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Afghanistan
Children
Speech By: Stephanie
Bowskill
Age: 10
“Mom. Can I
stay home from school today? I don’t want to go to school.”
I’d
never say that (whistle and roll of eyes), but maybe some people here have.
The
children that I’m going to talk about next have certainly never said anything
to that effect. And this time I’m not being sarcastic.
Mrs.
Morton and fellow students, I’d like to take this time to speak to you about
kids that are less fortunate than we are and struggle day to day. They are the
kids who live in Afghanistan. I chose this topic not only because the comparisons
are so shocking, but also because our school, my brother and myself have taken
an active roll in helping these kids.
In
December 2003, Grades 4 to 8 at South Monaghan Public
School, all participated in making DareArts greeting cards
that were sold to raise money for kids in war torn countries. Part of the money
was used to purchase 1000 back packs with school supplies in them and
distributed by the NATO Peace Keeping Forces to kids in Afghanistan. My brother and I also performed at Toronto’s Skydome as part of the Children for Peace concert
that helped kids in war torn countries all over the world. Here is the
certificate that we received. We should all be very proud.
When
I started researching this subject, I was very shocked at the facts that I
discovered.
Did
you know that only 3% of girls and 39% of boys in Afghanistan attend school? Because of poverty, kids even at young
ages are kept out of school. When the taliban were in power, the people in Afghanistan weren’t allowed to have schools. They were forced
to run underground, hidden schools. Teachers in Afghanistan have very little training or no training at all.
Although very important, schooling may be one of the least of the children’s
worries. There is an estimated 10 million landmines planted through out the country. That is roughly 1 for every
child living there. The people are at risk from landmine injuries by just going
about their every day activities like doing chores, gathering wood, tending
livestock and collecting water for their families. Over 130 000 Afghan children
under the age of 10 have been killed by landmines. Afghanistan is the 3rd most mine-affected country in
the world. 60 % of the children surveyed have lost a family member and 39% have
lost their home because of bombs or other explosives, like grenades, rockets
and mortars. Would you believe that 1 in every 4 children dies before his or
her fifth birthday and also, 1 in every 5 is born in a refugee camp. An estimated 1.5 million children and adults suffer
from hunger. The children are always scared because most of them have seen
death and injury.
In
Kabul, which is the capital city of Afghanistan, I read that 50,000 kids alone work on the streets
polishing shoes, selling fruit for shopkeepers or just begging. Poverty affects
children the most.
Afghanistan has been a war torn country for over 20 years and
still is. There are lots of organizations, in addition to Children For Peace that I already mentioned, that fundraise to assist
them. Save the Children is one of them. One of their programs has recently
expanded by 400% by giving wheat, beans, sugar, iodized salt and vegetable oil
to 700 people. They have also developed a program for kids that help them
learn, make friends and do lots of other wonderful things.
You
may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll
join me and all us kids will live as one.
Thank
you.
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