[SCHOOL NAME] SPEAKER'S NOTES: Today we are going to talk about SOS Children's Villages UK, a non-governmental organisation (or NGO) and charity, that specialises in helping children and young people around the world.

263 MILLION children worldwide do NOT go to school. SPEAKER'S NOTES: 263 million children don't get to go to school. That's 4 times the number of people in the United Kingdom. 202 million of those children should be in secondary school, so these are children and young people the same age as you. Lots of these children – especially girls – don't go to school because they have to work, and earn money to support their family. Children from poor, less educated and marginalised families are disproportionately affected. 263 MILLION children worldwide do NOT go to school. UNESCO 2016

115 MILLION young people cannot read or write. SPEAKER'S NOTES: 115 million young people are illiterate. This usually happens because children do not go to school, or it is because their school is underfunded, overcrowded, or lacking good facilities and equipment. Without proper education, children are much more likely to grow up in poverty, without access to good jobs and proper medical care. 115 MILLION young people cannot read or write. UNESCO 2016

SOS Children's Villages UK are here to help! SPEAKER'S NOTES: SOS Children's Villages UK offers support to children and families around the world. They make sure that vulnerable children go to good schools with well-trained teachers and properly-equipped classrooms.   SOS Children's Villages UK are here to help!

WHAT does SOS Children's Villages do? SPEAKER'S NOTES: So what does SOS Children's Villages UK do to help children around the world go to school? There are three main things SOSUK does to support children's education:

1. Making sure children have a safe and secure place to live SPEAKER'S NOTES: Not having a stable home is one of the main reasons that children do not go to school, so the first thing SOSUK does is make sure the children they work with have a safe and secure place to grow up. They help children stay with their families. They do this by helping their parents develop the skills they need to find jobs, teaching them about nutrition and eating well, or providing medical care. All this helps ensure children grow up healthy and happy. SOSUK always tries to make sure children get to live safely and securely with their family. In some cases, children might not have a family, or it might not be best for them to live with their family, so SOS Children's Villages gives them a new loving home. They live with 5-7 other children, who become their new siblings, and a new SOS parent who looks after them full-time until they reach adulthood.

2. Building schools and kindergartens SPEAKER'S NOTES: Next, SOSUK looks at whether the children in the area have access to good schools. Sometimes the schools are already really good, so SOSUK helps send children to those schools, by helping pay for their books, uniform and transport. But when the schools are full, far away, or without proper teachers and equipment, SOSUK will build a school for the children in the area. They train local teachers and make sure the schools are well-equipped. At the moment, SOS Children‘s Villages runs more than 400 schools and kindergartens, teaching 126,000 children around the world. SOSUK enables children to live according to their own culture and religion; their schools do not impose any particular philosophy or religion. They work closely with local authorities and ensure that the educational facilities they provide meet local needs and serve to benefit the community in the short and long term. 2. Building schools and kindergartens

3. Providing education in emergencies SPEAKER'S NOTES: When there are emergencies (for example during a war, or a natural disaster like a hurricane) SOSUK makes sure children have child-friendly spaces set up in those areas. These are places for children to relax, play, receive medical care or psychological support, and continue to learn. During an emergency, it is easy for education to be forgotten, and these situations can last for much longer than expected. Imagine being absent from school for a term – or even a full year – think how much you would miss out on. SOSUK makes sure children in emergencies can get on with life – with games, friends, teachers, therapists and books all available to them. SOSUK helps run child-friendly spaces in emergencies all over the world. At the moment they have 30 emergency programmes worldwide. These include running child-friendly spaces in Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees, who have fled persecution in Myanmar. There are also child-friendly spaces in Haiti, a country in the Caribbean which has recently been devastated by the hurricanes and tropical storms in the area.

WHERE do you think SOS Children’s Villages works? SPEAKER'S NOTES: Where do you think SOS Children‘s Villages works today? I've just mentioned Bangladesh and Haiti as examples – but where else do you think they work? [Encourage pupils to guess where SOS Children‘s Villages might work]

125 countries & territories SPEAKER'S NOTES: The answer is – almost everywhere! Today, SOS Children‘s Villages works in 125 countries and territories around the world. Unfortunately, there are vulnerable children in every country, which means SOS has grown to support as many children and families as they possibly can, in as many countries as possible. 6 continents

HOW can we help? SPEAKER'S NOTES: How do you think we at [INSERT SCHOOL NAME] can support SOS Children's Villages UK to help children around the world go to school? [Encourage pupils to guess how they might help SOS Children's Villages UK]

Suggestions to get us started Hold a Great British Bake sale Have a non-uniform day Do a sponsored swim, cycle, or run Organise a charity football match or concert SPEAKER'S NOTES: There are lots of ways we can help support SOS Children's Villages UK! Here are a few ideas: We could hold a Great British Bake sale for students, staff and parents to enjoy. A non-uniform or dress-up day is always a good way to support charities. Sporty students can organise your own sponsored walk, run, swim, cycle – or any other sport you can think of. Or you can come up with your own brilliant ideas to help support SOS Children's Villages UK. Or come up with your own ideas...

What could we raise money for? SPEAKER'S NOTES: Here are some examples of where the money raised will go: £25 can pay for a pupil's pens, pencils, and other school supplies for a year; £40 can pay for a child's school and sports uniform for a year; £60 can pay for all the school books and textbooks for a year; Or £275 can pay for a child's education for an entire year! [Suggestion – link these figures to school size. See examples below] Examples related to school size: Schools of around 400 pupils: If everyone gave just £2 for a non-uniform day, we would almost have enough to fund a year's education for three children – in just one day! Schools of around 1000 pupils: If everyone gave just £2 right now, we would be able to fund a year's education for seven children, instantly – and have money left over! School supplies £25 School uniform & sports kit £40 School & text books £60 £275 Full year of education for one child

www.sosuk.org SPEAKER'S NOTES: So, after hearing about SOS Children’s Villages UK, do you think we should help them? [Allow for response from students] Let’s work together to give other children and young people the best possible education. www.sosuk.org