UNA-USA’s
Adopt-A-Mission Introduces NYC Public Grade School Children
to the UN
By Dorothy Davis
Thanks to
Ted Turner and his famous billion dollar gift to the United
Nations Foundation a bubbly group of NYC public school 3rd
graders was able to impress Mrs. Nane Annan, wife of the
UN Secretary-General, during a recent visit.
“Who
is this?” she asked, as she showed a slide of a handsome
gray-haired gentleman to her young audience. “Kofi
Annan!” they enthusiastically yelled out. “From
what country does he come from?” she asked. “Africa!” they
exclaimed. “Yes, from Ghana in West Africa,” she
added with a smile. “He went to school in West Africa,
in Ghana, and managed to become Secretary-General of the
UN!”
Another slide
revealed a light blue and white flag. “Do you know
what this is?” she asked. “The United Nations
flag!” the eager chorus replied. “You’ve
really been working hard,” Nane Annan exclaimed with
enthusiasm, “That’s great!”
This delightful
exchange took place at the UN Conference Room during the
inaugural session of the pilot project of Adopt-A-Mission,
a program of Global Classrooms,
of the United Nations Association of the United States of
America. Global Classrooms’ program
is funded by The Better World Fund (BWF), which was created
with part of Ted Turner’s gift to the United Nations
Foundation. BWF supports projects that educate the general
public, the media, opinion leaders and elected officials
about the UN Because of BWF, Adopt-A-Mission is
being offered free to NYC Public School Students in the 3rd
to 5th grades.
The children
studied about the UN for several weeks using a curriculum
supplied by Global Classrooms, with a focus on issues such as peacekeeping,
human rights and the Millennium Development Goals, as well
as information about selected countries. They then went to
the UN itself for a welcoming program, a tour, and a visit
to a UN member state permanent mission.
Mrs. Annan
showed the youngsters slides taken on trips with her husband.
Images flashed on the screen: makeshift schools in market
places for children who have to work long hours in the markets
in Bangladesh, Mexico City and Peru; water projects for people
in northern Ghana, where only 40 percent have access to safe
water; water supplies to a school in Zambia, a 100 year old
woman uprooted from her home in Kosovo at a camp for refugees…
“How
many refugees are there?” asked one young boy during
the question and answer period that followed. “Many,
many too many,” replied Mrs. Annan. “Refugees
are having a very tough life.” “Who most needs
help where you went?” asked another student.
“In
Angola I met with boys, orphans of war, in school, sitting
on concrete blocks. They sang a song: ‘We are children
and we need a mother who hugs us. We are children and we
need a father who takes care of us. We are children and we
need to go to school. We are children and we need a childhood.’ After
each line they sang, ‘What can you do about that?’ This
is one of the things I remember most.”
“Of
all the places which did you like most and why?” asked
a girl. “I think I always like meeting with children,” said
Mrs. Annan, “especially when I see that they have been
able to go to school. It is the most important thing for
every one of you to go to school, to learn as much as possible.
This is the time you can start finding out about who you
are, what is your favorite subject, and learn more about
that. You can ask your teachers how can I learn more about
that. This is the platform you are going to be able to take
off from. At no other time in life will you have the chance
to do that.”
The students
wanted to know many details of Nane Annan’s life, such
as how many languages she spoke (Swedish, English, French
and a bit of German); whether she had children (yes, children
and grandchildren); how long had she and her husband been
together (they will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary
this year); even how old she was (60 this year). “You
are incredibly curious,” she told them. “Use
that curiosity. It is incredibly important. It is even what
keeps a 60-year old going!”
Tours of the
UN followed the program, and then classes visited many Permanent
Missions. Education Update attended two of these meetings.
Representatives at the Venezuelan Mission showed slides and
told the children of PS 16Q about the Millennium Development
Goals. “By
2015 all UN Member States have pledged to eradicate extreme
poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education,
promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality,
improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop
a global partnership for development.” Recently Venezuela
has proposed an International Humanitarian Fund to the UN
to help accomplish these goals.
At the Egyptian
Mission a diplomat-economist, who had a wonderful rapport
with the children, who came from PS 125 Ralph Bunch, used
questions and answers to learn what they knew about Egypt
and to gently expanded their knowledge. The amount they already
knew was impressive. One boy, for example, when asked what
he knew, replied, “Geza is on the west side of the
Nile, Cairo is on the east side, the largest sphinx in the
world is there.” “The only sphinx in the world,” said
the diplomat. “Egypt is in Africa,” continued
the boy. “Where in Africa?” asked the diplomat. “In
the northeast,” replied the boy. “You are a geographer!” exclaimed
the diplomat. He presented a good deal of information, in
a very easy going manner, including the fact that Egyptians
no longer wrote in hieroglyphics, but in Arabic, and that
there is a seven hour time difference between New York City
and Cairo. He passed around an Egyptian pound, worth 100
piastres.
“What
did you like best about the presentation?” we asked
the students afterwards. “One thing I liked was when
he talked about the money and we got to see it!” said
one. “I liked everything about his talk!” said
another excitedly. All responded with enthusiasm. The Adopt-A-Mission program
is off to a wonderful start.#
