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Muhammad, 15

When the harsh sun beats down on 15-year old Muhammad, he feels like his body is on fire. Smoking rubbish eats at his plastic flip-flops as he scavenges through a dump in a gated compound in Nigeria. Instead of going to school, Muhammad sifts through the smouldering heap for items he can sell.

After two or three days of this painstaking work, Muhammad collects enough to sell for the equivalent of less than one Australian dollar.

But he doesn't sell everything he finds. "I'm always impressed with photos of children in school or playing football," he explains. Muhammad used to be one of those children. Then Boko Haram's violence forced his family to flee their homes and made him one of 75 million children globally whose education has been disrupted by crisis.

"I used to dream that I could be a soldier, or something like that. But now I'm not in school, so I don't know what I could be in the future."

Help children break out of labour

UNICEF tackles the causes of child labour by protecting vulnerable children through conflict and natural disaster, helping keep children safe in school and by supporting families to break out of poverty. Monthly support from our Global Parents allows UNICEF to help children out of labour and exploitation by:

Helping parents afford to send their children to school. In Burkina Faso, a UNICEF-supported education project helped 15,000 child workers like Boureima leave dangerous jobs in gold mines.

Keeping children safe at home after emergencies. After the Nepal earthquakes, UNICEF worked with the government to help 9,000 children trapped in child labour get safely back home to their families.

Strengthening government laws and policies to protect children from child labour. In Bolivia, UNICEF helped set a minimum age for employment.

You can support this and all of UNICEF's work to protect the rights of children by becoming a Global Parent today. Your monthly gifts will help to protect children from child labour and exploitation, and to deliver lifesaving water, health and nutrition supplies wherever the need is greatest.

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Meet the children whose first jobs will impact their lives forever

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When the harsh sun beats down on 15-year old Muhammad, he feels like his body is on fire. Smoking rubbish eats at his plastic flip-flops as he scavenges through a dump in a gated compound in Nigeria. Instead of going to school, Muhammad sifts through the smouldering heap for items he can sell.

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The needle hums, fingers fly, and piles of cloth are stitched together at record speed. "Sixty pockets an hour," says Bithi, the 15-year-old behind the sewing machine.

Squished inside a second-story room in Dhaka, Bangladesh, flanked by 20 other women, the girl hunches over her machine, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights. She is making pockets for blue jeans - one of thousands of child workers in Bangladesh piecing together designer clothing she'll never be able to afford herself.

Abject poverty and a sick father forced Bithi's family to send the two oldest daughters to the garment factories to sew designer clothes that will be sold in shops in Canada, the United States, and other affluent countries.

"The first day, I felt bad," Bithi remembers. "I was too small. I was surrounded by other older people. That first day, I cried."

But that was three years ago, when Bithi was 12. Now, it's routine; no more tears. Every day, Bithi helps create a minimum of 480 pairs of pants, for about $1 in wages.

Child laborer to child bride

According to Bithi's mother, Feroza, the girl's future is an arranged marriage. Her mother already has a man in mind: Bithi's work supervisor, a man eight years older who comes from a well-off family. He's expressed interest, Bithi's mother says.

Feroza is unapologetic about starting her two oldest daughters in garment factories before they were even teenagers.

"There was no food, not even rice," she says, sitting inside the family's one-room home, where all eight family members sleep. "I cry when I remember those days. I thought it's better for us to die than not to have food."

At that time, Feroza's husband was bedridden. He couldn't work, and the family was in crisis. For a year and a half, Feroza juggled domestic work, raised the six children, and ran a bag-making business. Still, ends wouldn't meet. Food was begged for and borrowed from charitable family members and neighbors. There were nights when the children cried from hunger.

So she did what her parents did to her when they arrived in Dhaka decades ago: Feroza sent her oldest daughter, Doli, to work in a garment factory at 12.

"Before I started dreaming about the future, I started working," says Doli, now 19.

And when Bithi was 12, she, too, was sent to work in a factory.

"As a mother, I feel sad," Feroza says, "but I still have to be realistic."

