Work and Voluntary Work
Introduction
There are many organizations in the world that provide services without a fee. People and groups also provide services, mostly humanitarian related, expecting no financial gains. The above-mentioned practices can be described as voluntary work (Thomas, 2011). Most of these organizations are known as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and they are funded by well-wishers (Covell, Howe and McNeil 2010). They offer services such as saving and educating abandoned children, empowering runaway teenagers, and helping families that are hunger-stricken or those affected by other disasters among other humanitarian services. The organizations make policies and rules that govern the way they run. The policy to be discussed in this paper is one on child rights. The policy ensures that a child has the right to all basic needs and is not subjected to violence. The organization to be discussed in detail is Save the Children Romania whose headquarters are in the city of Suceava. The policy may or may not require changes and where necessary, the impact of the changes will be outlined.
Save the Children Romania
The writer has worked as a volunteer at Save the Children Romania. The activities they were involved in included dealing with abandoned children by providing them with the necessary care. Save the Children Romania is a social organization dedicated to ensuring equality for all children (Azzini 2011). The organization fights for the rights of children through advocacy activities, pushing decision-makers, and pushing civil society leaders. All these actions are as per the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Azzini 2011). Children are an important aspect in shaping the future of a community. Therefore, they should be protected and allowed their rights. Save the Children Romania is actively shaping tomorrow’s future by protecting children.
Save the Children Romania is a non-governmental organization that has been advocating for child rights for close to 27 years. By the year 2011, the organization had included more than 500,000 children in their ‘educational, protection, social and medical assistance programmes’ (Azzini n.p. 2011). The organization also had more than 6000 members and more than 1000 volunteers (Azzini 2011). Children have the right to education and other basic needs, despite their backgrounds. Children should not also be subjected to any form of violence and this has been the main agenda for Save the Children Romania. Some parents expose their children to forced labor and make them provide for their families. In the course of these activities, the child misses out on important aspects such as education (Rudduck and Flutter 2000). It is the work of Save the Children Romania to save such children and ensure they get equal treatment in society (Azzini 2011).
Historical Background of Human/Children rights
According to Thomas (2011), human rights are thought to have originated from the Europeans in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Both scientists and philosophers showed their quest in trying to understand and explain human rights. A person was observed to sacrifice some freedom so as to fit in the society but the same person had the freedom of expression (Thomas 2011). A right could be described as an expression of will. However, philosophers have argued that a right is based on one having a need or interest (Thomas 2011). A right is something that requires an answer and it is not something that should be acquired from someone, but something that should never be taken away from a person (Thomas 2011). For a right to be termed as so, it has to meet three requirements. It has to be practicable, universal, and of paramount benefit (Thomas 2011). Rights should be practiced within all societies without excluding anyone. Children are in most cases taken to be less superior to adults and thus get denied their rights; for this same reason, there must be someone or an organization standing up for the children (Covell, Howe, and McNeil 2010).
Issues involved in Children's Rights by Save the Children Romania
Save the Children Romania is involved in ensuring that every child gets an education, despite their background. The organization had done so much towards the policy concerning the right to education for every child by the end of the year 2015. About 283,812 children were included in the education and information programs in the year 2015 (Save the Children Romania 2015). There are various programs in the policy concerning education. The first program is the Preschool program which ensures that children from disadvantaged backgrounds access education (Save the Children Romania 2015). When a child is subjected to the preschool program, it gets prepared for higher school learning levels. The child is also at a lower risk of abandoning school in later years and finally, the parents gain a better understanding of their children (Save the Children Romania 2015).
Save the Children initiative has been doing a great job in ensuring the child gets the right to education. In 2015 alone, the organization put together 27 Summer School groups that catered to 560 children who had previously not enrolled in the preschool system (Save the Children Romania 2015). The main objective of the policy on education is to ensure that the number of children enrolled at school keeps rising. The policy on education comes along with other advantages. For example, the children who attended the Summer School in 2015 had access to a daily snack, clothes, hygiene products, and medical services (Save the Children Romania, 2015).
The policy on education led to another minor policy dabbed ‘Guide for the early education of children 3-6 years of age’ (Save the Children Romania, 2015). Save the Children Romania lobbied the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research for the adaption of the minor policy. The children who attended the Summer Kindergartens were well acquainted with their new school environments and their social abilities were a force to reckon with (Save the Children Romania, 2015).
