Verhalen & nieuws

Since 2009 Rob Sweldens (34) is part of the StreetwiZe • Mobile School team. Since then, Rob implemented 13 mobile schools while being responsible for the coordination and follow-up of the international partnerships. Since 2014 he holds the position of manager for Mobile School. Time to give the word to Rob to talk about his motivation, his street work experience and the future of Mobile School.

September 1st: an exciting day for many parents and children. Off they go, back to school with their satchels and lunchboxes. For millions of children, however, September 1st is just a reminder of them not having access to a fundamental right: the right to education.

13 years ago, Bram Van de Putte knocked on the door of the Mobile School office for the very first time, looking for more outreach experience. He’s been actively involved in the organisation ever since, first as a volunteer and later as a Master Trainer. He already gave trainings in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh and Poland and he just got back from Greece. Time for an interview!

The number of forcibly displaced people is rising (around 63 million in 2015 according to UNHCR). Climate change and ongoing conflicts force people to leave their homes. Consequently, there is an increasing pressure on facilities in neighbouring countries. Many people continue their journey and head to Europe, crossing the sea on a dangerous trip. Since the beginning of 2014, more than 1.6 million people arrived by sea on the European continent (UNHCR, 2017). Unfortunately, at least 13,700 people never arrived: they were declared dead or went missing. Even after arrival, their situation remains uncertain. Over 10,000 children have disappeared off the radar, because they moved on to unknown destinations or became victims of exploitation and trafficking.Turkey and Lebanon alone host more than 4 million refugees in temporary camps. In contrast, Europe only receives 6% of the total amount of displaced people worldwide.

Sunday 26th of February, 7AM, Addis Ababa’s Bole Airport. The start of a three week Mobile School visit to Ethiopia, including a follow-up and an exchange with our three active Mobile School partners. For the occasion, Debebe Sugebo – social worker for Retrak, one of our Ethiopian partner organisations - will join us to co-facilitate the trainings in order to share his extensive experience of working with street-connected children in the southern part of the country.

StreetwiZe • Mobile School viert op 12 april voor het zevende achtereenvolgende jaar de Internationale Dag voor Straatkinderen. Na succesvolle krijtpetities, #nostreetkiddings en street sleeps, organiseren we voor de tweede keer een #STREETWORK om de aandacht te vestigen op straatkinderen wereldwijd. Onze slogan is: „Doe wat je normaal doet, maar kom het op straat doen.”

Meet Jessika Martinez, the embodiment of the Mobile School philosophy. A strong, passionate street educator who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Jessika first saw the mobile school in 2003 and ever since then, she’s been an active member of the Mobile School community. She has a ton of experience as a street worker and now also co-facilitates trainings at other partner organisations.

For centuries, Greece counted as the centre of the Old World, bringing culture and language to different parts all around Europe, Africa and Asia. Due to its central position between the East and the West and the North and the South, Greece has had many advantages and opportunities but has also been facing many challenges. During the last 8 years Mobile School has been involved in many of these opportunities and challenges.

Vicky Ferguson, founder and CEO of our Kenyan partner organisation Glad's House wrote a wonderful article for the Enabling Education Network Review about how her organisation is using the mobile school to rebuild the self-esteem of street youngsters in Mombasa. "A highlight for me was watching a young man, aged 22, whom I have known for almost ten years, walk around the 12 metres of blackboard and engage in every single activity. Each time he completed an exercise, he would come to me and take me to the board to show me what he had achieved. It was a very special moment that cemented just what can be achieved with our Mobile School!"

After years of gaining experience with mobile schools in Latin America, it was crystal clear that the methodology was ready to broaden its geographic scope and to start empowering street-connected children on other continents as well. In 2005, the first African mobile school arrived in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi.

On the 20th of November of 1989, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s rights are key at Mobile School as well. On the streets, we are constantly confronted with situations in which the rights of the child are violated. The right to education, for example, is not accessible for everyone. That’s why we go to places all over the world where children have little or no access to education and open our school on wheels there.

Almost 34,000 people are forced to leave their homes on a daily basis, due to prosecution and conflicts. The total number of displaced people has reached 65.3 million (UNHCR,2016). Currently, more than 60,000 people are stuck in Greece, waiting on a new destination. Although an agreement was signed within the European Union to provide shelter for refugees coming from Greece, in practice nothing is happening. People have to week weeks if not months in dilapidated factories, in tents, old hotels, airports, military buildings,... and it does not look like this will improve any time soon. After months of waiting, people get discouraged and try to illegaly cross the border.