A lost dream

Bithi used to attend a nonformal primary education school, part of the World Vision project assisting children living on the streets in Dhaka - serving child workers and other children who aren't in school. Bithi attended the center daily on her way home from work and called it the highlight of her day, but she doesn't attend anymore.

"There are lots of children who want to come back from child labor, but they don't have any hope," says World Vision child protection officer Lima Hanna Daring."They didn't get a primary education, they can't get into secondary school, and their family relies on the income."

Now, when Bithi sees other girls her age in their blue-and-white checkered school uniforms, it's painful. "My heart breaks," she says. She also once had a dream for the future - to be a doctor - but she's given up on that.

"Now, I just dream of standing on my own feet."

Under Lima's leadership, World Vision is beginning a new three-year project in Dhaka that will provide child workers ages 6 to 14 with informal education as a pathway to returning to regular school. For children ages 15 to 18, like Bithi, the program will help them to develop new job skills so they can have a better income and working conditions.

How to help end child labor

Join us in praying for children vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Donate to help prevent child labor and exploitation. Your gift will help provide better economic opportunities for families so that their children can get out of work and into school. It will also help advocate for better safeguards against child labor, create children's groups to connect children and community members who care for them, and more.

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A look at child labor inside a garment factory in Bangladesh

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The needle hums, fingers fly, and piles of cloth are stitched together at record speed. "Sixty pockets an hour," says Bithi, the 15-year-old behind the sewing machine. Squished inside a second-story room in Dhaka, Bangladesh, flanked by 20 other women, the girl hunches over her machine, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights.

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Newsela | Cornelia Fort, a pilot during World War II

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Cornelia Fort's love of flying led her to become a pilot in the U.S. military, and ultimately become the first American woman to die while on active duty.

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Through fires and hurricanes, through lethal heat waves and flash floods, the world seems to be ending - or at least, that's what it feels like.

All around us, we're seeing the effects of climate change. Wildfires are raging through the West. Much of southeast Louisiana was flattened by Hurricane Ida, and parts of New York and New Jersey are digging out from disastrous flooding.

And if it seems like natural disasters are happening more and more often, that's because they are: Climate change has helped drive a fivefold increase in the number of weather-related disasters in the last 50 years. Climate change means disasters are happening simultaneously, too.

These disasters are getting more severe, too. Weather records are being broken thanks to climate change turning previously impossible occurrences into startling realities.

As a result, many people are dealing with what's commonly referred to as "eco grief," a type of mental exhaustion that stems from accepting the harsh realities of climate change and feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. Added to that is "disaster fatigue," another type of emotional tiredness that comes from dealing with an abundance of bad news and steadily occurring crises - like near-constant headlines of devastating disasters.

Jeffrey Garcia, an engineer living in Glen Burnie, Md., has grown up with an awareness of ecological problems thanks to a childhood spent in Albuquerque, N.M., where drought is a persistent specter, he said. Today, he, like many others, is still troubled by what he sees as "cascading issues" and while he understands the nuance - the world isn't going to immediately burn down - there's still a persistent sense of dread, he explained to NPR. One that he tries to combat with knowledge and action.

"The voice of anxiety feeds on exaggeration and hyperbole. And while it is easy to feel that flash of fear ... there's over 7 billion people on this planet that all have a vested interest in [the worst] not happening," he said.

Still,the instability of that future has led Garcia and his wife to reconsider whether to have children.

It's a sentiment that he's not alone in; Katie Oran, a 25-year-old wildfire planner working in Sacramento, Calif., feels much the same way.

"I think almost every single one of my friends, none of us want to have children," Oran said. "Just because thinking about bringing children into an uncertain future doesn't necessarily seem fair. We talk a lot about where we should move, where is safe ... I don't really know if anywhere is safe [though]."

The string of disasters is making us anxious

If you're worried about the environment, you aren't alone. A poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association last year showed that nearly 70% of adults in the country are at least somewhat anxious about what climate change will do to the planet, and slightly more than half are worried about what toll that will take on their mental health.

