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The Challenge is Ours

Nothing is so urgent and critical today than


what United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan,
has issued as a call to million of people around
the world─ to make the UN millennium Development
Goals happen, otherwise, a lot of people will die,
prematurely and unnecessarily.
Indeed all of us have to heed the call with our
concerted efforts; for it is the people mobilized
as we are, according to Secretary Annan, who could
overcome the obstacles to a better world.
As a Filipino youth, we should be apart of the
concerted efforts. Young as we are, we should help
promote the eight goals of the millennium. We must
act as catalysts for social change. Ours is the
challenge and we can do it!
Try to consider these. Today, people and
organizations working closely in the field of
liberation and peace have come to feed the hungry
while watching the war that causes their hunger to
rage. Oftentimes, we shelter the homeless but are
powerless t halt the forces that drove them away
from their homes. Too often, we improve subsistence
farming but cannot initiate reforms that could
allow our small farmers to anchor beyond
subsistence.
In the past, most of these organizations in the
Philippines and in abroad have worked separately
without having to accomplish the same targets; not
until the Millennium Development Goals were
formulated. The MDG was brought about by the
collective decision of our world leaders to create
programs of action that will lead humanity to a
world of sustainability and peace- where poverty
and sufferings lie away from every door of every
family.
What are included in the MDG? By 2015, 191
members of the United Nations agreed to meet the
following :(1) eradicate extreme hunger and
poverty, (2) achieve universal primary education,
(3) promote gender equality and empowerment of
women, (4) Reduce child mortality, (5) improve
maternal health, (6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases, (7) ensure environmental
sustainability and (8) develop a global partnership
for development.
Eradicating extreme hunger and poverty is a
difficult task. It requires a series of actions
from the local, national and international level,
formulation of national and sub national plans of
action and reexamination of existing programs and
policies and budget for poverty alleviation.
We have been conducting yearly or even monthly
conventions and consultations aimed to eradicate
poverty in our country, spending millions and even
billions of pesos for planning, research, program
initiation, accommodations and visits and sometimes
leaving the budget for monitoring and evaluation
unaided, thus having programs and projects that are
short termed.
Why not spend this money for the development of
the youth? Some may think of it as an act of
extravagance or even a charitable gesture, but we
must understand that it is the best way of ensuring
our country’s economic well being.
Last week, I was invited to talk about the MDG
and the situation of the youth at this pressing
time on a National Children and Youth Conference. I
explained and made clear to the participants and
government officials present, that it is not enough
for us to promise projects for the alleviation of
poverty and the realization of the MDG, even there
are enough resources to back it up. If the whole
community and the target participants are not
mobilized to do the action, then the project will
have less impact and it won’t last long.
For years, I have been reaching out to
communities, not just in Western Visayas, but in
the entire archipelago; and I will never stop until
I see all of my countrymen and fellow youth having
to enjoy and develop their full potential, in a
Philippines where sustainability, development and
peace resides.
Access to primary education has also been a
problem of our country and of the whole society
thus it was included in the MDG. Our country’s
educational system has been undermined by the lack
of classrooms, textbooks, teachers and budgets for
the student’s development.
We must bear in mind that our children and
youth’s primary education is vital for the
development of our country as highlighted by World
Vision Development Foundation to wit:
“We must be built in a commitment of helping
our young ones achieve their full potential which
inexorcibly means going beyond the provisions.
Universal primary education will also entail,
breaking the barriers that prevent poor families
from sending their children to school. Education
must be the bedrock of our national budget. Cutting
educational funds will limit economic growth and
worsen the cases of poverty and hunger in our
country.”
What is distressing is the result of the survey
conducted by the Local Government Units, Non
Government Organizations and Peoples Organizations
that here in our country, In every 10 children
entering elementary, 7 will graduate grade 6, five
will enter high school and only 3 are able to
finish high school. Upon knowing this, I have acted
like a virus infecting my peers about the sad news.
I’ve joined a lot of organizations and later on
became the president of the National Coalition of
Children’s Association of the Philippines, Board of
Director of the National Federation of Children’s
Association of the Philippines, SK chairman, a
writer and a student council president. Through
these organizations and positions I have created
information drives and visits not just to enhance
the awareness of our peers and the people but to
also influence them in the process.
Gender inequality is also a problem of our
country, affecting our personal, local, national
and international relations. For some, they
consider this as an easy problem- can be solved
through personal considerations, but the fact is,
it had already destroyed a lot of homes, ruined
friendships and inflicted force on a lot of people
especially to the women.
As young individuals, we should do our share to
minimize these series of abuse and inequality. We
must have a fresh start in order to create a world
fit for all.
We have also been facing problems on infant
mortality, maternal death, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS
and malaria and environmental instability.
All of these are affecting us in many ways.
Many lives were killed and a lot have suffered. At
this pressing moment, we must consider the vital
role of communication in the solution of these
problems. Lines of communication must be opened to
ensure that projects and programs are on its best.
“Kabataang Noypi,” Let us not wait for 2015 to
realize the MDG. Time is very important at this
moment because we may not notice that the next
victim would be us, our family and loved ones.
Together let us redirect the course of history
for the betterment of humanity! ”Laban natin ito!”
Let us not serve as problems to be targeted but as
partners to the realization of the Millennium
Development Goals, proving a lot of people wrong
about their negative impression on us and affirming
to the statements of UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan.

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