“The Dream that Changed Everything”

At Halton Hills Christian School in suburban Ontario, Canada, philanthropy has always been an important part of education. “Service, as we call it, means looking out for the interests of others—to go outside of yourself and see the world more objectively. To not only see injustices in the world but also to do something about it,” said grade four teacher, Liz Raja.

Last year, Liz’s class read “The Breadwinner” by Canadian author Deborah Ellis. It’s an award-winning novel about loyalty, survival, families, and friendship under extraordinary circumstances during the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan. “My students were enthralled by the setting, culture, and traditions. We are a Christian school and many of the students had questions about what it was like to be Muslim. My class was struck by the great inequality between genders. They had never seen education as a privilege. Now they know that education is the single-most empowering and life-changing element of a person’s life,” Liz said.

To build on her student’s interest in the subject of education in Afghanistan, Liz introduced Pennies for Peace. “The project bloomed from there. The lesson plans gave the children a framework to better understand the issues surrounding equal access to education. The class learned about perspective-taking, which I believe is a life skill that will equip them with compassion and a sense of justice as they continue to grow and learn about the world around them,” she said.

Liz also used the Pennies for Peace videos. “When my students first watched the videos, they immediately pointed out all of the differences between ‘them and us.’ Then they were encouraged to watch the video a second time, and to focus on what makes us the same. They were quite astute at pointing out similarities: ‘she laughs with her family,’ ‘she has chores,’ ‘she has friends that she looks forward to seeing.’ And all of a sudden, the class moved from being different from these students in Central Asia, to developing a partnership of sorts: A team of children just trying to figure out what it means to grow up regardless of place, culture, and religion,” Liz said.

Focusing on the question, “How can we, as global citizens, advocate for equal access to education?” Liz’s students decided to write and publish a book. “Their goal was two-fold,” said Liz, “to sell enough books to send 200 girls to school for one year, and to make sure that the book ended up in the hands of girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan so they would know how important they are.”

“The book takes on the difficult topic of equal access to education for children around the world. In it, readers meet Emily and Amena. They live in different countries, have different lives, and speak different languages. But under all of that, they are the same – children who want to go to school,” said Liz. “My students published this book as a way to help make equal access to education more possible.”

The students sold their book a local farmer’s market to raise money for Pennies for Peace, where they were met with overwhelming support. “Customers were so impressed with my students’ ability to articulate their concerns,” Liz shared. “This is powerful learning! Never again will I underestimate the power and conviction of young minds. Social justice has gripped our classroom and I am grateful for the growth and learning it brought to my students!”

One of Liz’s students wrote in his journal, “I feel empowered because I didn’t know that I could help send a girl to school. I’m only in grade four, but I can make the world better too.”  Another wrote, “This stuff isn’t just for grown-ups. It’s for us to do, too!”

“My students learned valuable life-skills because of this program,” Liz said. They learned to put others first, to take a stand and advocate for something, to recognize that our similarities can draw us together, to be culturally sensitive, and to make goals and work towards reaching them.”

“My students left the fourth grade understanding that when it comes to people near or far, we are more alike than we are different. What a powerful sentiment!” said Liz.

Note: “The Dream that Changed Everything,” written and published by grade four students at Halton Hills Christian School, has sold over 125 copies in English, and is being published in Pashto and Urdu for students in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you would like to purchase a copy, please email Mrs. Raja at l.raja@hh-cs.org.