The other most significant objective in the education policy is creating and pushing programs meant for the prevention of early school drop-out. Some communities are vulnerable and children usually drop out of school in such environments but Save the Children Romania is dedicated to eradicating this problem. The organization initiated a program by the name ‘School After School’ which involved creating tutoring groups, and social activities and providing kind help (in terms of food and stationery products), offering social and psychological support and guidance and counseling (Save the Children Romania, 2015). This program experienced much success with many children turning out to take part. About 1,587 children participated in the activities, with another 4,200 benefiting indirectly from the same program (Save the Children Romania, 2015). The organization also came up with another program which was meant for children who had never been to any school, as well as those who had dropped out. The program was named ‘Second Chance’ and it not only benefited the children but also their parents and the society as a whole (Save the Children Romania, 2015). The results of the above-mentioned program were spectacular. 413 children took part in the program with another 97% graduating with honors, improvements, and good results (Save the Children Romania, 2015). Education cannot be complete without counseling and guidance programs. Save the Children Romania ensured that around 1,893 children and parents received social counseling and were taught about their rights and how to protect the same (Save the Children Romania, 2015).
The policy on education is an integral pointer in the life of a human being. Every person has the right to access and receive basic education which should not be discontinued for whatever reason (Tibbits 2002). Any person, group of people, or organization fighting for the right to education should be applauded. Save the Children Romania has done a commendable job in its fight for the right to education for every child. Their policy has seen thousands of children get access to educational programs; children who could have otherwise never seen the door to a classroom. Their policy is one which no organization would want to amend or replace. The policy has done nothing but good for children from poor backgrounds.
Changing o replacing Save the Children Romania’s policy on Education for all children would be wrong as it is at the core of every humanitarian organization. All human beings are entitled to education; this is according to the United Nations (Lee, n.d.). According to the Millennium Development Goals that were set to be achieved by 2015, ensuring free universal primary school education for all humans, despite gender was a significant achievement. According to Lee (n.d.) the UN believed that education was a right that was meant for all and it helped people in realizing other rights. The government is thus burdened with ensuring that all institutions offering educational support to children are fully funded (Tibbits 2002).
Changing the policy on education would have an adverse effect on the lives of children and even their adult life. Right to education ensures that a child acquires basic education that goes a long way in helping the child in becoming literate and one who can earn an honest living later on in life (Lee nd). The child also learns social skills that help in surviving as a peaceful member of the community. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right to Education, a lot needs to be done for there are many children out there who can hardly access basic education (Lee, n.d.). Therefore, more policies regarding education should be implemented instead of replacing the old ones (Olser and Starkey 2006)
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a policy document whose work is to fight for the rights of children. UNCHRC believes that the rights it sets aside cater to all children and they should not be discriminated against regardless of their age (Citizens Information, 2015). Among the rights found in this policy include: the right to survival, the right to development of physical and mental potential, right to protection from development inhibitors, and lastly the right to family, cultural and social participation (Citizens Information, 2015). The convention is dedicated to defending the above-mentioned rights by providing healthcare and education t children around the world. It is therefore not in order to change the policy on the right to Education (Department for Education 2010).
All the policies on Children's Rights do not require reform, amendment, and replacement as they have successfully protected children. However, some of these policies should be implemented n order to create reinforcement (Lundy 2007). The policies have ensured the child’s right to education, food, medical attention, and social and cultural activities among other rights. Save the Children Romania has specifically ensured that children get second chances of attending school. The same organization has also ensured that children benefit from more than just education. Children taking part in programs developed by Save the Children Romania get other necessities such as food, clothing, and moral support. Many children would miss out on such important opportunities if the policy by the organization discussed herein were to be changed (Quennerstedt A, and Quennerstedt M. 2013).
Conclusion
Every human being is entitled to various rights. A child who can be described as a human being between 0-18 years is also entitled to these rights regardless of their nationality and family background. A right as seen earlier is a will or an interest that should not be taken from one by another. Save the Children Romania is a humanitarian organization that is known for advocating for the rights of children. Their major policy is the right to education for every child. This policy is aimed at children who have never been to a class and those that dropped out of school along the way. The organization achieves its goals by developing various programs that attract children from all walks of life. The programs are of help as they see the coming together of many children who in turn benefit by far. There are other policy documents that advocate for the rights of children and especially the right to education. These policies should not be changed or amended as they would have adverse effects on the children.
References
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