EDUCATION AS A RIGHT AND NOT A PRIVILEGE

Education forms the cornerstone of any developed society. In London, where I was born and where I work every day, education is a basic right to every child. A child becomes of compulsory school age when they reach the age of five and by law every parent has a legal responsibility to make sure children go to school. There are systems in place to cater for the educational needs of every child and to ensure that no child is left without one. This makes education a statutory right for every child and not a privilege.

Unfortunately, these opportunities are a far cry from those of children of the same age bracket in other parts of the world. In some of the rural areas of Africa, there are a lot of children who don’t have any opportunity of attending a school. The bleak reality in these areas is that the concept of education doesn’t match with reality in which these people live. The reasons why children do not go to school are endless. In most cases, forced to contend with more pressing basics such as feeding their families, many parents forego educating their children since they can’t afford to pay for a proper education.

This then becomes a vicious cycle in that children like their parents before them, end up tilling the ground and the cycle goes on. For some children, the only other option is joining gangs where they would be assured of some chance to earn a good income and respect within their communities while others are forced to scavenge for food. Young children mature at an early age,-Not out of biological transformation but out necessity. The situation gets worse for females in that young girls become vulnerable at a very young age. Young girls get exposed to the scourge of sexual favours in return for basic necessities with severe consequences such as STDs and HIV.

According to Statistics by the United Nations, nearly half the school-age population in Sub-Saharan Africa have never set foot in a classroom. It is heart-breaking to witness first-hand the plight of children in these areas; - to know that millions of kids will never have the privilege of receiving an education. The consequences of a poorly educated population are dire because education is a key part in bringing real and lasting change in the transformation of any society.

My belief is that education should be viewed as a fundamental human right for all irrespective of race, gender or geographical setting. Education is important in helping to improve people’s lives. Poverty eradication, employment creation and economic growth all depend on the availability of skills and good skills are borne out of a proper education. It is for this reason that the Eden Foundation has partnered with Globle Limited of Hong Kong to provide scholastic material for elementary students in rural provinces Western Sierra Leone.

By providing access to education, The Eden Dervan Foundation hopes to empower young minds and encourage them into partaking in the benefits of the opportunities of education. At the Eden Foundation, we believe that there lies a king in every kid and we strive to bring out that king. We know that children will flourish if they are able to go school, stay there until they finish and learn the basic skills of literacy, life skills and critical thinking in a supportive setting. The Eden Dervan Foundation has over the years has invested heavily in elementary education by supporting skill building initiatives and by providing scholastic material and scholarships to local communities.

Although our ambition and goal is to change the dire circumstances faced by the needy, the myriad of existing needs can confound even the most heartfelt intentions. For this reason, we appeal to your support in achieving this goal. Your support to our education programs will help in providing entire communities with the infrastructure, training, tools, services and support they need for improving quality and access to education. With your support we can make this dream a reality. There is a saying in Africa that it takes a village to raise a child. I added a twist on this to say that we in the world have a responsibility to help each other because truthfully speaking, WE ALL ARE ONE. For more information about how you can help, contact www.edendervan.org.