Here's a quick trivia question: What's the capital of Uruguay?
It's Montevideo. If you didn't answer correctly, don't feel too bad. Most people don't know much about this small South American nation, which is often overshadowed by its larger and better-known neighbors like Colombia and Argentina.
Which is why it was such a treat to have Uruguay's UNICEF Representative, Tom Bergmann-Harris, drop by last week and tell us all about the country, its children and what UNICEF is doing to help those in need.
Faced with one of the country's worst economic crises in history, Uruguay is struggling to provide their children with a good education. Many rural schools are in tatters with few books and scant schools supplies. Current school drop-out rates top 40 percent in some communities.
To turn the spotlight on this issue, the creative staff at UNICEF in Uruguay grabbed the media's attention this past winter by organizing a cross-country horseback trek to visit rural schools. Why on horseback? Because it's the traditional way many countryside children travel to school in Uruguay.
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| © UNICEF Uruguay/Valerie Booth and Agustin Martinez |
| The UNICEF Horseback team rode 620 miles across Uruguay this past winter, receiving a lot of press coverage. |
Bergmann-Harris and a team of riders traveled to 27 schools, met with reporters and delivered mobile libraries filled with books. The 620-mile trip generated news stories, general public interest and a commitment by government representatives to achieve new educational goals.
What other creative approaches do you think UNICEF should take to put child survival at the forefront?
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| © UNICEF Uruguay/Valerie Booth and Agustin Martinez |
| Along each stop, the team delivered 35 mobile libraries to schools, which were filled with books for young children, teens and adults. Above, UNICEF Uruguay Representative Tom Bergmann-Harris presents a mobile library to students. |
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| © UNICEF Uruguay/Valerie Booth and Agustin Martinez |
| "I had never in my life seen students so excited," Bergmann-Harris said. "They were thrilled that we had come to visit them." |
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| © UNICEF Uruguay/Valerie Booth and Agustin Martinez |
| The trip ended in Montevideo with UNICEF, government representatives and non-governmental organizations signing a pledge to achieve new children's rights and education goals. |