BY KANICE HO Viva Hong Kong conducted a proactive child protection training on 20 February, attracting around 40 participants. Attendees represented churches, schools and various children learning centres and, put altogether, they reach more than 6,000 children in the city. In the training, delegates were provided knowledge on child abuse, as well as the importance …
BY ANNA COX Thirteen networks around the world hosted 27 Christmas Parties in December with support from Viva. The events brought children of different backgrounds, churches and organisations together for a day to celebrate God’s love and care where they were able to hear the Christmas story and learn valuable lessons to improve their understanding …
BY ANNA COX Thanaa is a ten-year-old girl who lives in a slum on the bank of river Ganges. Her father is a daily wage earner and mother a domestic maid. She had never been given the opportunity to join in at any celebrations until she came to a Christmas Party organised by Viva’s partner …
BY KERRY BOWLER When we first arrived at the slum, I was surprised to find the school right there in the middle of it, distinguishable not by gates or logos but the sound of children singing coming from a small, rudimentary looking building. Although there were small rooms opposite and to the right of the …
BY ANDREW DUBOCK More than 3,000 children and 200 families in the Philippines’ province of Eastern Samar are now better prepared for the next natural disaster to hit the country, thanks to recent training provided by Viva and our partner network, PCMN. Around 20 typhoons affect the Philippines each year and, following the devastation of …
BY ANDREW DUBOCK It leaves a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach. Poverty at its most raw: unstable shelters deep in stagnant water, malnourished babies, hundreds of people accessing one well of unclean water, children with leprosy. It’s particularly hard to hear about the situation for girls, who are most …
BY ANDREW DUBOCK “I wish I was a boy.” Akansha’s words stuck in my head, as I grappled with the question: ‘how could any girl think like this?’ Yet Akansha’s thoughts are not isolated – according to a survey by the government’s Ministry of Women and Child Development, almost half of girls in India have …
In India, almost two-thirds more girls than boys die before their fourth birthday.* Jane Travis explains why such a low value is placed on girls’ lives there, how Viva is changing attitudes towards gender inequality and building confidence in India’s precious daughters. “It’s a girl!” Three simple words pronounced at birth that should evoke tears …
‘Abortion’ was today’s topic. As the 30 teenage girls passed around model foetuses, and listened to the teaching, I soon discovered that most had never heard about babies’ development before – and some of the group were on the verge of adulthood.
Fe A Foronda, co-ordinator of Philippine Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN), reflects on a valuable time spent in Hong Kong with ‘a kindred tribe’ of network leaders.