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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...
How Youth Can Help Fight Climate Change
Climate Change is one of the most pressing global issues in our world today. Almost every country in the world has issued their own environmental laws in order to minimize the effects of climate change and a lot of ads, slogans, posters and campaigns against climate change have been launched by concerned environmental organizations and government institutions in order to raise awareness to the public of how we could help stop this global crisis. But it's sad that out of billions of people in the world, only few have responded to the call. When a climate change occurs, temperature drastically...
Letter to the Refugees
Dear refugees, I will always flounder to put out your stories of resilience in the finest of the words. Many a times I tried but failed. So today, this is another try to see whether I am able to touch an element of your stories or not. Let me tell you that you are just more than your stories and agony. You all are incarnation of robustness, endurance and a definition of hope. Every physical and mental torture, forced displacement, remoteness etc., you have had been through weren't worth at any point of time, but you emerged braver and stronger than before. It feels like hope emanates from the...
One afternoon in July
Sitting beside the tea stall, Sipping my tiredness away, I see the children in the hall, Carrying the stones in a difficult sway. The scorching July sun shows no mercy, As if these little souls deserve no pity, The sweat and dirt has soiled their torn jersey, Their filthy palms marked with lines of iniquity. Returning the empty glass, I walk up to the hall after paying a note, "Why don't you send these children to class? Someday, they might also wear a coat." "It is easy for you to say so sire, The windows of rich offices are opaque to reality, Poverty is what these children have got in hire...
Physics: The Final Frontier
I used to look down upon my feet but now, my eyes are set to the stars. Explorers searched the known world across the history of mankind, hoping to find a new place in such a limited planet. It did not take long for me and other dreamers to search the stars for new worlds, allowing the cosmos to become our teacher. From the view of our ancestors, the final frontier of exploration was discovering new worlds on this planet with the aim to find a new place to call home. Today, scientists across the globe and those who wish to become these newfound explorers, such as I, have realized what truly is...
Beirut dreams.....
Yesterday's dream is about a beloved angel she carried me in her wings to the heaven She uplifted me from the poisonous air filled with Ammonium nitrate, which is proportionally burning with screams, Tears, fire and desire I hope the next air i inhale, will fill my lungs with light and love....not fire and tears....
INDIA, OUR COUNTRY OUR PROPERTY
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of the most popular or probably the well-known and significant missions in the history of India. This campaign was introduced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and was launched on 2nd October 2014 to honour Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a clean country. But how far was it implemented? Are we still honouring Mahatma Gandhi’s vision? Maybe Gandhi’s vision wasn’t just to have the roads clean but to have our whole country clean. But what we did wasn’t that. We cleaned the roads and dumped all of them in a huge land, in the so-called dump yard. I don’t think it is right...
FAWAKA with You(th): “Deaf people are equal to hearing people, we just don’t get the same opportunities”
During these challenging times it’s more important than ever that Every Child has equal access to information and medical services. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Surinamese government responded by translating relevant information in multiple languages and also having a sign language interpreter present during press conferences. All of UNICEF’s communication material and interventions are also developed as inclusive as possible: multiple translations and using subtitles and sign language interpreters during events and infomercials. The sound of words like ‘social distancing’, ‘COVID-19’...
Menstrual Rights: World Leaders Accelerate Investments on Menstruators Urgently
The United Nations Women Organisation has just recently celebrated it’s Tenth birthday from the date of its establishment, 2 July 2010. According to the organisation, “we have worked to place women’s rights, priorities and voices on critical global agendas. But there is still much work to be done before we can achieve gender equality, and all of us have a role to play ” As a South African Activist for Menstrual Health, Founding Director, Chief Executive Officer and Campaign Leader of Team Free Sanitary Pads, attaching great empathy as well as resilience from a grassroots perspective, I relate...
Why is Climate Change always referred to in the future tense?
