Afghanistan

Afghanistan

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a country in the region of Central Asia. Afghanistan is known primarily because of the ruthless Taliban. After the Taliban faded and was forgotten in most of the country, poverty followed. The country’s Islamic faith holds them true to themselves, but all the hard work was wiped away after the war with the United States.

          The Taliban was an organization of strict rulers and leaders, and followers grew among the nation. The Taliban was harsh, and many were killed. Females were not aloud to attend schools, and are brutally treated as mere servants to cook, clean, and raise children. After the 9/11 accident, a war occurred between USA and Afghanistan. When the Taliban retreated, people rejoiced. But today, members of the Taliban still live in the nation. After the war, buildings were gone and streets were ruined. Children have to go to work instead of going to school to get an education. 42% of the population lives in severe poverty. 90% of women are illiterate, and 63% of men are illiterate. In 2012, Afghanistan’s GDP per capita was $1000. That means, the average amount of money people who work in the country earn $1000 in one year in total. That’s not a lot.

          Poverty is most common in the rural areas. Prices of food have increased when families could barely afford anything. After the war, pollution and destruction is everywhere. Most battles took place in the rural. 45% of the Kuchi nomads and rural people are living in critical poverty. Famers, herders, and landless citizens are the poorest, and widows must take care of their children without a husband. The Kuchi people are historically nomadic and depend on livestock to survive. 15% of these people must settle because of loss of migrational routes or livestock. The Kuchi citizens are also neglected by the government.

          Afghanistan’s children have harsh treatment, especially children under the age of five who are vulnerable. Their families can’t pay for school so they must work to earn some money for their families. Half of Afghanistan’s population of children is living with chronic malnutrition. Children in the refugees do not have the right resources to stay healthy, and some rural children must live on the rural land alone with their widowed mother. Many are illiterate, and when they become sick, their families don’t have enough money to get a doctor.

          Help the Afghan Children is a foundation founded by Suraya Sadeed. Help the Afghan Children supplies children with the right sources. It also helps them get a good education by building schools around the country. They send learning programs to the children, and have established schools in Kabul and Laghman Province. HTAC gives programs for computers, environment, literacy, and cultural exchanges. They also give peace and landmine education, as well as teacher training. Their literacy program, the Read Afghanistan Literacy Program, teaches children to read story books in bilingual languages, and educating them how to write. HTAC also gives humanitarian supplies, such as clothes, blankets, medicine, shoes, food, and heating to help them live.

          There are many ways for you to help. You could:

1. Start a petition.
2. Spread the word
3. Adopt a child from Afghanistan
4. Donate or volunteer at HTAC (http://www.helptheafghanchildren.org/)

Help Afghanistan!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage Pregnancy

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about teenage pregnancy. The world is full of teenage girls who have become moms unexpectedly. In the past decade, the rate of teenage pregnancy has risen drastically. Sometimes girls get pregnant on purpose, or they accidentally forget about protection. A baby comes with great responsibility and sometimes teenage parents don’t have that ability. A child might mess up grades, friendships, family and romantic relationships, careers, and future college chances. Adulthood is the perfect time for a child, because it comes with wisdom and responsibility. Not all teenage parents are irresponsible, but most do not know how to care for a baby. It is best for the adults to teach their children the best way.

          Girls have been involved in cases where they forget to put on a condom, or maybe are drunk or high. In other words, they don’t know what they’re doing. There are girls in this world that think they can be fitting parents for a baby at a young age, still in high school and not yet with a stable job. The ones that think they can do this and are confident and responsible enough don’t really know the difficulties of being a parent. Yes, I am thinking about the girls on Maury who claim they have the sufficient sources for a child. But when they do get one, they can’t take care of it.

          However, keep in mind: Never judge a teenage mother or father, no matter their race, gender, nationality, appearance, or age. You do not know the complete story of their lives. Even though in the two above paragraphs, it seems like teenage moms are not responsible, you do not know what really happened. True, there are girls that are naïve or strive to get a baby, but that may not be the case for everything. A teenager can get pregnant by many causes, some even gruesome, such as sexual abuse. Rid of all stereotypes that teenage moms are ‘sluts’ and ‘have sex every day’, because that may not be the case for every girl.

       The Candie’s Foundation is an organization that aims to educate teenagers about the dangers of becoming a teenage parent. They motivate students to think before they act and use protection. They send campaigns across schools to teach girls about the responsibility about having a child. But they do this uniquely. They use celebrities to expose parenthood and advocate against it to catch teenagers’ attention.

          A lot of girls are pressured into having sex. When this happens, usually a baby is accidentally formed. It could be forced, or they decide it in consolation for their partner. Sometimes, the boyfriend is peer pressured into having sex with his girlfriend, so both ways can happen. A girl or guy might not be ready to take such a huge step in a relationship, and irresponsibility comes with it. Sometimes, people peer pressure themselves because everyone else is doing it. However, not everyone else is doing it. They might boast about it, but in truth, they might not be sexually active. In fact, STDs can spread when people are not careful, like the HIV, which causes the deadly disease of AIDS.

          Preventing pregnancy is the best way to, well, prevent it. Abstinence is the number one choice, but everyone knows that doesn’t always work. Condoms are a common way for protection. It acts like a balloon, and wraps around the genitals of either partner. It prevents the sperm into reaching the womb, where fertilization takes place. Birth control pills are the second choice, for girls. The female takes a pill every day to delay the ovulation. If the female forgets to take it for one day, she can get pregnant a few days later.

          When a teenager gets pregnant, she panics. Fortunately, for U.S. citizens, the government formed a law called the Safe Haven Law. This allows babies to be legally dropped off at an adoption center, hospital, or other “drop-off area”. This only applies to parents that haven’t abused or neglected their child before. The parent and child are given the same bracelets, so if the mother wants to reclaim him or her, it’s possible. The Safe Haven Law can be a less stressing choice than to just leave the baby on the street, so some do take this choice. Just remember to think wisely.

          Finally, there is one way to deal with a baby. This choice is disputed whether it is moral or immoral, based on common sense, science, or religion. It is abortion. Abortion is when the mother, while pregnant, kills the baby. Some grabs it by the skull and pulls it out, or they take a pill. Abortion is a serious choice to make. For some girls, it might cause dysfunctions in having children later on in life.

          There are many ways to help. You could:

1. Tell someone about it
2. Donate to organizations such as Candie’s Foundation or the Brignoni Foundation (not mentioned here)
3. Take responsibility if you are a teenager pregnant. Choose to keep the baby, give it away as the Safe Haven Law, or abort it.
4. Do not give in to peer pressure
5. Adopt a child
6. Use protection at all times
7. Do not judge others

Be careful on future teen pregnancies!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Code Red

Code Red

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about Code Red. Code Red is when a dangerous or suspicious person is on campus of a school. Sometimes, people take there anger out on little children in school. This is a major crisis in our society today. But there are ways to becoming safe of Code Red.

1.       LISTEN to your teacher in the situation.

2.     Lock the doors immediately.

3.     Stack heavy items against doors. This includes desks, chairs, and backpacks.

4.     Be quiet (shut up).

5.     Create a barrier in a small area in the classroom with desks or tables.

6.     Get everybody (including you) inside the barrier.

7.     Call 911--or any other emergency dial tone your country has--if the office didn’t already.

8.     Wait until the office declares it is safe to come out.

9.     Inform your parents (if they care) when you get home.

After following these directions, you will be safe and sound!

But if this is a major event in your school, there are still ways of spreading awareness. You could:

1. Spread the word
2. Start a petition
3. Bond with children in need if injured or hurt during a code red they had

Follow these directions and tell the world of Code Red!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL