The local city representative have decided to participate and allocated some financial aid to complete the project.

Realization:
Work planned:

• Renovation of classrooms
• Equip the renovated classrooms with desks and benches
• Equip classes with blackboards
• Provide educational materials

Goal of the project:
Give a decent environment for students and teachers and provide better study condition for the new scholar year starting in September 2010.

“Pikin Players” documentary film shooting start (April 2010 Event)
Documentary film produced by Chapter01 Productions in partnership with Education Without Borders. To make a donation click here
In Mid-November 2009, Chapter01 Productions went to Africa and to start shooting its new documentary film “Pikin Players. The documentary will follow the lives of 4 young soccer players who are hoping to continue their careers in Europe. Among the 4 selected, the documentary will focus on 2 or 3 of them. The goal is to share their story and struggle to achieve their dream. The documentary will focus on their journey from Africa to Europe. For the players, it is the beginning of an adventure full of hope and illusions, while for the Chapter01 Productions’ team, it is the beginning of their journey. To find out more, we met with director Logedo Rafael Soto.

Question 1: How is the shoot going?

It went well. The boys have a very good relationship with the filming crew. They trust us and behave very naturally in front of the camera, so we were able to film their routine and day by day life. We spent 1 month with them in Africa and now we are planning the next and probably final trip to Cameroon, to film them just before they travel to Europe.

Question 2: What difficulties are you currently experiencing?

Funding and access. A documentary like this involves a lot of travelling with a crew of four people, which is expensive. Organizing each trip to Cameroon requires a lot of work and planning, and finding the money is the most difficult thing always. At the same time, it is a delicate subject. It is not easy to get people in front of the camera, or the camera in the places we want it, but our efforts are paying off, and we are getting very good feedback. .Now, we have to decide when is the best time to go back to Cameroon for the final filming in Africa. We´ll go back for another month, and choosing the dates is crucial to capture the days before the boys travel to Europe. We don’t know yet when that is happening and the boys don’t either. Also, in Africa the rhythm is very different from here, and planning in advance is almost impossible. We have to concentrate and prepare to travel when the moment comes and with very little notice.

Question 3: Why only follow the story of 2 players when 4 were selected initially?

We chose three boys with very similar stories, but we don’t know how many of them are going to do the final trip to Europe or how their trip is going to turn out. Depending on how their stories develop we will focus more on those whose stories best suit what we want to portray in this film.

Question 4: We know that in the past, you have worked for Channel 4, BBC, Al Jazeera in English, and today you working independently on “Pikin Players. Is it easy to switch from Television to independent filmmaking, or is it a new challenge?

My previous work in television documentaries has been quite different from what I am doing now in Pikin Players. Television documentaries have a very specific format, and you are always limited by what the TV channel expects from you, as they have the final say on how the documentary has to be done. The director doesn’t have creative control. On television, you always work under a lot of pressure because deadlines tend to be tight and you are part of a bigger team. The good thing is that you have the support of the TV channel, which opens doors. Also, you don’t have to worry about looking for the money once the documentary is commissioned unless, of course, you spend your budget before finishing it.
Pikin Players works in a completely different way. It doesn’t have the format and length most TV documentaries have because it was conceived as a film
It is not produced or owned by a TV station, which means we have full creative control but it also means that we have to look for the money ourselves, which is risky.
As a producer in Pikin Players I spend most of my time looking for funding, collaborations and sponsors, and that is new for me, but Pikin Players is the type of project that needs to be made in that way, it needs time, patience and a passionate team in order to be able to portray what is happening with these boys.

Interview done by Thierry Dime Bolla

4c development: A Swiss company and “Haïti Solidarity” (March 2010 Event)
By Thierry Dime Bolla

The terrible earthquake that has hit Haiti on January 10th this year has not left the international community indifferent. We have experienced a big movement of generosity, whether from companies, governments or private people.
After the earthquake, the President of United States, Barack Obama, promised to the the Haitian President Preval and the Haitians to support, help and assist them in the reconstruction of their country. Canadian government has for its part provided over $135 millions of humanitarian aids.
In Europe, Angela Merkel’s government has allocated 10 million to assist Haitians while « a telethon evening » live broadcast by the German television has raised more than €20 million for Haiti. France meanwhile, has allocated € 2 million in food aid for the people of the island. This money will be used firstly to support the efforts of the World Food Program (WFP) to meet the needs of affected populations and, secondly, to support a project of the NGO. « Action against Hunger » has distributed protein biscuits to more than 18 000 children under the age of five.
The Swiss population was no exception and has generously responded to the appeal by Swiss Solidarity for victims of earthquake in Haiti! In 18 hours, donations have exceeded 20 millions Swiss francs. This amount added to that already paid on the postal account Swiss Solidarity has estimated the total result of CHF 25′228′008.

Despite a still difficult economy, private companies have donated massively and among them 4c development in Geneva. 4c development is a software publisher for WEB documents management. 4c development is the creator and owner of 4c solution which is the trademark of Web software. Our team has met Mr. Pascal Oberson, founder and CE0 of 4c development.

What do you think about the solidarity of the international community?
It is amazing to see how emotionally close we can feel to people who experience such a disaster. I think that, in addition to conventional media, internet gives immediate access to all information like videos, testimonies of people living locally etc… I was moved to see individuals and solidarity groups around me that were formed spontaneously, social WEB sites ready to receive donation for the cause of Haiti almost immediately. I was also surprised by the rapidity of the international community’s reaction. Governments particularly were able to organize and manage logistics effectively and the help on the ground was very efficient and quite impressive.

We still have in mind the Tsunami disaster. Is there a risk to have once again a mismanagement of all the funds that were collected at the time for the Tsunami?
There was a big change within the last 10 years. The rapidity in which we received information 5 years ago when Tsunami happened might have surprised and overwhelmed large organizations by this ability to communicate in those early days. The very unfortunate experience of the Tsunami has helped many organizations to improve the management of these flows. Today, groups are specifically dedicated on managing funds. This seems to be a good sign.

Why has 4C development chosen a NGO such as Education Without Borders instead of a large organization such a UNICEF or the RED CROSS?
This kind of disaster generates rapidly a movement of solidarity. In the first days, we are all very emotional and ready to help and donate.
4c development would like to do more then just donate. We would like to be able to follow up on what was done with the aid given and future actions proposed by the NGO. The truth is that after a certain period of time, medias and the public loose interest and as days passes, less and less information are provided about the situation on the field. .4c development has found projects approach of Education Without Borders very focused and this feels closer to our company’s perception of helping. Targeting needs, planning, monitoring and communication are parts of their methodology and that is why 4c development feels close to Education Without Borders.

4c development is one of the main sponsor for our project « Haiti solidarity » what about this project?
“Haiti solidarity” is a project from Education Without Borders with the goal to help the earthquake victims. Currently a team is on the ground to find out about the real needs of the people. The ultimate goal of the project is to ensure a return to basic living conditions of victims in the coming months, this of course according to their possibility. This approach has attracted 4c development and made us decide to be partner in the project “Haiti, Solidarity ».

Interview done by Thierry Dime

For more information about software from 4c development, click here. You can also visit Twitter and Facebook web page of the company.

Make a donation here.

The whole world is looking towards Haiti because of the terrible tragedy that has happened in the country and the numerous victims after the violent earthquake which took place on January 12. The epicenter of the quake, with an intensity of 7.3 on the Richter scale, was located near Port-au-Prince claiming thousands of victims among the population.

As reported by all medias, the earthquake has destroyed all infrastructures, including power supplies, depriving Port-au-Prince, capital of the country, and its nearly 2 milllion inhabitants from electricity making it almost impossible to transport injured people to hospitals still standing.

Several days after the earthquake, the people of Port-au-Prince still lack access to everything. International aid is coming from everywhere to help Haitian people. Education Without Borders would like to help as well, and has decided to raise funds. All funds collected will be fully dédicated to our project “Haiti: Solidarity.”

We do not want to compete with big organizations already present, but this tragedy needs any help it can get, big or small and this is the reason why we want to participate.

The funds collected will be completely used for the project « Haiti Solidarity». One of our coordinators Claurène Chappuis, whose mother is Haitian, knows the country well and will be able to help us decide on what to do in the most judicious ways.

Chapter01 Productions has recently signed a partnership with Education Without Borders to produce a documentary film called “Pikin Players (Pikin Players means child players in a dialect of Cameroon). Pikin Players is a documentary film which tells the story of three African children who travel to Europe to become professional football players. The shooting team will film the young players for months in their struggle to achieve their dreams by following their journey from Cameroon to Europe. To learn more about this documentary, Education Without Borders has met Sybille Spinola, director of the film.

Question 1 : What made you decide to produce a documentary about this subject and why is such a documentary necessary today?

I came across an article in the Observer newspaper last year which spoke about the problem of trafficked young football players, boys whose families were being tricked into giving all their money away so their sons could go to Europe to become football stars.

The subject immediately caught my attention. I got in touch with Jean Claude Mbvoumin from the NGO Culture Foot Solidaire who invited me to attend the 2nd International Conference on the Young African Footballer in Cameroon, where I could investigate further as well as speak to academies and players there.
After the conference, we have made the decision to try to tell these boys’ stories. Although bogus agents tricking naive families is an element of the problem, we wanted to focus more on the broader problem of young boys who are dropping everything to chase the vague dream of football success.
The story in itself is important in a period in which football has never been so popular and the timing of the film is crucial. The world cup will be in South Africa next year. If ever there is a time to catch people’s attention with a story, it is now, when all eyes will be turned towards Africa.

Question 2 : Why did you choose Education Sans Frontière (Education Without Borders) as a partner to make the « Pikin Players » documentary?

It was very clear to us from the beginning that Pikin Players could have the power do more than simply highlight the problem – it could be used to help prevent it from occurring in the first place. The best place to start, naturally, is by educating the children about the dangers of badly thought out dreams of fame and success in Europe.
We saw that ESF works in Cameroon, so we approached them about collaborating with us on the project. We thought the film could be used as the basis for the development of a social program to help educate children in Cameroonian schools about the importance of staying in school & not dropping everything for football. At the same time, the film could bring the story of these boys to the attention of European school goers who have similar dreams.
ESF got back to us with a positive response and we have taken it from there.

Question 3 : Education Without Borders intends to put in place an educational program around this documentary. Do you think that it will help make people more aware of the existing « children football slaves » problem?

The the social project that comes out of Pikin Players can work on two levels. Firstly, it will help educate young players in Africa before they decide to travel to Europe and drop our of school. It will make them more aware of the industry in general and allow them to pursue their careers from a more informed basis. Secondly, the project can serve to educate young players here in Europe about the situation their African counterparts find themselves in. The more light that is shone on the situation, the less likely it is to continue.

Question 4 : You and your team have recently returned from a trip to Cameroon, could you tell us what the purpose of this trip was and how did things go?

We have made 2 trips to Cameroon so far – the first was to speak with experts on the subject and on African football. Also, we wanted to meet young players personally, so we could talk to them ourselves and get a more intimate view of the situation.
After the first trip, we spent 8 months developing the project and returned in August this year to look for the boys whose stories we will follow. We had 5 weeks of intensive interviews with scores of boys. Eventually, we selected 4 boys. One boy was spotted personally by Samuel Eto’o and has been recruited by FC Barcelona. He will be taken care of and protected by the Fundacion Privada de Samuel Eto’o and educated in a local school. We wanted to tell his story as an example of how things should be done – officially, legally, and with the boy’s interests taken care of.
We will then follow two or three other boys who are making their own ways to Europe. They have invitations for club try-outs but nothing more. They have no protection and the outcome of their trip is much more uncertain than that of the young boy traveling to Barcelona.

Question 5 : The film will be made by Chapter01 Productions which is a production company whose ambition is to produce films with a social responsibility. I imagine that in such an environment, each film is different as well as the challenges. What is special about “Pikin Players”?

