Last week, on 19th June, 2014 I was given the opportunity to become a volunteer for the Ann Foundation. Upon seeing the role advertised through a sister site of the UN, I wondered, “what exactly is the Ann Foundation and what do they do?”
It seems crazy that in our modern, developing 2014 world some children will never get the chance to receive the education that they are entitled to. Just today it was announced in the Guardian Newspaper that the UN have failed to achieve their goal of Universal Primary Education by 2015 which in actual figures means that around 25 million children across the globe will perhaps never set foot in a classroom. The children who will suffer from this lack of education are dotted around the world, with the majority coming from sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. Much is needed to expand the resources and highlight the importance of giving these children access to even the most basic of education.
This is precisely what the Ann foundation has dedicated itself to doing. For almost 15 years the charity has worked with over 2000 children in India, Egypt and parts of Africa, educating, inspiring and providing children with what we sometimes take for granted; education. Not only does the Ann Foundation educate those who go without, it endeavours to cater for those with additional needs and disabilities. We are lucky in the UK that students with visual and hearing impairments receive additional support though assistants, aids and technological advancements which can level the playing field. In lesser developed areas where the Ann Foundation works, such as of India and Tanzania, some children will only receive an education through the work of charitable organisations and aid workers, meaning there is no additional support for students with disabilities.
The Ann Foundation empowers children with disabilities and those from under privileged backgrounds through education. Education they would not receive if the Foundation did not provide the materials and tools necessary for the best start in life. If an organisation as powerful and vast as the UN struggles to achieve its educational goals worldwide, it speaks volumes about the provisions available, meaning the work of charities like the Ann Foundation has never been more valuable.
-Beth Baldwin