Parties+logo.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<strong>When our city-wide network in Delhi, India, held a Viva Christmas Party a few weeks ago they gave every project attending the chance to perform. Songs, dances and dramas were played out by more than 100 children for the entertainment of their peers, including 13 children from a project that helps young people with autism and other disabilities.</strong><br />
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Along with their project staff the children performed a five-minute gymnastics routine set to lively Indian music, involving very daring tumbling and dancing. The routine concluded to enthusiastic applause from the other children and carers, and the enjoyment of the performers was evident in the big smiles they wore throughout the presentation. Gary also told us that the children’s reaction to the performance was a personal highlight for him as it showed <em>“their acceptance of the children with special needs - they did not treat them differently at all.”</em> In fact he was delighted to see that children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds were interacting and enjoying the performances and games together throughout the day.<br />
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This was the first time this project had been involved in a Viva Christmas Party, and they were very positive about the experiences it offered their children. And because they are a part of the network, they will be able to work with other local projects to show those children exactly what equal opportunities can mean all year round.Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-31279228179659228772011-01-20T12:15:00.000+00:002011-01-20T12:15:42.654+00:00And so the student becomes the teacher<strong>When Grace Nyiringabo took the Viva Equip People training two years ago she had no idea that she would one day end up actually teaching it! </strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFX-C4h8-DqJLYRic9Ykb8QmC0K0uU7VYGu6fRqLiHH4ERBLnm2OLokCLmTMzJrye949RmIMXUI74bTvtMZlrzB4CHE6d4SUI6bIGxIilyRCOJGOs6VPDn_TwjqoOKSX66AKEZ4rjtZc3/s1600/2654260296_1175529cc6_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFX-C4h8-DqJLYRic9Ykb8QmC0K0uU7VYGu6fRqLiHH4ERBLnm2OLokCLmTMzJrye949RmIMXUI74bTvtMZlrzB4CHE6d4SUI6bIGxIilyRCOJGOs6VPDn_TwjqoOKSX66AKEZ4rjtZc3/s320/2654260296_1175529cc6_b.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>In 2009, alongside 40 other project staff working with children at risk in Mbale, Uganda, Grace spent eight months gaining the key skills needed for effective and compassionate child care. <em>“This course helped me so much”</em> says Grace. <em>“I feel that spiritually I have grown and my heart has been changed. I didn’t know how to handle children at my work place, and I was not doing my work from the bottom of my heart but really just to earn a living. Now I can confidently say that I am committed to seeing the lives of children changed and helping them become better people- all that God intended them to be.”</em><br />
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Viva staff were so impressed with Grace, and the way that she was implementing what she had learnt, that they felt it right to approach her to be one of the trainers for the 2011 course. Beginning in March this year the course is taking place at five centres across Uganda, and 200 new students are expected to enrol. Over the last year seven other particularly successful VEP alumni from Mbale, Gulu and Kampala have also been asked to become trainers for this next course.<br />
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The co-ordinator of Viva’s national network in Uganda, Patrick Jumah, feels strongly that continuing this model of trainees becoming trainers will be beneficial on many levels:<em> “These people have gone through the whole course. They are not just specialists in one module or topic, but they know what it is to study all the parts. They are showing to be wonderful mentors to those going through the training now, and an amazing support.” </em><br />
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Another benefit of these students-turned-trainers is that they actually help to alleviate some of the financial pressure of the training. <em>“So many of the people who have done the course and now are trainers are happy to give their time for a much lower cost”</em> Jumah shares. <em>“They have seen the benefit of the training, and they are so motivated to teach others that they do not need to make a lot of money from it. They are so happy to be there and teaching more projects.” </em><br />
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Grace agrees wholeheartedly, saying <em>“It is a privilege now to be passing on this learning. I know that it has not only equipped me with skills and knowledge but it has also transformed my life, and I hope to help others now experience the same thing.”</em>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-11381794023419241982011-01-11T15:01:00.001+00:002011-01-11T15:02:34.691+00:00Simon says ... keep children safe!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Throughout the years of my childhood I played the game ‘Simon says’ hundreds of times. You know – Simon says wave your arms in the air, Simon says stick out your tongue... But never once did I play it as part of a lesson on sexual and physical abuse.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE16w7GvTMyNPgjsFenNvUkjPpFzBYCIyA1k6OrahI4hgILDcdon7fsrleAxkLxo_dZRXimYtc9Las-IkN0aqmbJSH2QJUW4A77Qe3ACe4ELSQTVVdii6JtMVqdJDYmDoVFUmHs457gVx/s1600/DSC00185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE16w7GvTMyNPgjsFenNvUkjPpFzBYCIyA1k6OrahI4hgILDcdon7fsrleAxkLxo_dZRXimYtc9Las-IkN0aqmbJSH2QJUW4A77Qe3ACe4ELSQTVVdii6JtMVqdJDYmDoVFUmHs457gVx/s200/DSC00185.