Kezia M’Clelland focuses on Viva’s in-depth expertise around collaboration, thinking about the benefits of working together on projects and the impact it can have on changing children’s lives. Why collaborate? Collaboration is at the heart of who we are as Viva, working together for children. We know that collaboration works – it’s central to everything […]
Author: Kezia MClelland
Shelter from the storm
Viva’s growing reputation as a specialist in protecting children in emergency situations has led us to supporting partners to deliver training in Malawi and Mozambique this year following the devastation of Cyclone Idai. Kezia M’Clelland writes about the impact of this work. “After the cyclone we were very traumatised; the buildings were severely damaged and […]
Finding another way
Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are vulnerable to being exploited and forced to work. However, as Kezia M’Clelland writes, Viva and its local partner are prioritising the need for child protection and supporting them in getting an education. Refugees comprise a quarter of Lebanon’s population. This brings pressure on resources and opportunities, and Syrian families […]
Symbols of hope in Syria and Lebanon
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND It can seem on the surface that things in Syria are improving because the country is out of our mainstream news in the West. However, in fact, the situation remains very difficult and dangerous. In partnership with the Lebanon-based NGO, MERATH, we have been running three Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) inside Syria, […]
“We trust you”: the power of relationship
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND This Spring, Eastern Ghouta, 10km from the centre of Damascus, saw seven weeks of intense bombardment and destruction, in which at least 301 children lost their lives. It’s easy to feel helpless as we watch situations like this unfold and, as the fighting continues outside the headlines, it can be hard to […]
Champions!
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND The impact of equipping childcare leaders with the skills and resources to train others is hugely valuable. Kezia M’Clelland writes about how this approach is working effectively in the Middle East, in spite of ongoing instability. The risks for children living in the Middle East were starkly spelt out in February when […]
Little spaces for big change
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND “As we were leaving we became visible to terrorists and snipers started shooting at me. I was holding my son across my chest and my daughters by the hands. We were running. My son was shot. The bullet went through his shoulder to his heart… In 30 minutes I lost my son, […]
Threads of hope
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND What does hope look like, and where can we find it? I’ve come to discover that hope emerges in the most unlikely of places – even in a dusty, dangerous refugee camp – and when it does it can change everything. After nearly six years of conflict, Syria’s children continue to face […]
Making peace in Syria
The stories in the news from Syria in recent weeks and months make difficult reading; it can be hard to know how to engage with a situation which seem so difficult and almost hopeless. It is in these most difficult circumstances that Viva is partnering with three teams of young leaders who are running ‘child […]
The extraordinary everyday in Lebanon
Viva’s Kezia M’Clelland writes from Lebanon about noticing the beauty in hard places and recognising the quiet, steady ways in which refugee children’s lives are being changed – often unnoticed.