We are a team of professional filmmakers with a background of working on projects of a socially conscious nature. My last film was about the problem of house demolitions in Palestine and other members of our team have worked on projects in Africa, the middle East, Europe and Asia with themes varying from the Madrid bombings to African immigrants traveling on boats to get to Europe . We are concerned about the world we live in and eagre to share what we learn with an audience who might not otherwise know about these stories.
Pikin Players takes the story of these boys and tells it from their own point of view. Rather than take a reportage type angle, we wanted to follow the boys as they go through their own experiences. We believe that this approach will have a much stronger effect when educating other young players about the situation. Seeing a boy like themselves actually go through the process of trying to make it in Europe will be more visceral for them than being lectured to which would be the case with a more academic approach.

Question 6 : Given the current economic environment, we imagine that ensuring the financing of a film must be extremely difficult. What major challenges do you face with regards to the production of « Pikin Players?

With the crisis, finding money for any film is difficult at the moment. We financed the entire development and pre-production of the film ourselves. Because of the nature of Pikin Players, we wanted to try to raise the money to produce the film ourselves, through donations from industry professionals, educational bodies and anyone interested in helping to get the film made
At the moment we are working in collaboration with organizations here in Spain who are helping us in various ways like offering services for free, allowing us to hold fundraisers at their premises, etc. We have been helped by professional footballers in Barcelona who liked the project and wanted to contribute. Gracia Arts Project has allowed us to use their designers for all our promotional material. We still need a lot of help on the financial side of things, however. We are all working for deferred payment because we care a lot about the project but certainly, in order to be able to finish Pikin Players well and in time for the Wold Cup, we need a lot more to come in and all the help we can get.

Question 7 : How do you think the public will react to the film?

I hope that the film will spur people to look a bit further than the pure spectacle of the World Cup and the football industry. The film is not an outright critique of the industry but it should highlight what could be done better. Certainly I do not want to lecture anyone with this film – I hope the boys will tell their own stories and the audience may draw from them whatever conclusions they want. It’s important to me, also, to tell a story away from the very common stories of war, poverty and starvation we see with films made about Africa. Here we have boys with dreams very similar to children here in Europe. They have families, go to school, hang out with their friends and dream of becoming football stars. With the right education and more investment from European clubs, these boys could follow their dreams at home, rather than believing that their only chance of success is to leave their country and get to Europe no matter what.

Sybille, thank you for your availability and we are very much looking forward to seeing the film.

In the vast majority of schools, September usually means the start of classes. This year is no exception to the rule: some will discover school for the first time while some others will be at the end of their curses or simply continue their studies to go to higher class. Whatever the situation, there is a questioning about the need for school today and its role in our future lives.In the past, a student who had just a high school degree could start working or have a professional life. Today, even a master’s degree is not a guarantee to finding a job as companies ask more from their future employees. As a result, people often are obliged to do jobs unrelated to their degree.

The major changes that our society has experienced in the last decades have shaken the foundations of the modern world. Few years ago, the family was mainly taking care of the education of children. Today, in a society where both parents work and where children are increasingly left to themselves, the education is not the main priority.

When looking at this situation, the common attitude is to find who is responsible, ignoring that we are the real culprits, we parents, which means in short, the whole society. In this search for the culprit, teachers or educators are often the best scapegoat to point the finger at while the latter, as society is helpless. Therefore, the teaching profession end in a situation that leads to a crisis of vocation. In addition the continued enrollment growth and the declining working conditions further increase the severe shortage of teachers.

Nevertheless, we can still find young people who have kept intact the flame and have decided to choose teaching as their future profession and amongst them Gabrielle, a young teacher, who starts this year her real baptism of fire as a teacher.

