Education Crisis

 

What does school mean to you?
A place to learn? Where you meet your best friends? Hard times with assignments and exams?

In Hong Kong, we are fortunate to have 12-year free education. We learn to read and write at school. We acquire the knowledge that opens up the world to us and skills that equip us to be self-reliant. With education, we are empowered to take control of our lives, make better decisions and improve our living standards. We dare to dream about our lives.

However, to many poor children, school is their dream in life.

''It remained a dream for 11 years…11 long years,'' recalls Shoma, a teenager in Bangladesh. Poverty and hardship compelled Shoma’s father to send her to work as a maidservant in the house of a local affluent family when she was 8 years old. She only earned HK$47 a month.

''I was not allowed to go to school — but I would watch my master’s children go to school and well dressed, while I proceeded to do other housework,'' Shoma explains. Working in the kitchen, Shoma dreamed of going to school, dancing and singing.

Shoma’s dream came true when she met World Vision.

Yet, 121 million children and youths in the world are still out of school. Learn more about the barriers these children face and how you can help make their dream come true!

''One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.''

- Malala Yousafzai