As it stands, it is not the case that climate change will be a future threat to our Planet. This ‘threat’ is already happening and will continue to do so in many unimaginable ways. A point I think should be emphasized is that climate change is always referred to in the future tense. For example: “it will cause…”, “It’s going to be…”, “in 100 years’ time…”. Let’s stop for a second...What about the unusual hurricane activity of 2017? What about the devastating heatwaves of summer 2018? What about in Bangladesh where climate refugees are already a reality? There is no doubt that we are in the...
Black and Beautiful!
Black lives matter! Present we have the darkest of days, Everyone is fighting a battle in their own ways, Together with COVID-19, black lives matter is a trending case, Unacceptable is the prejudice they bare and violence they face. White or black, dark or light, Colours from light of souls, has led to fights, Human race has crossed the verge of divides, Colours are not for differences but a souls pride. Just because they are not fair, They feel inferiority and difference in air, They are left out as if humanity disappeared, But their skin is what they wear with flare. Beauty is not defined by...
5G and COVID-19: The misinformation which is still circulating
A girl is born...
A GIRL IS BORN…. Like a beginning of journey, a new dawn To create a new history a girl is born A world of her own, a deep ocean to dive She’s alone a daughter, a sister, a mother and a wife She cooks, she plays, she helps, she cries To bring happiness to family how hard she tries She’s vulnerable at times and fierce too She unconditionally loves and cares too Siblings’ friend, parents’ pride Children’s heaven and someone’s bride How fragile yet so strong To rock all the roles, a girl is born Eyes full of dreams, mind full of passion Every girl is a unique sensation Yet few hearts still mourn...
How social media is helping combat racism
The recent homicide of George Floyd sent shock ripples across the globe. Can police brutality really take this heinous form? How can the color of the skin be a determinant of someone’s character? Mass protests broke out in no time with the slogans of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and Floyd’s parting words “I can’t breathe”! Several people stood in solidarity, and soon anti-racism posts began to flood social media. A #blackouttuesday movement came up on Facebook-owned platform Instagram, with many well-known pages – from brands to influencers and organizations to celebrities, registering their protests...
Minorities Around the World
Our world has become increasingly globalized, diverse and rich in ideologies and practices. Countries around the world include communities and societies within their national identity, enriching the diversity of their population. But when so many different groups of people are embedded in society together, beliefs of superiorities and minorities come into place. The culturally rich beliefs and principles of groups develop the foundation of diversity and heritage in our world. While each group is different, one thing that’s common among minority groups is the fact that, more often than not...
What is Artificial Intelligence – and how does it affect YOU?
They deserve it too!!
Animals…what could they possibly be thinking about us? What would they say about us humans?? Do they talk?? Yes they DO!! We just cannot figure it out. Think for a moment, if they could communicate with us as how we do with each other, what would they say?? Just because we are human and we are able to talk, that does not mean the animals do not have rights to stand up for. At the end, we all are the children of Mother Nature, aren’t we? Nowadays everyone is speaking about human rights and equality, but no one seems to be caring about rights of animals. Even though they do not fight for it...
3 ways to be kind online
Hate speech and mean comments seem to dominate the internet these days. Scroll through any Instagram or Twitter feed, YouTube comment section, or online forum, and you are bound to see people mocking others for their appearance, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, personal beliefs- really anything can become the unfair target of vile comments online. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Although hate comments are seemingly everywhere on the internet, they do not belong anywhere. Here is a list of some ways to be kind online to turn the internet into a safer and friendlier place for all. 1...
Muslims, to unite or to divide
Happy, innocent, and carefree, and like all children of their age, the children of the middle east and north Africa (MENA) region were full of dreams, hopes, and expectations that were all buried with the beginning of the war. Now we know that war is one of the worst tragedies that can affect humans but sad enough, war has become an inevitable part of many children especially those living in the MENA region. Why does this mainly happens to countries in the MENA region? Why does it mostly target the Muslim communities? Is it because those countries are rich in petroleum? Well, that may be one...