One signature, every child’s future in countries hit by disease, war and poverty

By Yei Regina Mondeh, an A World at School Global Youth Ambassador from Sierra Leone

The stories of Sierra Leone国产视频檚 decade-long war echo in the chronicles of the country国产视频檚 history 国产视频� but the terror of the 2014 Ebola scourge might change that.

In the heart of the capital Freetown, more lives are lost than made each day as recent health reports have proved. Those departed from our terrestrial ball rest in heavens unknown. But the pain their surviving loved ones bear is inflicting. Women are being widowed and they grieve in pain.

Men lose their spouses and forget Earth is a place they can call home. But when a child is faced with the loss of both parents or a close family member, it is torture on a forming brain.

This was the case of 13-year-old Rachael Mansaray, a prep 6 pupil of the Holy Trinity School in the centre of Freetown, which a few colleagues and I聽visited.

Buzzing with joy and sharing a radiant smile in appreciation for the gifts she had received, Rachael聽told me how she wanted to become a lawyer. I was captured by her intelligence and inspired by her beautiful aspirations. Sadly this friendly rapport was short-lived as I went on to ask Rachael how聽Ebola has affected her personally.

She stared at me in silence for a minute and I saw eyes become cloudy. 国产视频淢y brother died of Ebola,国产视频� she forced out of shaky lips.

In no time, the contagious smile had been replaced with compelling tears. Torture! On a child国产视频檚 forming brain.

At this point I wished I had spoken more about her dreams and never asked her that question. I paused for a while trying to avoid any further emotional aggravating questions. Finally I asked her 国产视频渨hat are you looking forward to in the future?国产视频�

Wiping her tears away with the back of her hands the first words she spoke to me were: 国产视频淚 want to come back to school so I can grow up and be a lawyer. I want to be promoted to the next class and聽I miss my friends at school.国产视频� I saw that education was her ray of hope.

Rachael is not alone; there are millions of girls out there who see education as their ray of hope, their way out, their route to success and privilege. But in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the countries most affected by Ebola, and other countries around the world where girls suffer聽poverty, war, famine, sickness and child abuse, their vision for life is as unsteady聽as the dangling pendulum on grandfather国产视频檚 clock.

How do we restore their hope?聽How do we secure their future?聽How do we rebuild their faith?聽And how do we maximise their potential?

Just one more signature, your signature can do all that.

Sign up for the #UpForSchool Petition today so that every child will can the opportunity of being educated and achieving their dreams.