Isn’t it surprising to see more young people like you interested in teachings?
The attractiveness of teaching remains, young students are still interested in this profession. In my opinion, the shortages faced by our societies are not attributable to the lack of new teachers. We must look elsewhere if we want to find the source of the problem. As a recent graduate, I can easily confirm that many educated students have completed their studies brilliantly and have all the qualification to practice. Things get a little complicated when entering the labour market. In my opinion, the profession is not considered at fair value. Teachers are constantly watched, they are criticized, given a say about their work, a say that would not be accepted in another profession. Would you tell your dentist how to do his job? Generally, the answer is no because we well know that we do not have sufficient knowledge to do so. I think it should be the same for the teaching profession. It is important to remember that teachers have received training that makes them competent to form the responsible citizens of tomorrow. The society is interfering too much and imposes a way of doing things that prevent teachers to have a total freedom in the way they teach. After extensive discussions with several teachers with different professional experience, I can confirm that this constant pressure is difficult to manage. Because of this, many will seek another position or even change profession. In Quebec, it is not uncommon for teachers to recycle and become counsellors’ or work in the administration.

Where does your vocation as a teacher comes from?
I find the question well formulated. I actually think that to be a teacher, one must have a vocation. At least the presence of this vocation differentiates teachers from good teachers. I do not think we can pursue that profession for a lifetime without a vocation. In my case, I always wanted to be a teacher. I do not even remember thinking about something else when I enrolled in college. (Note that normal schools were abolished in Quebec and replaced by 4 years of college).

As you have travelled frequently between Switzerland and Canada, is the teaching approached different in both countries?
I completed my training in Quebec and I gained all my experience as a teacher in that country. It is difficult for me to answer this question. It could however be worth mentioning that the current education program in Quebec is based on a reform that Switzerland has abolished following a referendum (in canton of Geneva). I must say that this is not an exact copy, but when looking at both programs, one quickly realizes the similarities. Quebec has taken several educational values from Switzerland, including differentiated instruction, and has thereby, influenced the current school system in Quebec, including Perrenoud, among the latter.

What do you think of the popular opinion in Switzerland which believes that teachers are privileged as they work less than 25 hours per week, while earning more than 6000 CHF per month and have almost 4 months vacation a year?
Anywhere in the world the salary and benefits of teachers are always source of discussion. In Quebec, people almost say the same thing than in Switzerland. This is because of a lack knowledge of the teaching profession. As previously said, we would never hear the same criticisms for another profession. I don’t feel like going into the eternal debate, but I simply advise to all those who are maintaining these old stereotypes, to find out more about the profession. Teachers work more hours than stated. There are countless hours even if officially, teachers are paid for those 25 hours of work, but in the reality, teachers have a lot of unpaid overtime. Just think about the hours spent planning and preparing courses or making corrections. Do not forget that teachers are not limited only to play their role as educators, but are often social workers. Teachers spend certainly a lot of time with children outside school hours. Their goal is of course the absolute desire to see students succeed.

On the eve of the new school year, how you feel and what are your goals?
I’m looking forward to this first year of teaching. The contract that I have this year will be tedious, since I will not teach in a single class. I will teach to several groups of different levels. This work experience will probably give me a new teaching opening. The ultimate goal is obviously to get that every child achieves the prescribed learning and to proceed the next level.

Leave everything and go towards the unknown in order to discover a new culture in a new universe. That’s what Laura decided on a February morning when she packed her belongings to experience a new life style in Foundiougne, a town in the west of Senegal situated in the Fatick’s region. Her wish to share the life of the deprived ones, taking school equipment and face the reality of an environment totally different from hers, made her actually initiate this experience.
Living in the country, experiencing daily people’s lifestyle and spending time with them made Elsa grown and enriched by the different people that she has met during her stay. Beyond her desire to help this lacking population of Foundiougne, she lived a great human adventure. She is sharing her experience with us in this interview.

Why did you want to leave everything and go teach in Senegal?

I had an opportunity with the “IUFM” (University institute for the training of master). International exchange have been put in place between the IUFM of Alsace in France and some countries like Senegal, Morocco, Finland, Canada and Russia. It was a good opportunity and I knew that this experience would be very rewarding in many aspects. I was curious to see how teachers prepared their lessons and especially how they were teaching with so little equipment. It seemed interesting to me to be able to compare our teaching methods and exchange our know- how in order to be mutually enriched.

What formalities were necessary before your departure?

