Despite the many challenges that Danny-Mark encounters on a daily basis, I have never met anyone as happy and hopeful as him. Danny-Mark explained to us that he “wants to help others because others have helped him”, and that by becoming a teacher, he will be able to help educate the people of Rwanda, which will create a more sustainable country.

Danny-Mark’s family was happy, welcoming, and filled with pure joy. The most simplistic actions of hand shaking, high fiving, and blowing bubbles brought huge smiles to the children’s faces. Visiting Danny-Mark taught us that a positive perspective allows joy to be discovered in the life that surrounds you.

The people of Rwanda do not have the most elaborate houses or designer clothing – what they have is MUCH more valuable: a community that works together to create positive sustainable change, through love, support, and faith.

I am currently on the plane, on my last leg home after an amazing, life changing two weeks in Rwanda. My trip to Rwanda not only opened my eyes to the extreme poverty that people around the world are living in, but it also taught me a lot about hope, life values and resilience.

When we first arrived in Rwanda, the first thing that struck me was the beautiful landscape and the amazing people. When they say Rwanda is the land of 1000 hills and 1 million smiles, they really mean it!

Kigali was unlike any city I have ever seen before. It is literally hill upon rolling hill of houses and buildings. At night, when it was all lit up it looked absolutely amazing!

At the beginning of our first week we took the time to visit a couple of the genocide memorials. These memorials were our first glimpse at how far the country has come since the genocide 18 years ago. The horrors of what happened in 1994 were captured and portrayed well through these memorials, but the message of peace and reconciliation was what stood out to me. The people of Rwanda are people of forgiveness who are looking forward to building a better future instead of focusing on the past.

During the first week we also spent a lot of time visiting the different Area Development Projects that World Vision funds. These projects are located in rural communities where poverty affects most of the population. Through the funding provided by World Vision, these communities are able to have better access to water, education, well paying jobs and support systems.

We enjoyed playing and interacting with the children and youth as well as learning from the adults of these communities.

Photo by Shoubert David

One of the days that really stood out for me was when we visited a local high school that uses biogas as a form of energy. The biogas project in this school was brainstormed and implemented by the students and it really opened my eyes to the different ways that youth around the world are taking action in their own communities.

Our second week in Rwanda was spent at an international youth conference in Gashora. Youth from Tanzania, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Canada were all represented and it really gave us a chance to get a better understanding of the issues affecting children in these countries. We learned about the use of child labor, forced recruitment at a young age, early marriage, abuse, lack of access to education as well as lack of access to basic needs such as food, water and health care.

Photo by Shoubert David

Attending this conference was one of my favorite parts of the trip, because I was able to build friendships with the youth from all of the countries and to hear their stories.

I learned so much about their different cultures and what it would be like if I was growing up in their countries instead of Canada. It was weird for me to think that at the end of the week we would all be going home to completely different situations. Some of us to Canada where we can simply turn on a tap and get clean water, and others like my friend Danny-Mark to his one room home where he has to journey for an hour every morning to fetch the water his family needs for the day.

Danny-Mark is a young man whose home we visited early on in our trip and then who we had the chance to meet again at the youth forum. Like so many of the people I met in Rwanda, Danny-Mark is someone I will never forget. His passion for life and his dreams for the future inspired me in so many ways.

Photo by Shoubert David

This being said, I think the most important thing I am taking back to Canada with me is the stories of the people I have met as well as a new set of values and appreciation for things I have always taken for granted. The people of Rwanda taught me so much about community, faith, culture, and for just being grateful and content with what I have.

Simone

Who are “we” exactly? Eight World Vision Youth Ambassadors from across Canada were granted the opportunity to travel to Rwanda for two weeks to witness World Vision development projects in action. In the past week we have seen numerous projects such as hair “saloon” training and welding programs, HIV/AIDS co-operatives and child-headed households. For the next four days, youth from Canada, Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are planning Action Plans together in order to combat child protection issues that each country faces, while making friends along the way.

As we begin to get settled in to our hotel, it has not been uncommon to pass a new person and spend ten minutes getting to know each individual. I never realized how easy it would be to meet and get to know total strangers, especially considering language barriers and cultural differences. From the many people that I have met today, I have realized that when youth come together to achieve a common goal, language and ethnicity become irrelevant. Overall, I would say that participating in this International Youth Forum is a great way to spend International Youth Day.

