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Topic
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Lockdown
You might be in your room right now underneath your blanket, watching Netflix, chilling, eating the stock you're having right now and if you are empty you went to the only shop opened near your area, unfortunately, I was doing the same but after I came out of the ration shop I saw two hungry children, I was having many packets of snacks so I decided to give one to them. But during the time I was searching for the packet in my bag I saw four more children coming, asking me to give them rice and wheat. I can afford to give two of them but not six, and I am sorry for that. They were screaming...
Discrimination followed by COVID-19
As the confirmed cases of COVID-19 are growing in Europe and USA, the fear of the virus is also growing every moment. But as the fear of the virus grows, discrimination against Asians and minorities also grows. Only because the virus started to spread in Wuhan, China, many Asians must live every moment with a label that says 'Moving Virus'. Sometimes they are subjected to violence, disgust and fear, or they receive offensive glances from people when they are moving around in the street in Europe or America. I'm Asian, and also my whole family is Asian, I want to stop the discrimination that...
Keeping our mood up during the coronavirus lockdown period
My name is Kaninica Sengupta and I'm a 7th Grade Learner in Chennai, India. The first two days were really fun. I could sleep in late, wake up late and did not have to worry about going to school. But everything changed in the third day. I was sick of the usual routine. I missed school and I missed my teachers. I was scared of how I was supposed to learn even though our last exams were over. My school teachers started giving us home work, worksheets and audios/videos via our e- mails. That kept me engaged. I am a person who needs to do something different or I get bored really quickly. My mum...
No Discrimination
Covid-19 is not an excuse for being racist and xenophobic. It does not mean that just because I am an Asian, I have the virus. This is a world pandemic and we all have to fight it together. Discriminating is not a way out of this mess. Narrow eyes, fair skin does not tell you that person has the coronavirus. UNITY IS STRENGTH. If we unite, we can figure a way out rather than just being racist. The coronavirus is not justified by race, religion or which country you belong to, skin color and which language you speak. so, LET’S UNITE TOGETHER and figure a way out!! Kaninica, Chennai- India See...
Purpose
Every living soul born to this earth must serve a purpose. Big or small. What is purpose... How should we find it, ours... When we serve a big purpose, it seems easy for us to identify it. We will come out to the surface of the water, visible and identifiable. However, what if we serve a small purpose... We will not come out to the surface of the water, we will might as well be submerged, there will be no momentum to soar high. Invisible and unidentifiable. It is only our existence. Our existence that will touch others'. How would it make a purpose, we might think. It is our existence...
Is Aid Really the Right Approach to Combat Poverty?
The Power Of Womanhood
Malala Yousafzai said, "We realise the importance of our voices voices only when we are silenced." We have been silenced for centuries and during these years of silence, we eventually realised the importance of our voices. Speak up. Make sure your voice is heard even when certain evil forces are attempting to silence you with all their power because believe me, words cut deeper than swords. Let's collectively fight for the rights that we have been denied for years. Here is how you can make a difference: when your friend tells that her significant other abuses her, speak up for her. When a...
Why Pride is ALWAYS Necessary
The LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight through hardships to gain acceptance from the rest of the world. From discrimination to the illegalization of same-sex marriage, they’ve gone through many difficulties. I’ve heard some say that Pride month is too much, that the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t need it and that it shouldn’t matter. This kind of thinking is actually pretty insensitive and ignorant. In reality, the LGBTQ+ community’s battles are still not over. Even though it may seem to be more accepted in the United States, there still are acts of discrimination going on in other countries...
How to succeed in failure without really trying
Some paths you must walk alone. We all know that. We come to this world alone and alone we must go, or something like that. And the love you give, sometimes you might never get it back. And let’s not forget the world is full of injustice and anger and plastic that just won´t go away. I could write for days about the darkness there is out there or the hopeless void I sometimes feel I’m a part of. But in all honesty, who needs that? Did you notice how easy it is to just sink in it? Do you get what a dark place your life would be if you decide it to be? When something bad happens in your life, it...
Coping with Adolescence
I would always remember years back in college how my heart feels so good when my feet are inside my General Psychology classroom, and how it pounded more with excitement when we start tackling and battling with words under a topic – Stages of Human Development. Until I turned to teaching, I still aim for Personal Development so I could always have a good talk and response to this particular topic. For I have fell in a trap that knowing something about these stages will give me a better understanding of one’s personal growth, behavior, and attitude towards something. Well actually, it is really...
