"ONE CHILD, ONE FUTURE” - IFMSA article

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations Magazine,

Issue 20

www.msi.ifmsa.org

Open publication - Free publishing - More students

INVESTING IN HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN is the better trust fund, not just for the future, but also to the present.

Abstract: The article reflects on the importance of simple and person direct focus development projects. It goes on the story of two children with great will but small conditions, continuing on solutions that are not difficult to achieve, not with big future projects, but with today simple and effective actions.

"The way of mankind for prosperity is not on the economical resources distribution,

it is on the kindness he puts on what he does in the world".

L. Tolstoy

1. He was called Pietá. He was four or five years old and lived in a refugee camp. He was there with his family, in transit, on a trip of return to his country, coming from the country where he was born, Zambia, which was not his country though. His country was Angola. He was born inside of another refugee camp where his family lived has long time, that time itself forgotten when they had arrived, running away from the wars in Angola. Little Pietá spoke English and Chokwé. English because it was what he spoke in the refugee fields of Zambia with the people of there and with the staff of United Nations. Chokwé was the language that he spoke among his people of the same ethnic name and that occupies lands of both sides of the border. A border that is a artificial line in a map… that cut's half, equal people and equal cultures.

Little less of one month after being there in the field, in voluntary work, as every day, I went early in the morning. One day has I arrived at the gate and, even so I was already expecting the everyday imaging, I never saw it with the clean eyes, out of hurt from the people lining at the entrance, wanting to enter in the field to be able to receive some food. This certain morning, the hurt gave place to a simple and kind joyfully surprise. Waiting for me next to the gate, was the small Pietá.
He talked to me in a perfect Portuguese... and he didn’t learn that on any school.

2. His name was Emanuel. He was the youngest of a Amazonian indigenous family. But they didn’t live in the forests. Somehow, some day, they were expelled from their lands, their trees and their river. They lost their way of living and all their knowledge of the language of the nature was useless on the city where they were forced to move. As you read this issue, there are thousands of No Land People Movement. Emanuel was one of them and he had this look, a profound look that absorbed everything around him. We could see his hunger of understanding how the world functions.

3. These two boys live in the same world that you and me live. They are kids with a great capacity to learn and a great will to do it. The stories of these two boys are just two stories of thousands of stories that could be different. What if Pietá and Emanuel were born in other time, another place? What if they were born where you were born? What if they were born in the northern world, in a wealthy and healthy family, with a good school around and peace was not just a symbol but a real thing?
I beat they could be everything they dreamed for! And still, they are as pure as innocence, they deserve to dream and to achieve those dreams. But you and me, or the so called  system doesn’t seem to let them.

4. Inverting the way of things

As we listen to governments promises of millions to Developing Countries, we cannot help thinking that those countries don’t need millions. They need strategic application of funds and a very important part of this strategy is empowerment. Indeed, creating the capability for people, for all people to think their lives and their communities towards a better life level and comfort. Not as they wish it, not as we want it. A half way compromise.
At this stage, we are not talking about fighting miseries of hunger and war directly because the standard of achievement that we must focus on must be positive, higher!
So, are we dreaming enough?! Are we doing the right simple things or do we focus on the wrong complex and million dollar spending useless projects?

5. One Child, One Future

There is a small NGO, based in Portugal. ORBIS – Cooperation and Development. This small NGO has a simple project that relays on the power of simple people. The so called “One Child, One Future” project counts on working class people, on students, alone or in groups, counts on families, on rich, on poor, counts on everyone to share, each month of a small amount, to Europe rates, of money (€15 to €30) that are applied on a child who lives in Africa, Brazilian Amazon communities or another place that might be reported necessary.
These small amount, for Europe is invested on education and feeding the specific child, with a name, a family history, with feelings and hopeful dreams.
The project gives them a better possibility of a brighter future, of a good nutried tomorrow, and an education base to go on with the world!

This project doesn’t need large amount of funds, only the adequate to give children the today food so that they can be healthier and the today pencils and worksheets so they can learn in the possible school that they have and not on the one that has been long ago promised. They can’t wait! They need their book and their meal today. In the future will come  their time to contribute and build a better world, managing their local contribute for our global development.

Development is not a question of millions, it is, instead, to give and promote the proper means to the society (community groups, NGO’s, local assemblies, Church groups, and so on) to work locally, and dream their vision brighter and respectfull world. Because if you can dream it, you can do it. So now, we just have to get to work on those dreams, and those visions of happy children today, becoming great entrepreneur adults tomorrow.

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