STOP THE WAR ON CHILDREN Save the Children has been helping children in need for 100 years. Unfortunately, the words spoken by founder Eglantyne Jebb a century ago, still apply today: ‘Every war is a war on children.’ Around 420 million of them are growing up surrounded by the violence of war. That is twice as many as twenty years ago. They live in fear every day and see horrible things. That is why ‘Stop the war on children’ became the theme of this centennial year. Read all about how Save the Children saves and helps children in this special edition.
DID YOU KNOW THAT? 1 in 5 of the world’s children lives in a conflict-ridden area?
CONTENT
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How Save the Children works
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Five stories from all across the globe
FIGHTING FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS Save the Children helps provide for the most essential needs of children all across the globe.This saves children’s lives. But distributing clean water, medication, food and things like tent fabric, blankets and clothes, is not all there is to it.
give you food, hygiene products and warm enough clothes. When you are ill or injured, a doctor to help you get better is great news. This is the kind of aid that Save the Children is trying to provide as much as possible.
In an emergency situation, even the most basic things are lacking. It can make a huge difference when you find someone able to
But there is more to be done, the relief organisation believes. You are only truly helping when you actually give these children
a chance to make their dreams come true. That is why they also fight for children’s rights. Save the Children believes that every child should be able to go to school and play and grow up in a safe environment. Irrespective of whether you were born in the Netherlands or in a country at war. This is how the relief organisation helps improve the future of children all over the world.
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Interview with director and join the writing contest!
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What do you know about children’s rights?
SYRIA
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IRAQ
Save the Children helps in 120 countries. Here are the top ten countries where children are impacted by violence the most: MALI
HOW SAVE THE CHILDREN WORKS
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NIGERIA
HOW DID SAVE THE CHILDREN BEGIN? It was May 1919. World War I was just over and people were trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. That proved difficult. People were weakened and children were dying of hunger. The British Eglantyne Jebb took action. She founded Save the Children in order to help children in need. Anywhere in the world. Nobody could predict that the relief organisation would still exist a hundred years later. But children are living in dire need to this day and the important work of Eglantyne is being continued.
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
SOUTH SUDAN SOMALIA
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC CONGO
FOTO: MARIEKE VAN DER VELDEN/ SAVE THE CHILDREN
LET CHILDREN BE CHILDREN Martine Bergwerff has been working for Save the Children for five years. She visits countries where children are being helped on a regular basis. ‘It is different wherever you go’, she explains. Martine does not hand out food or clean water. That is up to her colleagues who work and live in that country. Her task is to help them do their jobs as well as possible. In addition, Martine raises funds to cover all the aid provided by Save the Children. And she
talks to people in politics to see if conflicts can be resolved. Not just from the safety of the Netherlands, but also in conflicted regions and at the United Nations. NO ADULTS ALLOWED Especially for children who have lived through something traumatic, it is important to be able to just be a child for a while. ‘Playing isn’t as easy when you’ve fled war or natural disaster’, says Martine. ‘That is why we make child-friendly spaces: like playgrounds but simple. Imagine a place with a fence around it and a sheet against the sun. No adults are
AFGHANISTAN
CHILDREN FOTO: MARIEKE VAN DER VELDEN/ SAVE THE
allowed and alcohol and weapons are prohibited’. The children can play games there with the aid workers, sing or cry and be quiet for a while. Martine: ‘If someone is in serious trouble, this allows us to identify it straight away and make sure the proper assistance is provided to that child. LEARN TO PLAY Save the Children helps refugee children in the Netherlands as well. ‘It is very difficult when you arrive here from a distant country’, Martine explains. ‘It often takes months or even years before you are told whether you can stay in the Netherlands or not. It helps when you are able to play once or twice a week in the meantime.’ Aid workers teach them how to treat each other. Martine: ‘Playing together takes mutual respect. This can be quite difficult when you’ve been through all kinds of things. And everyone came from a different country. Some respond with aggression, others withdraw. It’s good to have someone help them play together.
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HOW DOES SAVE THE CHILDREN HELP WITH THESE FIVE PROBLEMS? 1. HUNGER ‘There is little to eat in a lot of countries. Malnourished children are given Plumpy’Nut, a nutritious paste made of nuts. And we keep an eye on the children after treatment as well. To explain, for example, that grass is not a healthy food, and nuts and fruit are’. 2. CLEAN WATER ‘Water is very important in warm countries.You need it to drink, cook and keep yourself clean. This is why we provide clean drinking water and teach songs for washing up. With clean hands, you are much less susceptible to diarrhoea and much less likely to spread it if you’ve already been infected. When there is little food and clean drinking water around, diarrhoea does not heal on its own and can even be fatal’. 3. DISEASES ‘Wherever an emergency exists, we will build small mobile clinics. Children will come to see a doctor. We also have a team of doctors who go to regions that are difficult to reach’.
