One child can make a difference

With their enthusiasm to learn and motivation to improve their lives, children are often the best 'agents for change' in any community. This is particularly true in inspiring their friends.

Meet Reald and family
Thirteen year-old Reald lives with his mother and elder brother in Albania. After his father died in an accident when Reald was three, his mother struggled to keep the family together with little income or support. Today she works as a cleaner in Reald’s school.

With his brother studying in another city, Reald does what he can to help his mother in the home. Sometimes his friends tease him for doing 'girls work', but he doesn’t mind. In fact, his family’s circumstances mean that he has grown up quickly. He can, for example, cook for himself, as he did when his mother was taking part in a Plan training course on communications. Despite the long hours of work, she is one of Plan's most active volunteers in her community and her enthusiasm has rubbed off on her youngest son.

Active in the community

Reald is a very active child, with smiling eyes and a mature approach. Intent on gaining more knowledge and bringing about changes and improvements in his community, he was the first student to join the Plan-supported health club. This inspired him to work together with other children to organise an exhibition in the village to raise awareness of the risk of different diseases. This vital information can save lives in an area where poor hygienic conditions lead to far too many cases of diarrhoea and similar diseases.

Reald is always on the look-out for more that he could do to help others. He worked with the children in the local kindergarten, for example, to design and plan a playground.

Now in 7^th grade, Reald knows exactly what he wants to be when he grows up: a teacher. He wants to teach the new generation of his village.

Children can build a brighter future

By giving children the information they need to change their own habits and build their own awareness, Plan inspires them to share that knowledge with their friends and families. This can be a hugely successful way to spreading information about health and hygiene. Simply encouraging other children to wash their hands, for example, can make a real difference to the spread of disease.

And experience has shown us that each success can inspire children to want to do more to improve their own, and each other’s, lives.