Support to Swedish-Afghan migrants in France

The organization Les Amis des Migrants Suédophones en France used the funds from the Rights Now foundation to support Swedish speaking afghan migrants in France. Asylum seekers received information about practical matters and the organization also made efforts to increase awareness among the public about the problematic situation of the migrants. Funds were used to develop the website with facts and testimonies from the migrants themselves (www.lamsf.fr). The website presents valuable and useful information in Swedish, French and Dari.

Test report again

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Children of Lahu – preschool is a hub for growth in northern Thailand

We visit a preschool in a village in Mae Ai district, northern Thailand. The villagers belong to the minority group Lahu. A minority of which several are without citizenship, even though they were born in Thailand. They speak a language that is not in writing. They have no or little knowledge of human rights and no real access to medical care. This is a preschool Rights Now supports – to provide access to education and thus a chance for children of Lahu to create their lives and assert their rights as Thai citizens.

A day at the preschool

We arrive at the end of the day. Children stand in line to get a fruit before they go home. After closing, kids are running around and playing. In and out of bambu huts that are built on stilts with a rickety ladder up to the entrance and with an open hearth cooking place. They run up and down the hills, and their skin becomes reddish from the lightly iron colored sand. Pigs, chickens and dogs walk freely around the village. It is visible poverty by many standards.

In the preschool 39 children aged three to nine years have access to a safe and creative environment where they can practice Thai and numbers. Their parents will be able to work in the fields without having to worry about their kids. Walls in the school are filled with drawings and various creations made by the children. It is a room full of knowledge, creativity and joy. In addition to math and writing exercises, children are served one nutritious meal a day. The children get along with their teachers and learn about hygiene, washing clothes, and knowledge of nutrition. Together, they have planted a vegetable garden to enhance school lunches. If the harvest is good, the children take the vegetables home.

Dreaming of development

The teacher says that she dreams about evolving the school even more, to use new teaching methods and provide the children with more opportunities. For them to take advantage of their dreams and develop their talents. She tries to work with educators at other schools. The village also has a “non-formal school” whose teachers do not always have the chance to come to the village because of other engagements. That is a non formal school; No guarantee that a teacher is present. That is how it works when you do not know your rights when you are not a formal citizen, when you partially live outside the formal society and lack knowledge in the formal and written language. When the teacher from the non formal school is not able to come to the village – the preschool teacher even teaches the schoolchildren.                                                                        She sees needs and takes advantage of every opportunity.

Language, health and confidence – how children grow

After the preschool opened, the children have not only gained an entrance into the Thai language, several children have better health status and self-confidence. Parents have greater opportunities to take the jobs offered to support the family. The preschool has made a clear difference to the whole village, where 78 families live. All of the children can not participate, some need to follow their parents into the fields. Teachers and teacher assistants try to have a dialogue with the parents about the importance of children being in preschool and school.

During the conversation with the teacher and teaching assistant a man steps into the school building. He walks around the room, trying to listen in on our conversation. After a while the teacher explains that he is the “head of village”. He has heard that someone from the Rights Now Foundation is in the village. And, he would like to thank Rights Now of behalf of the entire village. The preschool means so much. Even small means changes the lives of children, parents and families. Provided a greater chance of a life beyond the village, if you will, a life with a greater chance of being free of diseases and to have enough to eat. A chance for more opportunities for people of Lahu.

As told by Karolin Kral, Boardmember of the Rights Now Foundation, visiting the preschool in northern Thailand.

Education about menstrual hygiene, Uganda

The Push Community Initiative (PCI) focuses on education about menstruation.

PCI reports to the Rights Now foundation: ”PCI is aware that Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is an essential aspect of hygiene for women and adolescent girls between menarche and menopause. Quite often, young adolescent girls tend to be less prepared for MHM and suffer from anxiety, apprehensions, fear and shame during their menses. Despite being an important issue concerning women and girls in the menstruating age group MHM is often overlooked by caregivers, parents and other stakeholders contributing to increased defilement and school dropouts.”

“Overall eighty (100) people have been trained on making reusable sanitary pads (90 adolescent girls and 10 adults (para-social workers). The para-social workers are helpful in mobilizing the community and cascading the information on reusable sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene management.”

“There is huge demand for empowerment skills in the community, most especially by women and girls. This was observed when the mothers and older women expressed their interest to join tailoring training and art and craft.”

“Push Community Initiative board and beneficiaries with pleasure, extend their gratitude to the Rights Now Foundation for the support and partnership.”

Single mothers and girls in Kochia earn money from hens, Kenya

The organization Kodul Muga supports single mothers and girls in Kochia, Kenya.

Due to the covid-pandemic the planned education on sexual and reproductive health, including the distribution of menstruation cups, had to be postponed. Kodul Muga instead turned their attention to other possible ways of supporting the women and girls. The money was eventually used to support improved income opportunities for the single mothers, in this case in the form of hens. This turned out to be a successful and welcome source of income for the women. It was for example possible to use the money generated to pay for school fees for their children.

Empowerment of women through provision of menstruation cups, Gambia

Thanks to the grant from the Rights Now Foundation the organization GamCup could purchase 800 menstruation cups. These were distributed among women in the village of Tujereng in Gambia. The cups would according to GamCup contribute to the women saving money. The education which was part of the project also improved the women’s knowledge about their menstruation and reproduction. Awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, safety and hygiene is also increased as a result.

After school activities and homework support for children, Romania

The organization Coloboratie Lund – Maxenu supports children in Romania who thanks to the organization can take part in after school activities and receive help with home work. Thanks to the grant from Rights Now Foundation, 20 school children living in Maxenu were able to participate in the activities during the year 2019. Their school results have improved and the project was according to Coloboratie Lund–Maxenu appreciated by the children as well as by their parents and the school staff. The organization Coloboratie Lund–Maxenu emphasizes in its report to Rights Now that the group of children consisted of both girls and boys, which promoted gender equality and integration in society for all.

Advice and counselling to Afghan migrants, Afghanistan

As part of the project AMASO provided advice and counselling to migrants. They report: ”With the help of this project, we were able to run AMASO smoothly and help at least 50 deportees and 10 returnees, voluntary mostly with first hand advice post deportation to Afghanistan.” The advice often related to the type of practical support that was available for them in Afghanistan. “The process is a little complicated, but a little advice makes it easier for the deportees.”

AMASO also writes in their report: “Several others received support by the project to take Swedish classes. Some of them were those who are in the process of going back to Sweden through working visa, or have already reached Sweden. The others mainly chose to take English language classes, very efficient and affective for many of them. One of the beneficiaries has almost finished his English language courses and will soon get to advance level. According to him; “The opportunity provided by AMASO to learn the English language has been life changing for me. I was hopeless and left alone when I was deported, no one from the Afghan government or NGOs helped me.”