Displaced children rewrite the future

They do not yearn for toys or even three square meals a day. They only wish for books, teachers and lessons.

"Will we lose one year of school," asks 17-year-old V.M. Brintha, now struggling to attend school in Kalmunai, after having been displaced from Mutur due to the recent violence and adamant that she would somehow sit the O/Ls even though books, pens, uniforms and teachers are hard to come by.

Stressing the need for education, M.M. Dilshan writes his appeal.

"My brother who was very eager to sit the Grade 5 scholarship examination was unable to do so this year," laments Brintha who was in Colombo recently to push the cause of education for all children especially those affected by armed conflict.

Brintha, M.M. Dilshan and M.M. Wasana Dilrukshi, all living in trying circumstances in the east, were in Colombo to launch 'Rewrite the Future' a global initiative by Save the Children to ensure quality education for children affected by war worldwide. In beautifully crafted letters, the children wrote 'Rewrite the future' on a board set up in a committee room of the BMICH.

"In Sri Lanka, Save the Children will lobby for equity in resource allocation, access and security in schools to rewrite the future for children affected by more than two decades of war," an official said.

The story of Kalayarasi, 13, now living in a welfare camp in Trincomalee highlighted by Save the Children, says it all succinctly: This teenager has been displaced four times in the past 10 years, moving from Kilivetti to Mutur back and forth three times due to shelling and firing since 1996.

"I heard that my English teacher was killed recently. One building in my school was also damaged during the war," Kalayarasi says adding that her ambition in life is to become a dance teacher.

These are the hopes and dreams of the young children caught up in a conflict not of their making.
Children dropping out of school, lack of access to schools, insecure school environments and lack of teachers and material resources are some of the issues faced in Sri Lanka, according to Save the Children, and through its 'Rewrite the Future' programme, this organisation is hoping to address these issues by working with the Ministry of Education, Provincial Ministries of Education and Zonal Departments of Education.

Brintha.

Stressing that donors have done little to address the education of these children and only 2% of global humanitarian aid, which constitutes a large part of the aid given to countries in chronic conflict, is channelled to education, Save the Children has urged:

• The international community to do more to fill the funding gap by providing an extra US$ 5.8 billion in aid for education in conflict affected fragile states.
• Make education a part of the humanitarian response in every emergency.
• All national governments to ensure that government forces and armed militia who are violent towards teachers and students are prosecuted.