Messages from Global Leaders-final
Towards an ECCD Leadership Movement in our Region:
Messages from Global Leaders May A. Ajram
In June 2009, and in the Irish city of Belfast, I had the opportunity to participate in the Global Leaders’ course of the World Forum foundation.
We were 23 participants coming from: Brazil, United States, Netherlands, Indonesia, Uganda, Mexico, India, Poland, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Fiji in addition to Lebanon.
The objectives of the course were: • learn leadership and advocacy skills • add perspective to our understanding by learning about policy and implementation issues in multiple countries • gain confidence in our abilities • be inspired to make a difference in our countries
And from Belfast, I realized that the task will be challenging! Challenging because:
This is a picture of Children from Lebanon after the July War in 2006.
And that is a picture of Iraqi children playing the game of war.
And that is a picture of children from Sudan fighting for their basic, physical and survival right.
So to convince the governments from the Arab world who are overwhelmed with portfolios of terrorism, wars, emergencies, malnutrition …to adopt early childhood matters and put it on their national agenda is at least to be described as a challenging task.
Challenging but not impossible because: The most important cause to support is the cause of children and the most valuable investment to make is investing in their future.
During my carrier path, I got the chance to work with very rich children (children with beautiful families, nice houses, full medical and educational access…) and less privileged children (where basic life support is lacking), and the most important lesson I’ve learned is that every child is worth all the effort we put to work for him.
Being rich or poor, with black or blond hair, knows how to spell or do not, Muslim or Christian, of an Arab mother or a European one …every child deserves to give her the fair attention.
So what do we really need to do: First we need to come together, put all our effort and join all our resources, share our success stories and challenges faced along the way; specially with the financial crisis that the world is facing, we have to spend every investment how little it is in the most cost-effective way.
Second we need to raise our children on accepting diversity and accepting others and more importantly accepting themselves and believing in their potentials.
We need to raise the attention of our children on the importance of biodiversity and to take good care of our earth and its resources (water, electricity, flora and fauna…) to sustain it for their children and the many generations to come.
We need to build their resiliency so that they will be able to support themselves and others during the time of conflicts and emergencies.
The great Gebran Khalil Gebran in his book “The Prophet” said:
“Your children are not your children, They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.”
So that they might have life and that they might have the future!
Thank you
Messages from Global Leaders May A. Ajram
In June 2009, and in the Irish city of Belfast, I had the opportunity to participate in the Global Leaders’ course of the World Forum foundation.
We were 23 participants coming from: Brazil, United States, Netherlands, Indonesia, Uganda, Mexico, India, Poland, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Fiji in addition to Lebanon.
The objectives of the course were: • learn leadership and advocacy skills • add perspective to our understanding by learning about policy and implementation issues in multiple countries • gain confidence in our abilities • be inspired to make a difference in our countries
And from Belfast, I realized that the task will be challenging! Challenging because:
This is a picture of Children from Lebanon after the July War in 2006.
And that is a picture of Iraqi children playing the game of war.
And that is a picture of children from Sudan fighting for their basic, physical and survival right.
So to convince the governments from the Arab world who are overwhelmed with portfolios of terrorism, wars, emergencies, malnutrition …to adopt early childhood matters and put it on their national agenda is at least to be described as a challenging task.
Challenging but not impossible because: The most important cause to support is the cause of children and the most valuable investment to make is investing in their future.
During my carrier path, I got the chance to work with very rich children (children with beautiful families, nice houses, full medical and educational access…) and less privileged children (where basic life support is lacking), and the most important lesson I’ve learned is that every child is worth all the effort we put to work for him.
Being rich or poor, with black or blond hair, knows how to spell or do not, Muslim or Christian, of an Arab mother or a European one …every child deserves to give her the fair attention.
So what do we really need to do: First we need to come together, put all our effort and join all our resources, share our success stories and challenges faced along the way; specially with the financial crisis that the world is facing, we have to spend every investment how little it is in the most cost-effective way.
Second we need to raise our children on accepting diversity and accepting others and more importantly accepting themselves and believing in their potentials.
We need to raise the attention of our children on the importance of biodiversity and to take good care of our earth and its resources (water, electricity, flora and fauna…) to sustain it for their children and the many generations to come.
We need to build their resiliency so that they will be able to support themselves and others during the time of conflicts and emergencies.
The great Gebran Khalil Gebran in his book “The Prophet” said:
“Your children are not your children, They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.”
So that they might have life and that they might have the future!
Thank you