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just before Christmas I visited a school in Manchay (a district in the desert-like hills above Lima, Peru) that is using all kinds of games, songs and stories to <b>teach children about the value of their bodies</b>. On the day that I was there I arrived just as a class of 10-year olds were finishing off a fairly chaotic and laughter-filled game of 'Simon says' (<i>Simón dice</i> in Spanish) and then watched as the teacher proceeded to relate the game to real life. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">She explained that just like in the game where <b>sometimes you’re supposed to do what ‘Simon’ tells you, and other times you’re not</b>, it’s the same in life. It’s important to be respectful and obedient to adults, but if a grown-up (or even a peer) asks you to do something wrong or inappropriate then it's OK not to obey them – in fact you shouldn’t. As an example the teacher then referred to some pictures on the wall that the class had worked on the week before – black and white drawings of girls and boys where the children had been asked to colour in green all the areas that were ok for other people to touch, and in red the areas that were not.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The teacher later told me that there are a lot of young pregnancies in this area of Peru, and sadly a lot of single mothers. So for many children the main male figure in their life is an uncle, a grandfather, or simply a string of their mother’s boyfriends. Because of the level of poverty these broken, mixed-up and extended families often share rooms, sometimes even beds. The opportunities for all kinds of abuse are many and varied. But thanks to Viva’s city-wide network in Manchay, things are beginning to change. The school I visited is just one of several projects and churches that are <b>working together to uncover and prevent sexual, physical and emotional abuse</b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Using Viva materials, particularly focussing on a teaching manual produced in partnership with Youth for Christ, the 15 schools and churches in the network have an opportunity to teach kids about how valuable and special they are, and how they should (and should not) be treated by adults. I spoke with several teachers at this school, and also with one of the local pastors, and they were all really encouraged by the progress being made. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One teacher said “We’re so thankful for the Viva materials. Many of the facts I already knew, but this book has shown me how to teach those facts to the children in a way they can really understand. And the children are responding – <b>many of them have actually come forward and confided in me about situations going on at home</b>.” Another said, “I have always known that abuse was going on in this area, but I did not know so many of the children in my own class were affected. It’s awful, but at least now we know we can do something about it.”</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The network plays a vital part in dealing with the cases of abuse that come to light as a result of the teaching.</b> While the schools have good links with the government, and tend to focus on trying to prosecute the abusers, the churches have strong links in the community and work closely with the victim and their family. Working together in this way means that the child can be counselled and encouraged, the family can be supported and shown how to prevent further abuse, and the perpetrator can be brought to justice. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Most people have never heard of dusty little Manchay, and few will venture far enough outside of bustling Lima to visit it. But I’m glad I took a trip off the beaten track. I got to see the creativity and dedication that is being put into play to keep children safe and show them that they are loved, and I got to see how <b>people are pulling together to change a whole community</b>. Simon says<a href="http://www.viva.org/"> join in!</a> There’s a lot you can do…</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~ <i>B, Viva UK</i></span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0Manchay, Lima, Peru-12.166667 -76.866667-12.250569500000001 -76.983396500000012 -12.0827645 -76.7499375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-19418405695553935832011-01-02T16:21:00.001+00:002011-01-02T16:26:36.680+00:00Helping Churches Respond to War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lXxz_AOBwWTAZtGqscRrdAkscOeJydDM81AxAaaJvImyK6w4LgH9h2qpN9FNBlA31K2A8aaDViyOLZLcA6MchnLp6olysQd05AWtXcob6yPGSGhPkK8sgca7FFZy3M_UGKNNlSiIb9C4/s1600/Sri+Lanka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lXxz_AOBwWTAZtGqscRrdAkscOeJydDM81AxAaaJvImyK6w4LgH9h2qpN9FNBlA31K2A8aaDViyOLZLcA6MchnLp6olysQd05AWtXcob6yPGSGhPkK8sgca7FFZy3M_UGKNNlSiIb9C4/s200/Sri+Lanka.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Viva’s International Prayer Co-ordinator, I get to travel around to conferences and events worldwide, as well as helping local children get involved in <a href="http://www.viva.org/prayer/">prayer</a> right here in Oxford and throughout England. I’ve recently come back from Sri Lanka, where I was a keynote speaker for a conference on intercessory prayer for Asia. Needless to say it was exciting!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Viva doesn’t have an official network in Sri Lanka, but we’re <b>building relationships with projects and churches</b> around this beautiful island that want to <a href="http://viva-togetherforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/12/party-on-nepal.html">work together</a> to address the enormous needs facing Sri Lankan children in the aftermath of decades of war and ever-present poverty. After my speaking engagement in Colombo I did two days of workshops with children’s workers (and children!) to help the adults learn to involve children in prayer, teaching them to hear God for themselves from a young age. