Save the Children...

To do:

1. Describe and comment the photos (what is each child doing, thinking and feeling; how does each child see him/herself)?
2. Give a title to each photo.
3. What do the photos have in common (is there a "theme")?
4. What purpose did the photographer have in taking these pictures do you think?
5. Do you like or dislike these photos (why); has the photographer done a good job?
6. What does Save the Children do (would you send money to this charity)?
7. Click HERE to see the photo essay and to read the children's stories!
8. What were/are YOUR dreams (for your future)?
9. What is "poverty"?
10. How many children are there in the world, how many live in (extreme) poverty?
11. How does poverty impact the lives of young people and what can be done to combat child poverty?

Answers to the above questions given by the pupils in Section européenne PREMIÈRE at ISP Courpière:

1) Describe and comment the photos (what is each child doing, thinking and feeling; how does each child see him/herself)?

Charlotte answers: The first picture is a picture of a little black child, running in a puddle of water. He is in a really wild environment with high grass and the road is in a bad state.  He seems really happy and free. He is really tiny compared to the puddle and the road!

The second one is a little boy feeding a calf with his hand. He is sitting on the floor in a pool of light (the sunlight is coming through a hole in the wall). The house seems empty and not completed yet. It looks like he has real compassion for this animal.

The next one is the photo of  a girl who is wearing a hijab so she is Muslim. She has her head inside a fake television. She has a big smile on her face so she is obviously very happy.

Then, we have three boys pictured in a room. One of them is sitting on a fat pile of pillows  that raises him above the other two. He is cross-legged, and his expression is one of keen ambition! The other two are looking at each other with complicit smiles. They are sitting on the ground.

The last photo is of a teenager laying on his bed looking up at the sky through his roof window. It looks like he is dreaming about something up there but we do not know what. Why is he smiling? In his right hand, there is a pair of binoculars.

2) Give a title to each photo!

Emile suggests: 1- The greatness of nature; 2- Man among animals; 3- A poor girl’s dream; 4- The would-be King; 5- Dreaming of nature locked up at home

3) What do the photos have in common (is there a theme)?

Maxime says:

I think there is no theme as such but they all have something in common. I mean, all those photos make us think about our actions in life. We can see through those photos that there are many people who live in extreme poverty and we must be happy with our place in the world. However, we can also think about what we have become: we are less in touch with nature and we live more and more at home watching Nature through our smartphones and TV.

4) What purpose did the photographer have in taking these pictures do you think?

Manon considers that: The photographer had the objective of showing that children have dreams and goals, despite, for some, their lack of means. He put them in situations that are not particularly normal, to make the viewer react. He wants to show that all children are alike but with different dreams and the possibility of a future life. Everybody can have a different vision and interpretation of all these pictures. But we can’t ignore the representation of  children's dreams in the photos because the situation in which they are isn’t normal and can make one think of the dreams of wonderful children.

5) Do you like or dislike these photos (why); has the photographer done a good job?

Emma thinks: I kind of like these pictures, they all show kids from different “angles”. Some seem happy despite being poor and others, though they have better clothes, food and better living conditions, don’t really smile. I think the photographer did a great job because we can understand and learn about those kids’ daily habits and lives. Compared to us, they appear to be able to be happy without gadgets! They find happiness in simple moments, like looking after an animal.

6) What does Save the Children do (would you send money to this charity)?

Malaurie informs us: The charity (international NGO) Save the Children brings to the fore the fact that the poverty of these children doesn't stop them from dreaming. Save the children wants to collect money to offer a better life to these children and maybe can offer them the possibility of realising their dreams.  If I could, of course I would send money to these children because I am aware that many children live in poverty. And I sincerely think that all children have the right to achieve their dream job. 

7) Which story, for you, corresponds best to its photo illustration?

Paula quotes: “People were very sad after the earthquake. They lost family members, friends and their houses. When I play the clown, I can make people laugh again. I feel sad when people are sad.” I think that this text corresponds very well with the picture because we can see that everyone around the girl playing the clown is laughing with her. She does her best to make people happy around her, so I think that she has an amazing personality. 

8) What were YOUR dreams (for your future)when you were small?

Gabriel recalls: Since I was small I have always wanted to be a physiotherapist. Indeed I always massaged my family and practiced on them to perfect my technique and increase my knowledge about the human body. My grandfather has the gift to feel nerves under the skin and he knows how to “remove” these nerves. I have the same gift and I think it's an important advantage to become a physiotherapist because with the sensitivity I have in my fingers I can learn where the muscles are more easily. For me, it’s a dream, but also my vocation and I’ll do everything to become a physiotherapist!

9) What is "poverty"?

Jonathan defines it as: a lack of material things but also insufficient social relations. When a person is, or a group of people are, unable to access sufficient resources (clean air, drinking water, food, clothing, shelter, a bearable temperature, decent health care, etc.), that is poverty. 

Unfortunately there are 3.5 billion who live in poverty in the world. This is almost half of the world’s population. Poverty is also due to the lack of money in a country or even the lack of business with a big budget that can invest for the inhabitants and the workers and this poverty has repercussions on the population, like: slums, lack of social security or schooling for children, etc. We have to fight the causes and consequences of poverty together, by sending money to countries in need or to associations which fight for poverty alleviation; thanks to this small gesture we can each of us contribute to making the world a better place. 

10) How many children are there in the world, how many live in (extreme) poverty?

Paula writes: There are 2 billion children in the world. Half of those live in poverty. It is due to the low salary of the parents but it can also be due to things like limited access to food, school or health care. There are 385 million children who live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty according to the United Nations (UN) is "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services." Examples of children living in extreme poverty: Syria (civil war), Yemen (war), Sub-Saharan Africa and Central African Republic (lack of food security leading to severe undernourishment), Haiti (natural disasters), Lesvos in Greece (refugee camp), India (poor health, lack of education and the ongoing threat of violence (multidimensional poverty).

Information found on:

> https://www.unicef.org/social-policy/child-poverty
> https://www.inegalites.fr/Les-enfants-pauvres-dans-le-monde?id_mot=116
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_poverty

11) How does poverty impact the lives of young people and what can be done to combat child poverty?

Malaurie and Manon say: The impact of poverty on children's lives is huge; the children aren’t fed well, or receive a decent education, or have a safe home and their health is compromised. Poverty also has an impact on children's future prospects. For example, the girl in the third picture wants to be an actress, so she should go to a cinema school where she can learn how to act, speak clearly, etc. But to go to this school, she needs money, but, in poor countries, this is impossible; it is not achievable.

To help fight this abject poverty, every person who is able to go to these poor countries should do so and build free schools, with school supplies. That way, the children could learn a lot of things; this would help them achieve what they want to achieve.

As young people, we can carry out humanitarian missions; the children from poor regions would benefit greatly, for example: if a child would like to become  a writer, we can teach him to read and write. And adults can give money to support poor children because maybe they cannot stop their jobs to carry out a humanitarian mission.  

If you are interested in helping alleviate child poverty, there are charities you can volunteer or work for, even as a young person:

> Globalong, cf.:  https://www.globalong.com/

> UNICEF, cf.https://www.unicef.org/french/about/employ/index_volunteers.html

> European Solidarity Corps: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en