Reflections from General R.E.
Last Sunday, 11th October, was the United Nation’s Day of the Girl Child. The theme for this year is Adolescent Girls. In General R.E. the Sixth Form explored the importance of educating girls to help break the poverty cycle. As part of the lesson they watched a CAFOD video, ‘One Day, One World’, comparing the lives of Josh from England and Tuli in Bangladesh.
Sixth Formers give us their thoughts on the viewing:
Firstly, Jaskirat, Ambreen and Hela: ‘What struck us the most as a group was how similar the lives of the individuals were on the surface. However, upon deeper inspection the ‘chores’ performed by the more privileged child were merely carried out as a ‘hobby’. The girl in Bangladesh, however, had to carry out these chores out of necessity. This made us realise that necessities are simply given to us, but for the girl in Bangladesh effort is required to obtain them. We all feel more appreciative for what we have as a result of watching this informative video.‘
Lida says, ‘What struck me about this clip is how mature and independent the young girl, Tuli, was. Although it is generally realised that girls in these Highly Indebted Countries have to grow up early and work as well as go to school, seeing it in the CAFOD video struck me and made me feel so much respect for her. The fact that she comes from a family of subsistence farmers and she studies, works and goes to early morning prayer school is a further representation of how independent the children are in that area.’
Sophie, Shafaq, Gagan and Charmaine were ‘surprised by the similarities between Tuli and Josh. For instance, they both had access to education. However, the content differed and was specific to their lifestyles e.g. Tuli learned about the importance of filtering water, which was applicable to her daily life. On the other hand, Josh learned about the conservation of water. This aspect demonstrated the difference between an HIC and a RIC.’
Rebecca commented, ‘It is particularly important that woman should be educated in life skills such as filtering water, because in communities such as Tuli’s, it is the women who carry out these tasks. Without having access to clean water, Tuli and her family are at risk of diseases such as cholera. By educating women how to clean and filter their water, they are making a huge difference to their family.‘
Finally, from Ruhi, ‘I found it fascinating that the importance of the family transcends everything across the globe, from Bangladesh to the UK. It’s clear that they share the same core family values. The love of family is human nature.’
