Beau School for the Deaf

Today we had two speakers come and discuss Beau School for the Deaf in Central Africa. It was founded in 2003, by Aloysius and Margaret Bibum. The school is working hard to earn money to build a new school to transfer the students to. The amount of students have increased to over a hundred, which is exciting to hear. They recently bought the property and are in the middle of paying it off. The new school has a layout already drawn up and seems to be coming along.

Most children have struggling families who can not afford any means of education for their children. One organization called Friends of Beau School for the Deaf, set up fundraisers and get sponsors involved to make a difference in these young children's lives. You can actually join their organization for ten dollars which will go towards the greater cause of a child's education.

It is said that children there do not have easy access to water. In many cases when the water is open children swam to the area with buckets to fill. After the water closes children must travel to get any water and even then it may not be available. The new school they are in the process of developing will have a well system installed providing fresh and accessible water to the children that got to the school. When hearing this presentation I could hear both presenters had their whole hearts in it. It motivated me to want to make a difference, which is the reason why I am going to choose to work with this school to raise the much needed money.

South Africa and AIDS

Listening to Dr. Henderson explain facts concerning South Africa put it in a perspective from someone who has visited Africa several times. We also went into further detail about the issue of AIDS. We were handed the statistics sheet and it was astonishing to know that forty eight million people reside there and speak about eleven languages. Of these languages South African Sign Language is not considered one of the eleven despite the fact there are 1.2 million Deaf or hard of hearing people in South Africa.

He went on to explain the epidemic of AIDS. They have a International AIDS Conference that brings people together to make a difference. Approximately 25-35 % of those living in South Africa are infected with this epidemic killer. Sad enough as it is 60% or possibly higher are children. This can come from lack of education, sterilization, proper medical care so on and so forth. 2/3 of of newly infected people are between fifteen and twenty-four years of age. The percentage of women who are infected by the age of twenty is at 60%. I look at these number and want to reach out. If countries struggling with poverty were better educated the rate of AIDS may decrease tremendously. Using medical tools which are not sterile and performing circumcisions with mixed blood, if stopped, would potentially create longer healthier lives. Not only that but clean water and better treatment would increase life expectancy for the tribe in South Africa.

Like always the information was all knew to me. I was aware of an AIDS problem in South Africa, but was clueless of its severity. and the high percentage of children effected by this. By sending people over to Africa to educate the people and provide the proper resources may help them long after we leave.

Africa and Children RIghts

Bunmi Aina, our guest speaker who discussed the United Nation Convention and Children Rights in Africa, shared a quote that really stood out. "It takes a whole village to raise a child". Wow, the truth behind caring and raising children in Africa could not have been described any better. Unfortunately not all children are properly taken care of. In Africa only some children are considered a blessing and the whole family is dedicated to raising the child.

In 1990 the convention Articles 1-41 were set up to protect the right of these children. This helps to avoid contradiction of the definition of a child and their rights to life. It states children should have right to expression, identity, growth, education, and health care. These articles are emphasized and should be followed by all, including the parents to the best of their ability. Rights are not given, but rather inherited which is why the convention emphasizes these rights are protected and are not considered laws. Regretfully, although women and men came up with these articles from a world wide standpoint, in many cases they contradict with traditions and are not equally followed by all countries that have signed.

The most disturbing thing we discussed that really got to me was the issue regarding our technology here in America and the labor if creates for African children. The substance, "black gold" also known as Coltan, in Blackberry phones and other technological devices is the cause for many children's death or injuries. Children go underground and climb in trenches to mine Coltan and in return receive a payment of approximately 20 cents for the entire day. These jobs conflict with the quality of education, which is illegal and goes against the convention.

If Africa or third world countries set up short term money for children, welfare, helped parents who were struggling or even set a minimum wage, the government would be taking small steps to reduce child labor and conflicting the right of a child to have a safe life full of educational opportunities.