4. SCHOOL ‘Sometimes children need aid in up to ten different areas. What is most important? Food? Medication? Safety? School? All of the above, of course. But especially school because children who can read and write have a chance of a future. With an education, they will be able to take care of themselves. That is why we make sure that children are able to go back to school as soon as possible, and give them books and other teaching materials.’ 5. EMERGENCY ‘We distribute emergency kits in situations of emergency. If you’ve suddenly had to leave your home, you get a household kit. It contains cooking utensils. But blankets and mosquito nets as well. Everything you need to build a temporary home. Then we’ve got kits with soap to keep yourself clean, clothes like warm sweaters and shoes, and food packets with seeds and rice’.
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CHILDREN’S VOICES It is difficult to imagine what it must be like to grow up in an unsafe country. And yet many children live in places that are riddled with war and violence. Five of them tell their story. They have all suffered and are receiving aid from Save the Children.
Who: Marium (11) What? Got shot in the leg Country: Myanmar What is going on there? Violence by the army against the Rohingya, a people without a nation. What kind of aid? Medical aid and support in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.
Who: Razan (8) What? Got a grenade fragment in her eye Country: Yemen What is going on there? Four years of war What kind of aid? An operation, money to get to the hospital and help processing everything that’s happened.
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Marium and her sister Fahira live in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Before arriving at the camp, the girls lived in Myanmar. A lot of violence was being committed against their people. Marium’s parents both died shortly after one another. During an attack, Marium got shot in the leg and fell badly ill. She fled to Bangladesh with her uncle, where an operation saved her from the wheelchair. ‘Just a little more time and then I’ll be able to play along with all the games again’, she dreams.
Razan has had a very rough time. She was forced to run from violence in her country Yemen with her family. A grenade exploded nearby on the way and a fragment ended up in Razan’s eye. It wasn’t until five days later that her father managed to borrow money to go to a good hospital. Save the Children immediately arranged an emergency operation when she arrived. ‘I’m glad that I can see with both eyes again’, she says after two operations. She hopes that the violence will stop soon so she can go back home and back to school.
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Who: Hassouni (9) What? Injured during an attack Country: Iraq What is going on there? Violence by IS What kind of aid? Clothes, children’s rights and help processing the attack.
Who: Mai (11) What? Was very frightened because of everything she has seen Country: Syria What is going on there? Eight years of war What kind of aid? Plays with aid workers at the special children’s playground at the refugee camp.
Who: Farzad (12) What? Fled to the Netherlands Country: Afghanistan What is going on there? power and Terrorists are fighting for ks committing terror attac What is going on there? ries to members of Farzad told his war sto ber and handed the Dutch Second Cham ren report. them the Save the Child
Three years ago, Mosul in Iraq was the scene of heavy fighting. The city was conquered by IS, a terrorist group. The army liberated the city but a lot of people got killed in the process. Hassouni survived a bombing but lost a brother and a sister. He got injured in the arm, back and head. It still hurts. ‘I want to be a teacher when I grow up’, he tells aid workers from Save the Children. He can’t go to school because it’s been destroyed. But he has been teaching his younger brother himself.
Plays with aid workers at the special children’s playground at the refugee camp. Mai has been living in a camp in northeastern Syria for a year and a half. First, she fled to a village in Raqqa with her family. They thought it would be safe, but militant groups soon arrived. They forced everyone out of their homes, closed the schools and made sure that no food was available. Mai’s brother was taken by combatants. This is when Mai and her family fled to the camp. She is sad and worries about her brother a lot. Drawing together with Save the Children aid workers helps calm her nerves. ‘When I grow up, I want to be an artist just like my dad’, she says proudly.
Farzad has been living in the Netherlands for three years now. He is doing well in school and likes to play football. Not quite when he had just arrived. ‘I had trouble sleeping. I kept reliving the things I’ve seen.’ And that was quite something. Fighting has been going on in Afghanistan for years. As a result, Farzad couldn’t go to school or play outside. His father got kidnapped and his sister didn’t come home from school one day. Farzad doesn’t know where they are now. It had become too dangerous to stay in Afghanistan and with the help of an older brother, Farzad and his family were able to flee to the Netherlands. ‘It was a dream come true to play football on a real grass pitch’, he smiles.
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SPECIAL SAVE THE CHILDREN
INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR PIM KRAAN
FOTO: CHRIS DE BODE / SAVE THE CHILDREN
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD? ‘A sheep herder! Seemed like a job with a lot of freedom. But when my mom told me I would have to knit my own socks, I changed my mind ha.’
YOU HAVE BEEN SAVE THE CHILDREN’S DIRECTOR FOR OVER FOUR YEARS NOW. WHAT IS YOUR JOB LIKE? ‘My job consists of a lot of meetings, phone calls and organising. So I spend a lot of time at my desk, but I travel a lot too. I am also a member of the international board of directors of Save the Children. I make sure that all humanitarian aid* we offer worldwide, is properly organised.’
