Kindergartens for Vulnerable Children in Darfur

A message from Kids for Kids Founder, Patricia:

When I first began visiting Darfur I saw little children, no more than three or four years old, tied with rope to their family's huts. I was aghast. I could not think of any reason for why children would be put in such dangerous situations by their own mothers.

Speaking to mothers, I could tell they loved their children so much, but saw no other option. When children are young, a mother can tie her baby with cloth to her body as she travels the four or five hours walk to fetch water. But as the child gets older she cannot manage a heavy infant and the jerrycans she must carry - her family's only supply of water for the day.   What could they do? There was no chance of a neighbour watching their children as everyone in Darfur is carrying out the same chores, walking hours to fetch water, tending livestock, and keeping their own children safe.  Mothers do not want their two and three-year old's crawling off, so they will tie their children to their huts, keeping them secure while they are gone fetching water. Can you imagine?

This absolutely had to be stopped. You may not know, but this is one of the reason's we started building Kindergartens.

Of course, there are many compelling reasons why children need to go to school early - in Darfur many cannot start until 9 or 10, or later.   Many mothers can only afford to send their eldest son to school.  If children start education late they have little chance of reaching their full potential.  Children grow up very early in Darfur with virtually no childhood as survival is something every member of a family has to help with, even little ones.  Not only do our Kids for Kids' Kindergartens provide an early education to children, but mothers are no longer forced to tie their children to huts to stop them wandering into the desert.  Mothers can go about their daily chores knowing not only are their children safe, but they are learning, and from the earliest age possible.  They are on the path out of poverty.

Please can you help us continue to build Kindergartens, keeping children safe, and giving them the chance every child deserves at a better future? Tell your friends about this project and encourage them to donate. We have to build more schools as soon as possible.

In our previous project report we mentioned that we will be funding 5 kindergartens in 5 villages that have been caring for their communities particularly well.  We currently have our short list of those villages but we cannot start work on them - the dream of all mothers - until we are sure the current emergency has come to an end.

For the next few months, in order for these Kindergartens to be successful, we have to first focus on the current famine in Darfur.  There is drought in Darfur and crops have failed for the second year running.  Rains should come soon and crops can be planted again.  But famine does not go away quickly, and although we are not an emergency organisation, we cannot stand by and let children starve.  We know we need to provide emergency help now so in the long run, our long-term projects succeed. 

Education remains the route out of poverty - we know this to be true, and so do the families we help in our Kids for Kids villages.  However, when families rely on what they can grow, and the harvest fails, people have no food and there is no solution except the provision of emergency supplies. As soon as we can, we will begin building these new schools, so please continue to donate, so that we have sufficient funds to be able to give the go ahead at the first possible opportunity.    Kindergartens are desperately needed if children are to have the best hope for the future.   Please tell your friends and family about our projects, and show your support for families who are going through an extraordinarily tough time right now.  Imagine what it will be like when the famine is over, and we can tell villages that they will be getting a Kindergarten?  Mothers and Fathers will be so thrilled - not to mention little ones - who will have never thought this possible!  Children cannot wait to join one of our Kids for Kids' Kindergartens.  They are the first in the whole of Darfur to provide toys at school.   Parents cannot afford to buy toys so no child in any village will have ever had the opportunity to play like children in the rest of the world. At our Kindergartens we provide educational toys including things like musical instruments, and outdoor equipment, something they will never have seen.

The funds you give to this project will enable us to build these Kindergartens once the crisis is over.  Our long-term sustainable projects are no use if families starve.  Over the last 18 years we have shown that to give children a better future we must help families to help themselves - and what better way to a better future than enabling children to start school at the right age.  Thank you for the help you continue to give to Kids for Kids. Your support makes it possible for children to have a better future.

Links:

• Read more about the current famine in Darfur