"We are burned out and our resilience is really down," Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist, author and environmental activist, told NPR. "It's making us raw to all of these new challenges that we face. They're coming too fast, too furious, and too many."

An unfortunate side effect of being informed are the emotions, like helplessness, that come alongside that knowledge. Some, like members of a climate change support group in Salt Lake City, deal with those feelings by banding together. But it's harder for people like Oran, whose jobs give them a front-row seat to the worst of what's happening to the planet.

It's scary, Oran said, not knowing exactly what will come next.

"There's a lot of unknowns about how already-occurring natural disasters will get worse, whether it's flooding or hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, and so I think that with the unknowns and uncertainty, it's difficult to plan for the future,"she said. "And I think that we can work as hard as we can to retrofit homes and to build with non-combustible materials and to create defensible space around homes. But fire will come."

Taking action may be the answer - not just for the planet but for your mind

Worsening mental health amid ongoing disasters is something that's on the radar for mental health providers, too, Van Susteren says.

"We know that if we don't tend to what people are feeling, that they will turn inward on this and they will find themselves increasingly alone and under siege themselves internally," she said. "I've said as bad as the storms are outside, the storms inside are even worse."

The effects of climate change that we're seeing are already mentally draining (and for many who live in affected areas, directly damaging), but unfortunately, experiencing these natural disasters amid an ongoing global pandemic is exacerbating the situation. As Van Susteren explained, "The pandemic has made us more raw."

As with any mental health problem, seeking professional support is encouraged whenever possible. Thankfully, there are therapists who specialize in climate anxiety, who can be found on directories - like this one - listing "climate-aware" mental health professionals.

Another solution? Action, however small, is a good way to start. Van Susteren suggests focusing on the three P's: personal, professional and political. Reflecting on what you can do personally to combat climate change can mean examining your own carbon footprint and ways to lessen it. Professionally, you can connect with those you work with to raise awareness and make changes at your workplace. And finally, there's always work to be done politically.

"That means that we're all now charged with being enlightened citizens who can change leadership," Susteren explained. "Someone wise once said when the people lead, the leaders will follow. We need to make sure that elected officials who understand what we're up against are writing policy that reflects it."

Even in the midst of what feels like a burning world, there's always something you can do.

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Climate Change Is Making Natural Disasters Worse - Along With Our Mental Health

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With so many disasters happening so frequently, many people are feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. Reflecting on what you can do personally to combat climate change may help, a psychiatrist says.

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subscribe to Short Wave podcast

Smoke filled the Hawaiian night sky on Sunday, glowing a bright red - signaling the eruption of the world's largest active volcano.

Mauna Loa, which means "long mountain" in Hawaiian, erupted at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. It had been showing signs of unrest since September, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The federal agency designated the volcano alert level as "warning," meaning "hazardous eruption is imminent, underway or suspected."

As of Monday morning there had been no calls for evacuation. The mayor of Hawaii County, Mitch Roth, said the eruption does not appear to be threatening any downslope communities. But as a precaution, the Hawaii government opened shelters for those who chose to evacuate at the Old Kona Airport in Kailua-Kona and Ka'u gym in Pahala.

Mauna Loa is taller than Mount Everest

Mauna Loa is one of 15 volcanoes located in the eight main Hawaiian islands. It makes up roughly 51% of the island of Hawaii, according to the U.S. National Park Service. From the bottom of the sea, it stands 30,000 feet - more than 1,000 feet taller than the height of Mount Everest. Much of Mauna Loa is underwater, with only roughly 13,000 feet of it rising above sea level.

The volcano's earliest lava flows can be traced back to between 600,000 and a million years ago. Scientists estimate that the Mauna Loa likely emerged above sea level about 300,000 years ago and has been rapidly growing ever since.

The eruption ends Mauna Loa's longest recorded quiet period

Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since written records of eruptions began in 1843. The last one took place in March 1984 and lasted three weeks. Lava advanced within five miles of Hilo, the largest city on the archipelago's big island.

Among the destructive eruptions, was one that occurred in the spring of 1868, when 4,000 acres of land were destroyed and 77 residents died in landslides and a tsunami and landslides spurred by earthquakes. The lava flow spanned five days, and the eruption is considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in Hawaiian history.