Two trainers of IUFM were in charge of organizing our stay. They informed us on what we were supposed to expect. They talked about the living conditions of our hosts to avoid a big surprised on our arrival without telling us too much, so we could make our own judgment and discover the country by ourselves. We knew that our hosts were teachers and that we would do our internships in their classes. Teachers were responsible of dividing us between classes. With regards to administrative procedures, we had to make sure to have a passport valid six months after the return date to avoid problems. We had also to have yellow fever vaccine and hepatitis. Typhoid vaccine was only recommended, but I would advise to discuss this with your doctor before hand. He would certainly recommend taking treatment against malaria.

Was it difficult to adapt yourself to a way of leaving with lack of comfort and so different from what you are used to in Europe?

It was not so difficult for me to adapt myself as I had already travelled to Mali a few years before and knew more or less what to expect. Senegalese have a gift for hospitality and made us feel very comfortable. This new way of life is of course quite different of what we know in Europe, but we surely get easily used to shower uisng a bucket of water.

What was the material you brought used for?

The material has been given as school supplies. We came with about a ton of materials. All teachers had collected materials to bring as much school’s equipment as possible for the classes. Books and pens are very expensive and only a few families can afford them. The students write most of the time on slate. We also brought sport equipment, which is almost nonexistent in schools.

What should someone who wants to do a similar experience expect?

Before thinking about this type of experience, I think that it is important to be well documented about the country, to know about the living conditions of the people and not be surprised by their lack of comfort. One should know about local traditions and way of living to avoid hurting people because of wrong behavior. Besides, one should take the time to observe people and let them helping you discover their country.

What memories do you retain from this experience?

The experience has been full of learning whether personal or professional. From professional viewpoint, I will remember the exchanges we had with the teachers. We have compared our teaching methods and shared our knowledge. But most important, it made me realized that teaching could be done with very few teaching aids or equipment. Once back in France, I have decided to use the black board in many occasions (in addition it saves some paper) and have emphasized on oral teaching.
These experiences have also helped me thinking about what is important in life and take things easier. It made me realize that we can have little and be happy.

Would you do it again?

I would definitely do it again.

[Interview done by THIERRY DIME BOLLA]

If we check the latest report from Eurostat, the economy of 16 European countries belonging to the euro area has shrunk by 1.6% during the last three months compared to the previous quarter, increasing the number of unemployed within the EU. Unemployed people today represent 8.5% of the total labor force of the member countries of the euro area. It is expected that the unemployment rate will raise to a 2-digit number in the coming months, – when countries such as Germany will give up their form of “technical unemployment” to impose mass layoffs.

However, despite this gloomy economic situation, there are companies that manage to pull their chestnuts out of the fire by presenting positive results. This is the case of Switzernet, a company in Lausanne (Switzerland), specialized in Internet telephony (VoIP), which recently was noticed through it’s activities in developing countries. Our team was interested to know more, so we meet Mrs Sonia Gabriel, a member of the executive committee of Switzernet.

Thank you Sonia for receiving us and first of all let us emphasize the fact that a majority of companies are currently suspending their funding to NGOs but not Switzernet. What makes the strength of a company like yours?

The strength of our company is its attractive rates (if we check the data in comparis.ch, Switzernet offer the lowest rates per minute for many countries) and our easy solution letting everybody to benefit from the best of the VOIP technology just at home. Thanks to our product, one doesn’t need to know a bit about technology to be able to use it – our product is just plug and play. Additional point concerning our rates – the second by second billing and no connection fee increase the difference between our prices with those of other VOIP services providers. Our main goal is to provide the best possible rate for each destination. Most of our customers are just happy to pay their bills – as it’s always lower then they’d expect…

We had some technical issues during the year 2007 because of improper configuration with one of our suppliers. This caused malfunctioning in the network, which affected the quality of connection of some of our customers. We have since resolved the problem and are now satisfied with the quality of service we offer. This was confirmed by the test during the program “On en parle”, Radio Suisse Romande.

We found out recently that Switzernet supports development projects in developing countries especially in the education sector, – why this commitment from your company?

