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Letter to my younger self
Hey little me, I wish you had written down a couple of questions for me to answer today. It is hard to think what you would have wanted me to talk about specifically, since I am you and not, at the same time. My last resource is guessing. I am not sure if you ever desired advice from an older self in order to take decisions. So even though you did not wish for them, here is a couple of bits of advice: To the one I was 15 years ago, math is hard but learning is great. Do not feel like you need to follow what everybody else does in order to feel part of the bunch. Keep being loud and kind; you...
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’...
FAWAKA with You(th): Most people underestimate the impact COVID-19 has on Youth Mental Health
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the world, everyone is trying to adapt to this ‘new normal ‘in their own way. Adapting in these challenging times can especially be difficult for young people. UNICEF Suriname recently conducted a Youth KAP survey to get more insight into the level of COVID-19 knowledge of young people and how this has impacted their lives. This blog series is a follow up to the key findings of the youth survey aimed at getting the stories behind the data. FAWAKA translates to “How are you doing?” in ‘Sranan Tongo’ (Surinamese Creole language). In this week’s...
FAWAKA with You(th): “It’s not about special LGBT rights, it’s about equality and basic human rights like everyone else”
The second article of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ensures the right not to be discriminated against – in any way. This includes the right to not be discriminated against for one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, hundreds of thousands of people have contracted the virus, and every community has been affected. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) youth often face additional challenges, which may include staying home with unsupportive family, restrictions on their self-expression, concerns about the future, and lack of...
Migrants: exposed and vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic
No Country for Online advocacy
In the spawn of three months, grandparents learned how to use Zoom, professors that had been teaching since the last millennium had to learn forcefully about live-streaming and virtual conferences, and humanity realized that many daily activities can be done online. Technology had been swallowing slowly our daily routines during the last decade; however, it took an accelerated and imposed growth due to this pandemic This change to online-based society seems easy and even unavoidable in the so-called High-Income countries. But Low-Middle Income countries got stuck in a slow development, where...
Child vaccination and the challenge of consulting
Now that the COVID-19 vaccination has advanced greatly in many countries, levels of absenteeism are rising in the places where the doses are being put. The anti-vaccination movement has had a significant impact on this matter, alongside the help of fake news and disinformation. Misleading communities is a serious issue, but it becomes even bigger when those people are parents. At this level, it not only affects them, but also their children’s health. Thus, this problem escalates from an individual sphere to a family spectrum. And just like in other medical instances, the youth is not given a...
Let's go back to school
The COVID-19 pandemic changed everyone’s lives abruptly. Lockdowns were enforced, businesses were closed, and schools had to shut down and transfer their classrooms to a virtual sphere. Homes suddenly became workplaces, both for adults and children. But for many, it was not easy. Numerous siblings sharing the only phone or computer available, sometimes even borrowed from a family member or neighbor. Some kids climbing up trees to get data reception; meanwhile others were spending the entire day at a park or shopping mall to use the free Wi-Fi. Adults tend to have many different activities...