LATEST STORIES
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Local art sale at Bordean House, Langrish (Petersfield) to raise funds for Children on the Edge. When: Thursday 13 June, 6-9pm Where: Bordean House, Langrish (Petersfield, Hampshire), GU32 1EP
Emma has designed two fabrics, one for the Rural Refugee Network and one for Children on the Edge and Angela has made them into a selection of items. Like wash bags and coin purses.
 No sooner have we announced the launch of our new project in Kyaka II refugee camp, Uganda, and the videos and photos of training and preparation are already flooding in from our partners.
 Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar (also known as Burma) and is bordered by China to the north and east. The Kachin people are an ethnic minority in Myanmar, a highland indigenous people with rich traditions.
Historical tensions between the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Myanmar government have intensified over the last seven years, placing civilians at huge risk. A 17-year ceasefire was broken by Burmese troops in June 2011, heavy shelling near civilian populations was commonplace and women reported many incidents of systematic rape by the Burmese Army. Human Rights Watch reported government soldiers blocking needed humanitarian aid, torching villages and firing on innocent civilians and Fortify Rights have extensive evidence of systematic torture being used as an attack on civilians. Conflict intensified again at the start of 2018 and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimate that around 97,000 people remain displaced in Kachin State, spread across 140 camps. Our partners estimate the numbers on the border to be more in the region of 120,000. More than 46% of those displaced are living in areas beyond government control where international actors have very limited humanitarian access. Those living in the crowded Internally Displaced People's (IDP) camps are terrified, cut off from vital aid and still subject to regular military attack. As central government appears determined to crush the last remaining pocket of armed resistance in Myanmar, their recent tactics have been increasingly harsh. With significant natural resources and political influence at stake, the human tragedy is worsening, and largely ignored by the international community. Thousands of Kachin children are forced to cope in very difficult circumstances with little support for their healthy development. Many children here under the age of 6, have known little else but war. Daily life offers few chances of respite from the effects of violence and they have no access to early years education, creative play and psychosocial support.  “We didn’t believe the CPT at first, when they kept on telling us that change was coming, but the area really has changed for the better.”
- Justine, Masese II This time last year, we began a process where communities could come together and evaluate the changes that have happened in their lives that year. Each group spends time listening to each other's stories, then they vote for the one they feel is the most significant. Last year, discussions focussed on the positive impact of the loans and savings groups. What came through was a sense of hope for the future and many individuals described feeling happier, gaining confidence and having pride. In the last few months, these four communities (Masese I, II, III and Loco) have repeated the process, to evaluate how individuals and communities are being affected by the work of the Child Protection Teams (CPTs). These are some of the highlights for 2018:  After gaining over eight years experience in providing education for Rohingya children in mixed-population slum areas and fully-Rohingya refugee communities, we have established 10 classrooms for a new and growing group of vulnerable Rohingya children, living in ‘enclave communities’ inland from the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
  Last year on International Women’s Day, we highlighted the plight of Dalit women in India, who not only face crippling discrimination and abuse because of their gender, but also because of their caste.
The theme was ‘Press for Progress’ and since then we have been supporting our partners to do just this, ready to celebrate their achievements this year, with the theme ‘Balance for better’. To help create safe places for vulnerable children around the world, we empower women (and men) to realise their rights. We work with the community as a whole, rather than providing stand alone children's services. Communities have a right to build protective environments for their own children, and over the years we have seen that this ownership is the key to lasting change. In Patna, India, you can see this in action through the 50 Women’s Groups run by our partner organisation, Navjeevan. The groups offer meetings and workshops which talk about health issues, governments schemes and free services available for poor women. We help these women to access vital medical services, like maternity care, by accompanying them to the hospital, or assisting with filling in the correct paperwork. As a result of these groups, countless women have started to see incredible change in their lives, many going on to support other women. Take a look at just some of the amazing stories below. International Women's Day 2019: How Children on the Edge are working to ‘Better the Balance’8/3/2019
  Better the balance, better the world. This is the theme for this years International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March and we couldn’t agree more.
International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women - while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender balance. To help create safe places for vulnerable children around the world, we empower women (and men) to realise their rights. We work with the community as a whole, rather than providing stand alone children's services. Communities have a right to build protective environments for their own children, and over the years we have seen that this ownership is the key to lasting change. You’ll see this as a core aspect of all our programmes (see below for some examples). We work with so many inspiring women every day; through our partner organisations and in the communities we support. All these women are working to 'better the balance' and you’ll see us celebrating their achievements all year long if you follow our Latest Stories or sign up to our monthly email updates. |
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