Cruzada por los Niños commits to education with ‘Shaka the Pangolin’ in the heart of Africa
The founder of Cruzada por los Niños, María Díaz de la Cebosa, analysed the children's story Shaka the Pangolin on Onda Madrid's programme ‘De cara al mundo’. The story tells the exciting tale of a brave pangolin who must fight to survive against poachers who threaten his species in a world facing serious environmental challenges.
Objectives of the Cruzada por los Niños Foundation, the work you are doing.
The organisation's mission is to work to support children, focusing on all children around the world, with the aim of helping them to awaken, grow and find their path to freedom, above all through education and educational support.
In addition, we take care of all the aid programmes and projects in situations such as the one currently unfolding in Ukraine, or when we started with the whole Bosnia issue. And the project that we are currently focusing on, apart from the support we have given to Ukrainian families and which we continue to provide, not just in terms of support, but in terms of helping, is in Mozambique, in a national park in Gorongosa, where we also work together with the Real Madrid Foundation.
We have a very extensive training project there. Right now, we have more than a thousand women in different villages within Gorongosa, and we are working with them in all areas, through football, values, empowerment, and also educating them.
Yes, that's what I wanted to say, you're anticipating my questions a little. It makes sense, you can tell when someone is dedicated to their work, you can feel their passion for what they do, for helping children. The comprehensive education of children is the focus of your efforts, isn't it, Ms. Díaz de la Cebosa?
We were looking, through women, of course, to also work directly with children, and through sport, you know, you put a ball down and everything changes. So that helps a lot, but our mission is that, it's education, education, which is what transforms, it's the backbone of any country. And if you get a good educated generation, there's great hope.
This year we were inspired by this wonderful animal, the pangolin, which the more you get to know it, the more you fall in love with it. It's an animal that, to be honest, is what I say in the story, isn't it? I mean, you see it and you might even feel repelled by its scales, but then you realise how cute it is, how peaceful it is, and yet it is hunted for everything those scales represent: money, because they are used in medicine. Well, I don't know if it's medicine or not in China, but what is real is that it is considered one of the most hunted animals in the world.
Shaka the Pangolin is born in the heart of Mozambique. What results has this Shaka the Pangolin initiative had so far?
The results are good in the sense that people in Gorongosa are already reading and learning to read in the villages through the story. This is very important because the characters in the story are the boy and girl who won the drawing contest. There was a contest to design the cover, to draw a pangolin, and then there were educational prizes. In other words, the two children who won the story, who won the cover and won the contest, can study for three years of secondary education.
This is extremely important because, like here, the system is public up to the fourth year of secondary school, but if you want to go on to sixth form, you have to go to a private school. This will allow them to get their secondary education and then go on to higher education or vocational training, which is very important. Regarding your question, we are starting the campaign now, the ambassador of Mozambique is going to support the project, we will make a joint presentation on 23 June in a gallery, which we will also announce, and then on Cruzada por los Niños, on the website, where you will find information on how to buy the book.
You mentioned the Real Madrid Foundation. There are other collaborators who are working to educate children. Those of us who know a little about Africa know that education is a turning point in the lives of these children.
Yes, we have been working in Africa with the Real Madrid Foundation for many years, 15 years or more, together with SIS University, which also funds and provides some of its staff for the Africa project, the International Studies Foundation, as well as other institutions that provide sporadic support.
This is a very important and relevant group of collaborators, especially because, let's insist, this is a significant project for education and solidarity that deserves all the support, education and solidarity we can give, so that our readers become aware of what is happening.
Exactly. Education is the path to possible freedom and change; otherwise, the future is very complicated.