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After my time in Colombo I was whisked up to the northern city of Jaffna by Ministry of Defence plane – as I said, exciting! Jaffna is where the majority of the recent war took place, with Tamil Tiger rebels facing off against government forces. I spent time here in Palaam Children’s Home, which started as a <b><a href="http://viva-togetherforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/08/child-friendly-church.html">local church’s response</a> to the needs of children in the community</b> who were affected by the war. Now it’s filled with children who were orphaned during the war or by the tsunami. An African saying applies well here: when two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers most. Children are often hit hardest in times of war, as I was reminded in Jaffna. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The war officially ended two years ago, but many children are still suffering the impact of just being born while it went on: thousands of children born during the war have no birth certificates, because their parents were unable to get to government offices to register their births. While this may not sound as dire as losing family members or being physically hurt, it does mean the <b>children have no legal status</b>. They’re not recognised by the government, which means they miss out on <a href="http://viva-togetherforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-generation-of-slum-children.html">school</a> – the one opportunity they have to climb out of poverty. Even worse, many of these unregistered children actually did lose their parents, so they’re now completely destitute. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One girl I met had lost both parents and ended up in a camp for internally displaced people. She had met a family in the camp and attached herself to them. When they left, she tagged along. They weren’t able to give her long-term support, but helped her get out of the horrible camp conditions. As they drove down the road, they saw a signpost to the Palaam Children’s Home and took the chance to make sure this little girl got proper help. Now she’s a permanent member of the Palaam family and is on her way to getting registration and a birth certificate.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, Palaam Children’s Home has its hands full caring for these children and trying to get each orphaned child legally registered. From my years of experience at Viva, <b>I know how desperately they could use the help of other projects and churches in Jaffna that are doing the same work</b> or can offer <a href="http://viva-togetherforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/07/graduating-good-workers.html">other support</a>. Right now Viva is trying to get familiar with some projects doing significant work, and sharing about the benefits of <a href="http://www.viva.org/City-wide/">working together</a>. We’re also encouraging churches to get involved in caring for children at risk. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s amazingly difficult to get anything done at the moment, as the government is clamping down on non-governmental organisations and small projects have many levels of bureaucracy to climb through. Aside from that, many churches are suspicious of reaching out and working together. <b>Years of violence and mistrust can undermine people’s faith in one another</b>, and the church needs to <a href="http://viva-togetherforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/06/daughters-in-danger_28.html#more">overcome this obstacle</a> before it can really set about helping Sri Lankan children. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But we’ve seen churches do it before, and I know <b>God is big enough to break down human barriers!</b> We’re definitely watching and praying with anticipation for this hurting but amazing country.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ <i>C, International Prayer Co-ordinator, UK</i></span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0Northern Province, Sri Lanka9.668333 80.0063938.9914505000000009 79.072555000000008 10.3452155 80.940231tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-59392257699125261212010-12-17T20:47:00.000+00:002010-12-17T20:47:26.724+00:00Party on, Nepal<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Viva Christmas Parties are gearing up around the world. Actually, quite a few have already happened! If you’re getting involved in ‘Your Party, Their Christmas’ or ‘Your Gift, Their Christmas’ you already know that Viva Christmas Parties are not only a blast for kids, but they link vulnerable children up with projects that can provide them with help and support for the rest of their lives. What a reason to celebrate!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwGAe38M3NeLbmlo6D5QR7Ql9qfVirq5pN2HQeWXqIdFpieOrSDeSnXChFuMa9VUskgXRPbSCd5ZxLUaALyashxM2KVYnePli0jh7XOmCAkS6l6xc7uksaT7kXMzVI5msoCVFLYKVxtSw/s1600/Happy+children+with+Christmas+gifts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwGAe38M3NeLbmlo6D5QR7Ql9qfVirq5pN2HQeWXqIdFpieOrSDeSnXChFuMa9VUskgXRPbSCd5ZxLUaALyashxM2KVYnePli0jh7XOmCAkS6l6xc7uksaT7kXMzVI5msoCVFLYKVxtSw/s320/Happy+children+with+Christmas+gifts.