Karley Hewitt

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In the parking lot of the hotel was a middle-aged, average-looking man wearing a yellow and green polo. When we arrived, he greeted us as most Rwandans do: with nothing but genuine hospitality. His name was Jeafriea, nicknamed Jean-Charles, and although this man looked nothing but ordinary, his story was extraordinary.

The hotel we see in the movie Hotel Rwanda isn’t the real hotel which supported the lives of over 1,200 victims of the turmoil. The hotel we were at, the one in which we were casually standing in its parking -lot, was the hotel in which Jeafriea had been a manager during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. This man had been there when families went starving and took refuge at the hotel, when they had been forced to drink the pool’s water as a way to survive.

I’m sitting now by the side of the Sportsview Hotel, the hotel which we are staying at for our stay in Kigali, and I know I won’t be able to look at a pool the same way. When we got to see the pool at the Hotel Des Milles Collines, I could not see the constant chatter of the tourists appreciating a meal besides the pool. I could not see the children splashing around in the warm water. Instead, I could do nothing but imagine a different atmosphere, one where Rwandans were taking refuge in this hotel, one in which Jeafriea was managing.

Jeafriea had shook hands with the legendary Romeo Dallaire and although he did not receive the same amount of fame, he was a hero. Never would I have thought to casually meet a man with such a heroic tale. Yet it seemed here that everyone has a story. You meet what looks like the most average person and they all have something eye-opening to tell you, something that makes you really ask yourself what your own story is.

Rwanda is shaping my story, and I cannot wait to come home and share my story with you all.

Kim Mathieu

Click here to learn more about the YA program and to see photos and videos from last year’s experience in Rwanda.

Simone Kitchen
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

“I have a good education, nutrition, adequate food, water, and a safe place to live and I would like to see that everyone in the world could have the same opportunities.”

Simone works hard to fight poverty, both around the world and close to home. A recent trip to the Dominican Republic has opened her eyes to the disparity between the rich and the poor. She regularly contributes to her community’s food bank and soup kitchen and actively supports development projects abroad. Simone also recognizes the importance of lifestyle choices in building a better world. She embraces the “live simply so others may simply live” philosophy and recently took on a national challenge to reduce personal energy consumption.

Mohamed Rahall
Edmonton, Alberta

“I want to empower the youth and even the adults to do something… If we all worked together we can make a difference.”

Mohammed is very active in his school and community and is using his talents as a budding filmmaker to make a difference. As a passionate advocate for global change, Mohammed has organized events for the World Vision 30 Hour Famine and World AIDS Day. The recent crisis in Syria inspired Mohammed to organize a freeze flash mob at his school. The event was a great success, raising over $1000 and included sending a letter to the Canadian government, urging them to take action. Check out his video!

Alana Robert
Winnipeg, Manitoba

“After learning about these issues, I instantly knew that I wanted, and needed to commit my life to positively changing the lives of others.”

Alana has volunteered hundreds of hours of her time with numerous organizations in her community. She is also an active member of her school’s Debate Team where you’ll find her arguing and proposing solutions for many global issues. Alana helped found and initiate the Jams4Justice Project, a provincial-wide campaign that educates about human trafficking. The project encourages youth to write songs about human trafficking. The songs are then used at national and international conferences.

Sawyer Bullock
Wasaga Beach, Ontario

“I want to use my time and efforts to invest in something eternally valuable, not momentarily satisfying.”

Activist. Volunteer. Award-winning professional illusionist. Sawyer keeps himself busy in a lot of different ways! As a member of various groups like the Students for Social Change Team and the Student Leadership Team at his church, Sawyer has been a driving force behind many fundraisers and campaigns in his school and community. His volunteer work has taken him to the Dominican Republic, where he worked with Haitian refugees, and closer to home as a volunteer working with children from poor homes in the Jane and Finch area in Toronto.

Kim Mathieu
St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec

“I want to come back ready to break the barriers that separate Canadians form Africans, and to show that as one, there is nothing youth can’t accomplish.”

Let’s countdown from six, shall we? Six 30 Hour Famine events. Five years being a part of the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life. Four school-organized leadership camps. Three Canadian youth conferences and events. Two (thousand!) youth spoken to during a National We Day event. And one fired up Youth Ambassador making a big difference. Kim is also an award-winning public speaker, winning first place this year with a speech about youth empowerment, global unity and taking action.

