Trauma and tragedy

Last weekend, Norway experienced its most devastating tragedy since World War 2. That such a dreadful event could happen in Norway, one of the safest and most peaceful places on earth, caused horror throughout the whole world.

As news cameras captured the scene, that horror, together with shock and fear, showed on every face. The trauma was especially stark on the faces of the young who had survived the shootings at Utoya Island.

Such trauma, such fear, is a daily reality for many children in other parts of the world. Places where conflict is the norm and where men of violence see the lives of others, especially children, as cheap and disposable. Places where lack of education and lack of opportunity make recruitment into the world of violence all too easy. Where manipulation of beliefs and understanding can cause untold misery for whole communities.

At World In Need we know the way to overcome these obstacles and free people from the fear and horror that traps them is to give them the tools to free themselves. By educating children we can ensure they achieve their fullest potentials, giving them access to better jobs and futures. If we teach adults skills we can ensure they are able to care for themselves and their families, earning money, building and investing in their futures. We can give the people the freedom to think and act for themselves, and through this, we can break the power of the men of violence.

World In Need has a child sponsorship programme through which we sponsor children in some of the poorest and most troubled places on earth. Sponsored children are able to go to school and gain skills and qualifications they might otherwise be denied. They eat regularly and have access to medical care and other essentials, and are given hope for the future.

We never forget that a lifetime is built on the foundations of childhood. World In Need is trying to ensure those foundations are built on solid ground.