The International Day for Street Children was organized for the first time in 2011.
Louder Together
The day was launched by a London-based organization called CSC, Consortium for Street Children which aims to bring a voice for the tens of millions of children who live and work on the streets all around the world.
Why the International Day for Street Children matters is that these children, extremely vulnerable and at risk for sexual abuse, exploitation, and extreme poverty, are too often ignored in policy and programming. They live in the margins of society and face constant discrimination, not only in their communities but from policy makers.
April 12th last year marked 50 years from the date a first human, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen, first traveled to space.
Yuri Gagarin
To honor the first space flight, the United Nations declared this day the International Day of Human Space Flight.
The UN General Assembly “expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend all States the benefits derived therefrom.”
Watch footage of Gagari’s space flight from 1961 here:
Today is Easter Sunday, which for many Christian families in the Western world means a long weekend, chocolate eggs, and perhaps a nice home-made dinner.
Bunny delivering Easter eggs
For others, however, Easter is more than that. Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus three days after he was executed. It also marks the end of Lent, a forty-day fasting period. People who regularly go to church usually attend a special Easter service, which is usually more elaborate than a regular Sunday service.
Good health adds life to years! This is the theme of World Health Day 2012.
Health adds life to years
World Health Day on March 7th marks the foundation date of WHO, World’s Health Organisation, in 1948. It is a United Nations observance day, sponsored by the WHO, with a purpose of highlighting the work of WHO and reminding the public of various health-related areas of concern.
This year, the priority area of concern is ageing and health. WHO explains the theme in the following way: “Over the past century life expectancy has increased dramatically and the world will soon have more older people than children…
Today’s date marks the birthday of the Danish storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen. International Board on Books for Young People, a non-profit Swiss organization trying to get more and more young people to read, has declared this date the International Children’s Book Day.
Andersen's Little Mermaid in Copenhagen harbor
The day was first celebrated in 1967, and it annually includes writing competitions, book awards, and various events bringing authors and young readers together.
This month a handful of countries is celebrating their independence:
Senegal celebrating its independence
Georgia, April 9 – Independence from USSR
Senegal, April 4 – Independence from France
Sierra Leone, April 27 – Independence from UK
Syria, April 17 – Independence from France (also known as the Evacuation Day, for it was on April 17th when the last French soldier was evacuated from Syria)
Whether you are in Bulgaria or not, why not do as Bulgarians
do – give a “Marteniza” with a wish for good health to each of your family, friends and colleagues. The first of March has been a special holiday for Bulgarians since old times. On this day they begin exchanging white and red tassels. They’re called Martenitzy, after the month of March (Mart in Bulgarian). During this month, Bulgarians wish friends and relatives “good health” through the symbolic red and white colours. According to folklore, a healthy and beautiful Bulgarian woman is always described with white skin and red cheeks.
This is a wonderful gesture of love and good will! It’ll bring you good luck as well!
Celebrated on the second Monday in March every year, Commonwealth Day is an opportunity to promote understanding on global issues, international co-operation and the work of the Commonwealth’s organisations that aim to improve the lives of its citizens. This year, the Queen is calling for people who live in the Commonwealth to celebrate the “extraordinary cultural tapestry” of the “unique gathering of nations” of the 54 member nations.
“The Commonwealth treasures and respects this wealth of diversity.”
After huge unrest and a massive security clamp down,
Tibetan New Year will not be its usual festive self. Tibet’s exiled government has called on Tibetans not to celebrate their new year which begins on Wednesday after Chinese authorities have implemented what some experts say are unprecedented measures of control on vast swathes of ethnically Tibetan regions, following a wave of self-immolations by Buddhist monks and nuns. See statement by Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay on YouTube.
The Tibetan New year, also known as Losar, is the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar. It is normally celebrated over a period of 2 weeks and marked with ancient ceremonies that represents the struggle between good and evil, by chanting, and by passing fire torches through the crowds. This year, the exiled Government has asked that Tibetans observe instead traditional and spiritual rituals for those who have died.
There are approximately 7000 different language spoken in the world. It’s crucial to acknowledge and celebrate this spectrum, because according to studies by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) 50% of these languages will disappear in the next few generations. This is mostly due to globalisation. Currently, only a few hundred languages are used in education systems around the world, and less than a hundred languages in the digital world.
Globalization continuously threatens our array of languages. This is why, in 1999, the International Mother Language Day was first proclaimed by the UN and it’s been celebrated every year on February 22nd, since 2000. The date represents the day in 1952 when two students were shot and killed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for demonstrating for the recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the national languages of Pakistan.
International keynote speaker, Seminar Leader, Consultant
Hello, I'm Deborah Swallow and, for the last fifteen years, I've worked in over thirty countries addressing the complexities of people working internationally across multiple cultures, so individuals and organisations alike can gain an authentic competitive edge and win in international markets.
Contact me now for better international performance and increased profits
Hello, I'm Deborah Swallow and, for the last fifteen years, I've worked in over thirty countries addressing the complexities of people working internationally across multiple cultures, so individuals and organisations alike can gain an authentic competitive edge and win in international markets. 