Karley Hewitt
Truro, Nova Scotia

“My belief is that no matter how big the issue is at hand, one person CAN make a difference.”

Karley’s ultimate dream would be a job with the United Nations. And by the sounds of things, she seems to be well on her way to achieving that goal! This year Karley led the 30 Hour Famine in her school, raising money for education in North Sudan. She’s also been actively involved in other groups including Student Council (co-heading the Spirit Committee), Girls Leadership (speaking at junior high schools to promote self-esteem and healthy body images) and Active Youth (organizing fundraisers in her school and community). In September, Karley will begin University, studying political science and international relations as she continues to pursue her dream.

Mumtahin Monzoor
Brand Ambassador, Edmonton Alberta

“I want to give people their hope, and to understand that even if it seems like the world has turned its back on them, we will be there as a voice and make a change.”

Mumtahin is very passionate about getting people involved in global issues. She worked tirelessly in bringing the 30 Hour Famine event to her school, and raised over $2,000 for BE Water. She hosted an awareness water walk that was captured by CTV, is part of the Edmonton Connect Youth Club, and took part in a student leadership forum in Ottawa called “Encounters with Canada”. She likes to stay connected in her community and is a trained counselor for teens. She does this through her involvement with the Community Helpers program which explores and understands psychological issues related to teenagers.

Click here to learn more about the World Vision Youth Ambassador program.

They may not share the same views when it comes to politics, but on the issue of child slavery, these five Canadian politicians agree: it needs to stop. Approximately, 126 million kids are trapped in 3D jobs: dirty, dangerous and degrading. Another 1.2 million are trafficked for labour or sexual exploitation, often left living on the streets.

Members of Parliament: Wayne Easter, Russ Hiebert, Dean Allison, Wai Young and Isabelle Morin, took to the bustling streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Bangkok, Thailand, where they met slavery’s youngest victims.

The chance to travel with World Vision coincided with the Canadian government’s launch of its National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.

“These kids are no less smart, have no less potential, than our kids in North America,” said MP Wayne Easter from Malpeque, Prince Edward Island. “We are losing this potential to slave labour.”

One child sticks out in MP Russ Hiebert’s mind. “I asked what his goal in life was,” says the MP for South Surrey, White Rock and Cloverdale, B.C., “He said, it was to live in a foster home with someone who loved him.”

To these kids love and security mean the world. Many of them also dream of going to school. Instead, they are homeless, neglected and taken advantage of.

“We’re always encouraging our kids to seek higher education. But these kids don’t have the opportunity to be educated or even to work their way out of poverty,” says Niagara-West MP, Dean Allison.

You Can Make It Stop

Sign the pledge and put an end to child labour and slavery.

Canada Combats Trafficking

Children and adults are trafficked into Canada to work as labourers, domestic servants and sex trade workers. Last February alone, there were 46 cases of human trafficking prosecuted in Canadian courts.

Then there’s the shopper’s dilemma: did the tiny hands of an underpaid child worker help create your latest purchase?

“When we buy things, we tend to trust the brands, but I think it’s important we hold them accountable to using fair workplace initiatives. Canadians need to ask those questions,” says MP Allison.

MP Easter agrees, “I don’t think anybody wants garments that have been produced as a result of conditions that are really human abuse.”

Change is Possible

And yet, the MPs still witnessed hope and joy.

At World Vision’s Bamboo Shoots Street Children Centre in Phnom Penh, the MPs shared laughs and high-fives with the kids.

The centre is part of the organization’s Street Children Transformation Project; where street youth receive food, shelter, vaccinations and schooling. And whenever possible, they are also reunited and re-integrated with their own families.

“There was a girl, about 20-years-old, who had been in the sex trade for about 18 months,” adds MP Easter, recalling a visit to World Vision’s Trauma Recovery Centre in Phnom Penh. “She had just gotten married and was showing us wedding pictures. No doubt she carried scars with her that we couldn’t see, but it showed me the resilience of the human character.”

Learn More About Child Labour

Shop more ethically and help reduce the demand for goods produced by child labour.

In many counties, children are exploited through travel and tourism. Learn more.

Safe and secure—we demand it for Canadian children. But many children aren’t.

Boys and girls around the world are being pushed, forced or trafficked into 3D jobs: dirty, dangerous and degrading. This work damages their bodies, minds and well-being. Many are not able to leave these situations.