Education is the main factor for the development of a nation. A good education provides talents, and teachers are the key to this education. Supporting education is supporting tomorrow’s society.

Will Switzernet always be alongside NGOs?

Considering the growth of our business in past months and – I hope – in the future, there is no reason to give it up. I think our customers are happy to know that they are indirectly involved in such actions.

To conclude, can you tell me if Switzernet will further reduce the phone bill of Swiss households?

We are already the first in pricing thanks to our rates and our goal is to stay first. For the rest, – we offer the best possible rates with a perfect service. Surely not everything is perfect, but we are working on it. In February we went from 6 to 12 free destinations and we have reduced the tariffs in many countries such as Italy, Belgium, China, Cameroon etc…. Currently, Switzernet checks the possibility of reducing tariffs for calls to other countries. This of course will make Swiss households happy (laughs …).

Sonia thank you for your availability.

A friend told me that as a child, she used to draw on a sheet of paper a keyboard with white and black keys. She would then sing while playing her imaginary piano. Today, she is a pianist. I also remember having had a young neighbor whose main activity consisted of pulling pieces of wood with a miniaturized tractor. He would painstakingly spend hours on that toy, where he had chained 10 centimeters long small contacts. Today, he enjoys the ownership of a lumberjack company.

These two stories highlight two different tracks, and each case shows an early interest for a know-how, an activity. That interest has been and remains for them as well as for each human being the required motivation to move forwards in the life. Today, they have more than a job: they practice an activity they have chosen, and which yields a well-being and equilibrium great satisfaction. In fact, early passions are often the best foundation for the future.

Curiosity, this amazement faculty, is characteristic of almost all young children. They bite into the world with their eyes, their hands. A poster in the street, dead leaves, a bird: they carefully observe everything with vested interest. Such a frame of mind should not be exclusive to children, because curiosity, the desire to learn, to do, to undertake, to explore reflects human nature. Yet, keeping or not that frame of mind depends a great deal on people in charge of our education. Those people can be roughly classified into two broad categories: some who enliven the flame and others who, on the contrary, smother it.

Our two characters were lucky to be educated by people who, somehow, enliven their early flame. Their early passion was constantly encouraged through words, appropriate attitude as well as acts. Actually, an uncle had rented a piece of land for a season for tree falling with the lumberjack to-be. In the same vein, a lady in the village had offered our musician to-be her first piano lessons.

Many families would have undermined the boy’s passion. So much more would have preferred a “real job” for their daughter, as they would have considered her passion for the piano as short-lived. The simplest negative attitude can be enough to put off the flame. Therefore, education is about being able to cheer choices which do not necessarily meet ours, however without accepting any children’s whims.

In a certain way we are educated and we educate everywhere and at every moment. A destiny can be definitely influenced even by shortest meetings. This is why every time we are with others in general and with youngsters in particular, we should always enliven that flame…and never, never smother it.

23 April is a symbolic date for world literature for on this date, Shakespeare died. It was a natural choice for UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.

Historically books have been the most powerful factor in the dissemination of knowledge and the most effective means of preserving it. Consequently, all moves to promote their dissemination will serve not only greatly to enlighten all those who have access to them, but also to develop fuller collective awareness of cultural traditions throughout the world. Therefore, UNESCO has proclaimed 23 April of every year ‘World Book and Copyright Day’.

Books are a fundamental means of access to knowledge of values, wisdom, aesthetic sense and human imagination. As vectors of creation, information and education, they allow every culture to print their essential features and to see the identity of others. As a window on the diversity of cultures and a bridge between civilizations, beyond time and space, books are a source of dialogue, a means of exchange and a source of development.

Promoting this day will make people aware of phenomena such as illiteracy or analphabetism. These phenomena, which also exist in developed countries (According to the Federal Office of the Swiss statistics, 16% of the population between 16 to 65 years old are incapable of reading and understanding a simple text) are very recurrent in undeveloped countries. Analphabetism keeps people not only from participating actively in the socio-political life of the nation, but also limits their individual development. This is why it is more than ever necessary to support any action to reduce analphabetism and help the development of Men.