Resume Game?
Now as the world has come to a halt, many people think about what could keep them occupied. Some are lucky as they can work from home, in an outdoor space, or even at 6 feet apart. It has transpired that productivity in learning new things has dropped to an all-time low. It is almost as if we're playing a video game, stuck on a level. We choose to take a break from it and hit pause. A menu pops up and asks you to; 'Resume Game'. Now this is the tricky part, is it best to keep going to a level that seems complicated and tedious? There might be a small chance that if you pass this level...
A little discovery
You ought to be careful with the people you surround yourself with. I only recently discovered that certain mentalities are contagious. If you surround yourself with people that are constantly doubting themselves, speaking low about themselves, it's only a matter of time till you find yourself going through or experiencing such thoughts. This is how some insecurities are formed. Some people project and reflect their own doubts and fears onto you. Therefore, you have the duty to protect your space, know what and who you allow in your space. Like the Bible says, two cannot walk together unless...
We met again!
Five months have passed since the Syrian war memory, the war that forced us to do things we don't want to do. This year, I wrote a blog five months ago about the story of my life and how my childhood was living since the beginning of the war and until now under name: "How war changed me." I also mentioned - in this blog - my story with my first friend in my life, we were five years old when we first met and we stayed together until the war started and forced us to leave each other. Since 2011 I have not received any news about her, I only hear from time to time that she is alive. Recently, I...
A light of hope
Priya clutched her doll, as she went over to the balcony. She looked over the grill that was surrounding her balcony. Priya was a girl who lived in a flat system. As she looked out, she gave a little sigh. The roads that were so full of bustling crowds, were now completely deserted. The air that used to ring with the vehicle horns was now still and silent. Ever since India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modiji had announced the lockdown of the whole country, to battle the deadly coronavirus, there was hardly a soul roaming around. Priya was lost in thought of the epidemic when suddenly, she saw...
What about children’s rights in this COVID-19 crisis?
We recently celebrated the Day of the African Child on June 16 and being a child parliamentarian, I see this as a big day for all of Africa’s children and more so for the children of Djibouti. Since I am their voice in Parliament I can say we are dismayed by the situation we are going through because of COVID-19, which is worse still for most children who do not have birth certificates We welcome the salutary measures decreed by the political and health authorities to protect us from this misfortune of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the African child in general, and the Djiboutian in particular, find...
How war changed me
2011. I was 11-years-old when the war started in my country Syria. I was too young to understand what was actually happening. Before the war started I had many dreams. I wanted to be a doctor, be with my friends forever, or grow older at the same place where I lived. But suddenly, I found myself without dreams, friends and dolls. I woke up one morning and everywhere was full of hatred, I have seen many horrific scenes that are still stuck in my brain. 2012. I had to change the place where I live to start a new life again, but I became despaired, secluded, more shy and more nervous. 2013. I was...
The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and its grip on us young people and children
“Poverty is when you don’t have any money. Because of a lack of money, children and us young people don’t have a chance to develop. We may not have a good profession or a good foundation for life.” This is how I describe the impact of poverty. Whether it’s the instant loss of income that so many parents face as a result of COVID-19 or the austerity measures that may follow, children and us young people are currently and will bear the brunt of this pandemic long after the virus itself has been eradicated. Projections change daily, with some predictions that the recession that follows COVID-19...
Why child protection cannot be forgotten during COVID-19
In just a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 outbreak has already had drastic consequences for children across Djibouti. Their access to education, food, and health services has been dramatically affected all over the country. The impact has been so marked, that the UN Secretary General has urged governments and donors to offset the immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on children. In discussions of the pandemic to date, child labour (i.e. forms of work that are harmful to children) has played only a marginal role. Yet, as I describe in this blog, child labour will be an important coping...
Living my teenage years through historical and political events
Your teenage years are supposed to be a time for you to figure out who you really are. It’s also a time where you often feel lost and confused. However, with everything that’s been going on (Covid-19, protests for the death of George Floyd, etc..), these influential teenage years have become extremely dense. Many students haven’t been able to get their prom or graduation. Others are struggling to attend online classes in a home that doesn't have the necessary technological facilities. This is what makes this time so unique; it affects all of us, crossing societal and economic borders. Though...