IS IT A FUN JOB? ‘There is a lot of suffering going on in this world. But we can help cheer children back up.
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For example, by providing them with a safe space. Or by making sure they can go to school or get food or medication. That makes me happy and proud, and my job fun.’
WHAT HAS LEFT THE MOST LASTING IMPRESSION DURING YOUR WORK? ‘Sometimes a hospital or school gets bombed during wartime. It happened recently in Yemen for example.You never get used to something like that and it always has a big impact on me.’
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE MONEY COLLECTED BY CHILDREN FOR SAVE THE CHILDREN? ‘Over 90% goes to the Children’s Emergency Aid Fund. The money from this emergency fund can be used to provide food, medication and safe places to sleep for children in need. And the rest? We use it to pay our staff and lease or office.’
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT SAVE THE CHILDREN EXISTS? ‘Save the children is a hundred years old. A sad birthday really, because it would be great if every child had the opportunity to grow up in safety. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Disasters and war will always be around, so we will always be needed.’
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN? • Conflict: A Battle • War: A battle between two or more nations • United Nations: An organisation of 193 countries that discusses human rights, peace and security • Aid (worker): Someone who helps people in need • Humanitarian aid: emergency assistance for people who became victims of (natural) disaster and armed conflicts.
TIPS TO COLLECT MONEY
WIN!
FOR EVERYONE
Save the Children’s existence depends on people collecting funds.You can help too! How? For example:
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*do ask your parents’
PTY C O L L E C T E M S AV E D B OT T L E S A N S I T S THE DEPO
you begin
GO TO WWW.SAVETHECHILDREN.NL/KIDSWEEK AND READ HOW TO DONATE YOUR MONEY
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B R IN G YO U R FAV O U R IT E IN S T R U M E N T TO T H E PA R K A N D M A K E S O M E M U S IC
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CAN YOU SOLVE THIS REBUS?
BA K E M U F F I AND SELL T NS HE IN THE ARE M A
WALK THE NEIGHBOUR’S DOG
permission before
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Imagine you are the boss of the world. How would you stop the war on children? Write, draw or vlog you answer before 23 June to acties@savethechildren.nl. The winner will pitch his or her idea to the director of Save the Children at the headquarters in The Hague in person. Good luck!
Save the Children is an independent relief organisation. This means they decide where and to whom they provide aid. Every child in dire need deserves the same aid. Regardless of whether you are a boy or a girl. What your beliefs are, what you look like or where you’re from. Did you know that Save the Children is the largest independent relief organisation in the world?
R=T
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SELL HOME-MADE AY L E M O N A D E O N A H OT D
-UR P=N+
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-EN Y=R
it’s in dutch
The right answer: Stop de oorlog tegen kinderen
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QUIZ
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CHILDREN’S RIGHTS?
A safe space to live. Play. Being able to say what you think. But healthy food and help when you’re sick as well. As a child, you are entitled to these things. All of these – and many other – agreements about children are recorded in the Children’s Rights Convention. Almost all countries in the world have agreed to keep to these rules. But what do you know about children’s rights? Do the test!
1. WHOM DO CHILDREN’S RIGHTS APPLY TO?
2. UNTIL WHAT AGE ARE YOU STILL CONSIDERED A CHILD?
a. b. c.
a. b. c.
All children in the Netherlands All children in Europe All children all across the globe, because discrimination between children is not allowed
Until your sixteenth birthday Until your eighteenth birthday Until your twenty-first birthday
3. ALL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD HAVE SIGNED THE CHILDREN’S RIGHTS CONVENTION, EXCEPT ONE. WHICH ONE? a. b. c.
Iraq The United States Syria
4. WHAT IS NOT A PART OF THE CHILDREN’S RIGHTS COVENANT? a. b. c.
Children have a right to fries, coca cola and ice cream. Every day. Children are allowed to express their opinion. That opinion must be consulted and truly listened to. When you get or write a text message, app, letter or email, nobody is allowed to read it before asking you first.
5. ANOTHER RIGHT, IS THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION. BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT EDUCATION ISN’T JUST A RIGHT, BUT A DUTY AS WELL? a. b. c.
Correct! Children have to go to school so they don’t get bored during the day. Yes. At school children learn how the world works so they can take care of themselves when they grow up. Children have to go to school so their parents can rest. The right answers are: 1 c, 2 b, 3 b, 4 a, 5 b
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COLOPHON
SAVE THE CHILDREN:
WWW.SAVETHECHILDREN.NL EDITORS:
Saskia Rust and Valerie Kierkels Young & Connected
DESIGN: KICK! YOUNG & CONNECTED: Martine Karsten and
Budi Goudsmit - www.yandc.nl