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In Nepal, though, Viva Christmas Parties haven’t just helped get children connected with projects – <b>they’ve helped make it possible for projects to connect with one another</b>. As in many other places around the world, Nepalese organisations that help children at risk have traditionally tended to keep to themselves. Opening up your management, fundraising and resources to other projects can be a terrifying task. Our partner network CarNet Nepal discovered that Viva Christmas Parties are a great way to develop the trust and rapport between projects that are necessary to form a network. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How does a Christmas party do all that? Projects and churches that want to form networks find it hard to start by tackling huge issues like child homelessness or trafficking, although these are issues that affect Nepalese children. So they start by working together on something small that builds the confidence and competence to take on the big things later! Viva Christmas Parties have helped Nepalese projects focus on a goal – a party – that is <b>easily achieved and makes big issues seem smaller</b>. Have you ever watched a baby learn to walk? He probably didn’t try to take on a flight of stairs first, did he? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Viva Christmas Parties can also help Viva get a feel for what internal and external issues face a group of projects, so that we can provide the best support and advice for them as they grow into a network. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although Viva Christmas Parties weren’t the only thing that brought the members of CarNet Nepal together, they were a big help (and of course a giant joy to all the children who attended!). In the end it’s the determination of individual people and projects that really makes a network pull together and survive through the many difficulties related to caring for children at risk. Christmas Parties are a fantastic way to show these projects what acting as a network feels like, and to help them reach out to local children at an early stage to see what needs exist in their neighbourhoods. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now Christmas Parties are a yearly event in the CarNet Nepal projects! Do you remember what you were doing on December 5th? Well in the south eastern region of Nepal, 500 children were attending parties in Biratnagar and Jhapa. On December 10th, 300 children partied in Birgunj, in the central border district from where many children are trafficked to India, and 750 others celebrated in Nuwakot, Kanchhanpur and Butwal. On December 12, 1,200 children attended a giant Christmas Party in the capital, Kathmandu! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Across Nepal this month, that’s <b>2,750 vulnerable children</b> – some who live on the streets, others who have been rescued from abuse or trafficking, and others who just come from poor families – having a great time while being introduced to projects and networks that can help them grow into healthy adults by working together to provide for their needs. <b>Party on, Nepal!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Want to help by throwing a party of your own or by giving an alternative gift? Go to</i> <a href="http://www.viva.org/christmasParties/">www.viva.org/christmasParties/</a>.</span></span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0Southern Asia27.839076094777816 84.9023437522.985871594777816 77.43164075 32.692280594777813 92.37304675tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-35282253776841363172010-12-10T16:50:00.000+00:002010-12-10T16:50:38.559+00:00Big Heart for Cochabambinas<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve been in Peru and Bolivia for almost 3 weeks now, and I’ve eaten llama and guinea pig, been horseback riding in the Andean mountains, stayed in 9 different hostels and spent a total of 43 hours on long-distance buses! And today didn’t fail to bring yet another new experience…</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbnaG-sHDrs9qBgYjqTeyo4XQ01dl7xReNqLf3PMF2giiTj2nK2uO7FhF13C873jwMyVT_zyDUfVUoW39e2LfFMT8RExhyIV_xzLD3LqCYQKB3w99wjuZiG9MTgtxL64RvukXIImik7q3/s1600/DSC00038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbnaG-sHDrs9qBgYjqTeyo4XQ01dl7xReNqLf3PMF2giiTj2nK2uO7FhF13C873jwMyVT_zyDUfVUoW39e2LfFMT8RExhyIV_xzLD3LqCYQKB3w99wjuZiG9MTgtxL64RvukXIImik7q3/s200/DSC00038.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This afternoon I stood in front of a lovely red brick house, built at the bottom of a deep green valley surrounded by awesome mountains and framed against a clear blue sky. The handwritten sign above the door of the house read ‘Corazon Grande’ (big heart) and it was one of the most tranquil and beautiful places I’ve seen on this trip. Yet the stories of the girls who currently live in the house are almost the complete opposite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A member of Viva’s Cochabamba network, Corazon Grande cares for 14 girls between the ages of 6 months and 15 years. Some of the girls are orphans, others were simply abandoned by their families, and a sadly high number ran away after suffering sexual or physical abuse in their own homes. Corazon Grande offers the girls a safe place to live, nutritious meals, healthcare, basic education and regular counselling to try and help them work through their difficult experiences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few months ago about 8 of the girls took part in a national Viva campaign - Cero Tolerancia al Sexual Abuso Infantil (no tolerance of child sexual abuse) - joining with thousands of other children across Bolivia. Carla, the director of the home, said she noticed a difference in the girls even while the campaign was still going on, telling me that they were “so confident and happy, and more strong - just being part of this big thing that says ‘you matter, you are important, and there are people who will