50 years of achievements

The Africa Educational Trust (AET) is fifty years old in 2008. Like any man or woman celebrating their fiftieth anniversary it is a time for both celebration and reflection. A celebration of what you have achieved and a reflection on the things that you had hoped for but have yet to achieve.

For AET it is a celebration of the hundreds of thousands of the children who have had a better education in better schools with more classrooms, new books, learning materials and trained teachers, the many thousands of young men and women working because of their literacy and vocational skills, the hundreds of doctors, nurses, teachers, agriculturists and engineers serving their communities in Africa and the dozens of political leaders, ministers and public servants who have helped to plan and lead their country's development.

However fifty is also an age for reflection. For looking at what could be done, for looking at what could be done better and for addressing new problems, problems that may not have existed when you were younger.

In some parts of Africa today, such as Somalia and Southern Sudan three quarters of children still have no schools to go to. Many of those who are at school are taught outside under trees. Over 80% of adults and young adults in these countries are illiterate and 90% of teachers are untrained. Diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis continue to kill thousands, if not millions every year and there are new diseases, new problems. Fifty years ago no one had heard of HIV or Aids and diabetes was rare in Africa. In 2008 let us celebrate AET’s achievements over the past fifty years, but let us recognise that until the children and young people of Africa have the same quality of education and health and the same life chances as children and young people in the developed world AET will need to continue its work.

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