Year In Review 2016

Number 5:

Girls Lives Matters

#BringBackOurGirls: Lost Girls of Africa

Two years have passed, still there was no return of over 180 girls kidnapped in Nigeria. What is the world waiting for?

In 2014, an extremist and a terrorist group called Boko Haram kidnapped 276 female students. To date, 57 girls escaped, 1 rescued, 1 found, 21 freed, and 6 reported dead. 

The Nigerian Government has refused to use military efforts to aggressive pursue the terrorist group. As a result, more females and children are being taken in the country, by the same group.

So who decides who’s worth saving, and whose not.

If this can happen in the world’s seventh largest country, whose next Brazil, India or China?

We will never educate every child on the planet if we cannot guarantee parents; their sons and daughters will be safe going to school, in economic and socially undeveloped countries.

So we rank this world event number 5 in 2016. And hope this is successfully resolved in 2017, so the families of the missing girls, can breathe again.

Here is more information about why these Girls Lives Matter:

 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping

CHIBOK GIRLS: WHY HAS THE WORLD FORGOTTEN OUR MISSING SCHOOLGIRLS?

The World Should Be Ashamed of the Failure to #BringBackOurGirls

 Number 4:

Don’t Do That

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Throw-out the baby with the bathwater. That is the approach; the newly appointed Brazilian President Michel Temer believes will save his country from economic disaster. After, his predecessor, former President, Dilma Rousseff; was impeached and removed this year (for breaking budgetary laws).

President Temer, who led the parliamentary coup against her, has introduced a series of sweeping privatization proposals and cuts in education, health and other social programs, which will effect the country’s next generation.

Students took to the streets in protest. Led by the Brazilian Union of Secondary Students, asking why the country wants to keep up with the Joneses, went their names are the Browns. (Brazil spend over 27 Billion to host both the World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Summer Olympics)

Students said that cuts to education for children and providing college aide is not an acceptable choice. With over 1,000 public schools and universities joined forces to protest by starting an occupying schools movement. They demanded to be heard, and wanted the proposed constitutional amendment (PEC) 241, not to become law.

The government leaders agreed to limit some cuts in education, but plan to go forward in enforcing the new law. Yet, many economic experts believe, this will put the country’s students behind, the rest of the world in technology, for the next two decades.  

The experts say, by cutting science grants and scholarships for students. Their country’s future workforce will be limited in opportunities in the 21^st century knowledge-based global economy.

We hope the Brazilian Government Leaders were listening. As a result, we rank the new education cuts in Brazil number 4, in serving as a major impact in hurting student’s educational opportunities.

You can find more information about PEC 241, below:

Temer’s PEC 241: A Bold Work of Unoriginality

 Brazil’s Student Upsurge

 Budget cap would stifle Brazilian science

Number 3:

By the Grace of God

Money Is Worthless, If It Can’t Save A Life

65 Million Children born with disabilities are being denied access to schools, because of the lack of investment by the world’s poorest countries governments.

The International Disability and Development Consortium reported this year, that school-age children with disabilities, are not attending school, because of the support they need. Why?

The cost to prepare classrooms for disability children is a major burden, if you ask government officials. They say, how can we afford the cost, went there is not even enough schools or classrooms for children without disabilities. So what’s the solution?

Right now, the opportunity to solve the problem does not exist. But, with these countries losing billions of dollars by not educating or employing their disable population. An answer needs to be forthcoming.

We rate the problem of not providing educational classroom for children with disability number 3, this year. Mainly, because of the lack of support of World Leaders for the overall investment (or interest) for educating poor children.

Below are links to more information, on how education for children with disabilities are being ignored: 

Costing Equity

Tens of millions of children with disabilities out of school due to poor government and donor practice, report finds

Half of children with disabilities are out of school due to underfunding

Number 2:

These Children Are No(t) Mad

But Cold and Afraid in the World

It’s estimated 3.5 million refugee children are out of school around the world. With 50 percent between the ages of 5 to 11, and 75 percent between the ages of 11 to 16.

The world is finally seeing how it affects us all. From the massive exodus of Syrian children and their families, being relocated to Europe, South and North America, this year.

Not only are these children suffering from emotional and psychological trauma, they are defenseless against discrimination and potential abuse, as well as being vulnerable to human traffickers.

The Syrian refugee crisis demonstrates what is happening to children, and how countries show little value to their existence.

What’s happening in Syria is not a one-off. It’s a growing epidemic in Africa, Asia and Europe. Wherein the last two years, it was estimated that  80 million children’s education was disrupted by internal and external conflict.

There is no other way to put it, but children living in unstable governments face a very challenging future. Which will hopefully and eventually, force the world to care.

To the Syrian crisis and other refugee children, who have to undertake the journeys to find a safe environment to heal and find hope again, we’re cheering for you.

We rank this sore on humanity, number 4 in 2016.

Read more related information on the Refugee Epidemic:  

Syrian refugees: Which countries welcome them, which ones don’t

With education out of reach, one refugee boy is forced to grow up fast

DON’T LEAVE THEM OUT