Click here to visit the Help Wanted campaign page where you can:

• Add your name to the petition to end child slavery
• Support children directly through fundraising or a monthly pledge
• Learn more about child trafficking and child labour
• Download posters, banners and Facebook badges to raise awareness
• For church youth groups, check out the Church Resources page

By Josh Martin
World Vision Youth Team

Meet Joey. He’s 17 years old and maybe enjoying his summer vacation a bit too much. Last night Joey went to a party. And after a heated debate about whether Batman could ever beat Superman in a fight, his cell phone gets tossed into the pool.

The next morning Joey wakes up and hops online. He quickly un-tags himself from a few unflattering photos of him hugging his ex-girlfriend and hopes that his current girlfriend hasn’t seen them yet.

Stumbling downstairs, Joey puts a kettle on and makes himself a coffee. A much, much needed coffee after a late, late night.

As the caffeine works its way into Joey’s veins, he perks up enough to get his butt in gear. He heads back upstairs and throws on a pair of jeans and a grabs a t-shirt from the dirty laundry basket. He likes the shirt, and come on: it doesn’t smell that bad yet.

Joey checks himself out in the bathroom mirror. Satisfied that he’s looking much less zombie-like, he turns the faucet on to brush his teeth. A few minutes later he flips the faucet off and gargles mouthwash for a second time. His shirt may not smell that bad but he’s been told his morning breath does.

Tossing his old—and now extremely waterlogged—phone into the trashcan, Joey grabs his Mom’s car keys and heads for the door. He waves hello to his cute neighbour just as his Mom pokes her head out the door and yells, “Don’t forget, you need new underwear!”

Joey’s face goes red. 70% embarrassment. 30% furious anger at his mother.

A few minutes later Joey arrives at the mall. Halfway to the phone store he dives behind a giant fake plant as his ex-girlfriend walks by. He hides out in the plastic foliage long enough to be sure she’s gone.

Emerging from behind the plant, Joey heads to the phone store to buy a new one. He makes a mental note to buy his girlfriend chocolates while he’s here. Depending on whether she’s seen those Facebook photos, he may have some explaining to do.

***

When we’re disconnected from the effects that our consumer and life choices have on the world, it’s easy to overlook them. When you read Joey’s story, you don’t automatically see the connections to global issues. At first glance, it’s just a story about a smelly doofus who’s probably going to get dumped by his girlfriend.

But when you look closer and read between the lines, the seemingly innocent and everyday choices Joey makes are chock full of global connections.

Here are some you might not have noticed at first glance:

• The coffee. Check the label. Is Joey’s cup o’ joe supporting child labour? Buying FairTrade certified coffee helps ensure that no child labour was used and that the farmers receive a fair living wage for their work.
• The closet. Joey’s t-shirt may not be the only thing that stinks here. The global textile industry has had many problems over the years with sweatshops and child labour. Do your homework and identify companies with solid anti-sweatshop policies.
• The bathroom. Water is poised to be the battleground of the future. Water scarcity is a serious issue that affects billions of people around the world. We all have a part to play in water conservation and shutting off the faucet while brushing his teeth is one way Joey can help.
• The phone. Electronic waste, like Joey’s soggy phone, is a toxic problem that often gets dumped in developing countries. Proper disposal of electronics helps protect children from being exposed to dangerous work and deadly toxins.
• The car. Climate change causes extreme weather around the world. Prolonged droughts and poor rains in places like West Africa can lead to hunger and famine. And it’s people like Joey in the developed world who are dumping the bulk of the greenhouse emissions into the air. Choosing to bike, bus or walk to the mall would have reduced Joey’s carbon footprint.
• The chocolates. Like the coffee, let’s hope Joey looks for FairTrade certified sweets. It may not be enough to keep his girlfriend from kicking him to the curb, but at least he’ll have an ethical treat to gorge himself with after the break-up.

We live in a globally-connected world. And it’s important to remember that our everyday choices can have far-reaching consequences.

What are some lifestyle choices you make to help build a better world for children?

Take action

• Buy Fair Trade. Check out our Shopping for Change guide.
• Join the Help Wanted campaign and speak out against child labour.
• Take action in support of the people in West Africa.
• Reduce your carbon footprint: check out this carbon footprint calculator and identify ways you can be more environmentally friendly.