Children's Charity | Getting an education | UNICEF

How UNICEF gives children a brighter future by sending them to school

Aklima, 12 years old, is among the many children all over the world who cannot afford to go to school because of poverty.

Aklima, 12 years old, lives with her parents, four sisters and two brothers in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Unlike other children her age, she does not spend her day at school. Instead, she finds time to scour through plastic bags and scraps at a rubbish damp to make a living.

Aklima and her friends scour  plastic bits and tin cans, intending to resell these so that they can make money out of them. 

Despite knowing how dangerous her work is, Aklima persists to go on to help her family. Every morning, she makes an hour-long walk with her friends to the dump. “Sometimes I cut my hands and legs on broken glass or tins,” Aklima says.

One morning, a social worker introduced Aklima to an informal, open-air school near the site. A local organization, in partnership with UNICEF, runs the place.

Now, Aklima goes to school in the afternoon after finishing her work in the morning. Admittedly, she enjoys studying and being with other children.  “It’s good to go to school. We study. Everyone sits together. We draw pictures and write Bangla,” she says.

Like the other children, Aklima eagerly pays attention to the class discussion.

Aklima is not alone. There are many other children like her who cannot afford to get a quality education. According to the Education For All initiative of UNESCO, in 2006, 93 million children- more than the total population of the Philippines- were not in school.

We can do our part to better the situation. Be part of this change. Help Aklima. Help other children by sending them to school. Be one today!