Global Citizenship

September 7th, 2011

East Africa famine

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories africa, citizenship, international

The current humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, with famine threatening hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, is already stimulating a response in Scottish schools. Many teachers and students are involved in fundraising to support charitable efforts which address this situation and save lives. As they do so, they are discussing key issues about global poverty, development, aid, inequality, and climate change. For teachers who would like a bit of extra support to teach in this area of global citizenship, here’s a few suggestions:

The Edinburgh Disasters Response Committee and Mercy Corps have produced an education pack to help teachers cover this crisis and support the fundraising appeal. It’s available to Scottish teachers through the national Glow Group for International Education

Charities such as Christian Aid are providing frequent updates about their aid work, including personal reports from local people and aid workers.

The Oxfam Education resources on the ‘world food crisis’ , and their Grow campaign, provide additional material for discussion for subjects such as food supply, sustainable farming, and agricultural trade.

And the Department for International Development website gives news about the official emergency relief efforts to combat starvation in the region. This includes eye-witness reports and case studies. The eradication of poverty and hunger is the first of the UN Millennium Development Goals, and continues to be a major challenge.