Mauna Loa lava flow can change rapidly

As of Monday morning local time, the lava appeared to be contained and showed no signs of exiting the summit. But Mauna Loa eruptions have a history of being dynamic and the flow of its lava can change rapidly in its early stages.

Mauna Loa also tends to erupt lava at a very high rate, which can be particularly dangerous when it descends the volcano's steep slopes. It can produce "fast-moving and long-travelled lava flows" which require a "quick response," the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There is also a risk that winds may carry volcanic gas and fine ash downwind to the nearby communities.

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Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's biggest active volcano, erupts after 38 years

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subscribe to Short Wave podcast Smoke filled the Hawaiian night sky on Sunday, glowing a bright red - signaling the eruption of the world's largest active volcano. Mauna Loa, which means "long mountain" in Hawaiian, erupted at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

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DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Away from the roaring noise, lights and fireworks of World Cup games, there's a safe space for fans who might get overwhelmed in a stadium environment.

The "sensory rooms," at three stadiums in Qatar, provide a calm refuge for children and young adults with autism, learning difficulties or other sensory access requirements.

Located at the stadium skyboxes at the Al Bayt, Education City and Lusail stadiums, the rooms feature soft furnishings, noise cancelling headphones and interactive tools and toys to help children cope with the loud atmosphere and allow them to alleviate anxiety and enjoy the unique experience of a World Cup game.

"Having a space like this is a respite. It's like a warm hug," said Raana Smith, co-founder of Sensory Souk, a Doha-based company that staffs the sensory rooms.

"Everybody should have the right and the opportunity to experience football," she said. "If someone has limited speech, limited mobility, that shouldn't be a barrier ever to experience something as wonderful and as crowd-pleasing."

The dimmed-lit rooms include soft cushions, soothing colorful lights and rising bubble tubes and boards mounted on walls that provide different textures to help people calm down and refocus. Fans are also provided with sensory bags that include noise-cancelling headphones, weighted lap pads and fidget toys like plastic clappers and gloves.

Large floor to ceiling windows let families keep an eye on the field. The ultimate goal is to gradually introduce fans to the game, allowing them to sit in the stands for periods at a time and then returning to the sensory room when needed, Alison Saraf, co-founder of Sensory Souk, said at the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, where the World Cup final will be played.

"In children, what we ideally want to do is ignite passion for a new sport," Saraf said. "...The aim is always really to have as many people enjoy the game outside and experiencing everything that's here."

The initiative is run by FIFA and the host country's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

Sensory rooms have also been introduced in recent years in professional sports in the United States, including at the MLS, NBA and the NFL to provide calming spaces for fans with sensory challenges.

"This is really a worldwide phenomenon as people are understanding more and more the fact that they need to broaden the appeal of sports to every single demographic," said Dr. Julian Maha, co-founder of KultureCity, a U.S.-based organization that has helped sports teams across the U.S. with programs for visitors with a range of sensory issues, including people who have autism.

"Because of their sensory issues, where going to a large-scale sporting event like a stadium cannot only be overwhelming but physically painful because of the crowds, the noise, the smells, a lot of these individuals tend to withdraw from the community and don't engage," Maha said.

By providing sensory rooms, he said, the World Cup is "opening up the game to really a ton more people, people who have largely been demarginalized and not included, and giving them the opportunity to reengage and become part of the community again and enjoy all the things that we as neurotypical individuals take for granted."

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Stadium sensory rooms allow fans World Cup games experience

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DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Away from the roaring noise, lights and fireworks of World Cup games, there's a safe space for fans who might get overwhelmed in a stadium environment. The "sensory rooms," at three stadiums in Qatar, provide a calm refuge for children and young adults with autism, learning difficulties or other sensory access requirements.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela | After enduring insults and threats, Iranian soccer team exits World Cup tournament

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Iran's national soccer team played their World Cup matches under great pressure from all sides of the political and social spectrum, and lost to the U.S. team, 1-0.