fight to protect you’.” Yet she would never have predicted what the end of the campaign would bring out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two of the girls staying at Corazon Grande, girls that had so far been very quiet and unresponsive in the counselling sessions, came to Carla and told her that the director of the school they were at had been sexually abusing them. They told Carla that it had been happening for a while, but they were too scared to say anything. But after the campaign they realised that other adults were saying that it was not ok, and that there were people who would stick up for them and help them if they told someone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now Corazon Grande is working with both the network and the local government to make sure the girls are helped and kept safe and that the head of the school is properly dealt with. The government departments for Education and for the Protection of Children are both involved, and the network members have been supporting and praying for the Corazon Grande staff as they help the girls deal with the trauma of what they experienced. Carla also told me that Viva and the network were a great help when she needed to find another school for the girls, as obviously they had to be moved immediately, and the contacts of the network made it easy to place the girls in a new class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although much of what I saw and heard today provided a new experience, albeit quite a sad and challenging one, there was one part of it that was reassuringly familiar. I saw, as I always see when I travel with my job, how real people’s lives are being changed by the power of working together. Those two girls’ lives are already showing changes, and I have faith that they will continue to heal and grow, and it took the combined efforts of many different people to bring that about. So yes I really enjoyed the taste of alpaca, yes the many hostels have been entertaining and yes I’ve got some incredible photos of the scenery. But really what I’m bringing back with me is yet more exciting, humbling and inspiring proof that together we really can do more for the struggling children of this world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>~ B from Viva International Office</em></span></span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com1Cochabamba, Bolivia-17.38414 -66.166702-17.46605 -66.2834315 -17.302229999999998 -66.0499725tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3077076113962953505.post-53071757682905715902010-11-19T16:46:00.001+00:002010-11-19T16:47:17.256+00:00Party Time!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To most children in the UK, December 25th means a holiday, presents, turkey, stockings and big family gatherings. But for children all over the developing world it's just one more day to survive - no presents, feasts or holiday cheer. If you could throw a Christmas party for thousands of vulnerable children, would you?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>We would!</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If you're a regular reader, you know that Viva's <i>raison d'etre</i> is making a difference for children at risk. We do this by helping projects that already exist and help children, to <strong>work together to do their jobs better</strong> and more efficiently. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What better way to get people, projects and churches to work together than by throwing a giant party! <strong> Every year thousands of children across Africa, Asia and Latin America get to celebrate Christmas because hundreds of projects work together to throw them parties</strong>, with Viva's coordination and support. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A9FRNVBagBQ#at=13">Viva Christmas Party</a> each child eats a local version of Christmas dinner, receives a present and is treated to a great day out. Many of the countries we work in have warm Christmases, so parties in the past have featured visits to waterslides, local beaches or theme parks. Can you imagine the look on her face when the little girl growing up in a slum takes her first ever trip down a waterslide?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">These parties aren't just about one day of fun and friends, though. The most important element of Viva Christmas Parties is <strong>connecting children to local projects</strong> that can provide them with education, food, health care and love for years to come. What starts with a Christmas Party ends up being a brighter life. (And isn't that what Christmas is all about?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">8-year-old Anil went to a Viva Christmas Party in Bangalore last year. He remembers: "There were lots of things that made me happy on that Christmas Party day like dancing, singing Christmas songs, receiving gifts, painting our faces for the mime and participating in the acting on stage. <strong>It was my first time to do all these things!</strong>"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Gloria had been living on the streets of Harare for a while when she heard about local Viva Christmas Parties. She knew right away that she wanted to help out at all the parties... and she did! At the parties, Gloria met other children and teenagers from local communities and as a result of talking with them, she decided to return home to her family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Get involved - <strong>make this Christmas merry and bright for a child at risk</strong>. Go to <a href="http://www.viva.org/ChristmasParties/">www.viva.org/ChristmasParties/</a> for ideas.</span>Vivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09574801120308157568noreply@blogger.com0