Chapter 01 : Loving others in the community

Introduction

In Standard Six, you learnt about the concept of family, different needs Of a family and acts of helping family members with special needs such as children, the elderly and people with disabilities. You also learnt to value family members contributions to the development of a family, to respect family members and to protect them from dangerous groups. In this chapter, you will learn ways of educating the society about the importance Of helping the need. You Will also learn ways Of caring for the needy The competencies gained enable you to co-operate with other community members in loving and helping the needy.

Educating the community about how to support the needy

The needy are people who lack basic needs like food. shelter, money, clothes and good health. It is important to participate in educating and motivating the community to support them. The following are the basic factors to consider in educating the community about the importance of helping the needy.

(a) Identifying different groups Of the needy in our community;

(b) Understanding different kinds Of needs for every needy group;

(c) Identifying ways of motivating the community to support the needy;

(d) Understanding ways of caring for and comforting the needy in the community

(e) Identifying kinds of services end cornfort that we can give to the needy;

(f) Understanding the importance of caring for and comforting the needy community: and;

(g) Developing strategies for identifying the needy.

Identifying different groups of the needy in the community

In our community the needy include orphans, vulnerable children, people with disabilities and the elderly. Other needy people can be the victims of famine, fire hazards, floods; communicable diseases and earthquake.

Look at Figures 1 and 2 and answer the questions that follow.

Figure 1: Supporting the elderly

Figure 2: Rescuing victims of floods

Exercise

1. What do you learn from acts shown in Figures 1 and 2?

2. Mention the needy groups found in your community.

3. What benefits would you get by helping the needy in your community?

4. Explain how you would help your fellow pupil who is in need.

Kinds of support given to the needy

Different kinds of support are given to the needy. depending on the needs of the particular group. Some of the needs are food, clothes, shelter, health services and facilities like sports gear, transport and first aid kits. Other needs include guidance and counselling, legal aid, financial and family care support. These kinds Of needs and support are given to people whenever the need arises. For example, during famine or floods the needy are given food, drugs, Clothing and Shelter_ Pupils who are affected by hazardous events may need school uniforms, exercise books and athletics and sports facilities like balls and shoes.

Likewise, the needy may also be given guidance and counselling so that they can cope with the challenges they encounter at school and at home. Legal aid is also important in providing justice to community members who are suing or sued before the court of law For example, legal aid is needed by orphans who are humiliated and denied their rights to inherit their parents' property, being subjected to child labour and lacking access to quality health and educational services. Legal aid is normally provided by legal experts who provide free services by filing and defending cases before courts in the interest of orphans.

1. Elaborate the needs Of different needy groups in the community-

2. What challenges may make you seek guidance and counselling while you are at school?

3. What is the importance Of legal assistance to the needy?

People and different societal organisations make the effort to support the needy SO as to overcome the challenges they face. The following are some Of the ways of educating community members to provide assistance to the needy.

(a) Through the use of mass media: Different kinds of mass media can be used to educate community members to support the needy They include television, newspapers and the radio, These can easily disseminate information or messages to many people. For example, through television, those supporting the needy can be seen and heard. This helps to sensitize the community about the importance of supporting the needy, The radio can broadcast different kinds of information that make people to support the needy. Similarly, the radio and television can be used to locate the needy and to motivate the community to help them.

(b) Through the use of social media networks: Social media networks refer to modes Of communication that enable groups Of people to share information. The information shared generates various discussions in the community. Through social networks the needy may be provided with new ideas or other moral and material support. Examples Of Social media networks are Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. These networks can be used to inform the community about the participation Of people or certain groups in the provision Of support to the needy People can also have discussions on the importance of helping the needy. In addition, social media networks are used to motivate people to participate in helping the needy. Through these networks, different groups or institutions can participate in supporting the needy, As a result, other people who are using different social media networks platforms may be motivated to provide support to the needy.

(c) Through debates and conferences: In debates and conferences, themes about the needy may be presented and discussed The discussion may include ways of helping the needy. Issues concerning the needy like elders, people with disabilities, orphans, widows and people who are in dangerous situations may be given priority in order to sensitize the community to help them and improve their living conditions

(d) Through posters and leaflets: Posters and leaflets can be used to deliver messages to the community on the importance of helping the needy. The messages contained in posters and leaflets last longer, hence educate the community step by step.

(e) Through door to door visitations: Visiting houses in your street is one Of the ways Of delivering messages to the society members_ This method is also used by human rights activists to help society members to know their rights. Door to door visits have three different objectives: identifying the needy, collecting aid and distributing it to the needy as well as motivating people for voluntary work aiming at helping the needy.

(f) Through seminars and public meetings: In order to disseminate information to the community on the importance Of helping the needy, the leaders Of the government and its institutions use this method to give directives and motivation to citizens on the importance of caring for the needy„

(g) Through peer group discussions: Peer groups may come together and have a discussion on ways Of supporting the needy. This is a good way because it enables age-mates to discuss issues freely due to the fact that they belong to the same age group and have common visions.

(h) Through the use of performing arts: Performing arts are important in delivering messages to the community on the importance of providing services and support to the needy. Artistic works like songs, dramas end heroic poem make it easy to convey messages intended to the audience because songs and drama are interesting.

Through voluntary groups at school: A school may have voluntary groups. The function of these groups is to motivate other pupils to help the needy voluntarily.

Exercise

1. Why do you think that the mass media are important iri educating the community on the importance Of helping the needy?

2. By using examples, explain how mass media helped you to get information about the needy and how they motivated to help them

3.Why do you think peer group discussions are effective in promoting youth'S participation in helping the needy?

4, As a future leader' write a composition explaining your plans to educate the youth on their participation in helping the needy in the community.

Serving the needy in the community

Services and comfort are vary important things to the needy because of the fact that they face various life challenges. Acts of helping the needy are associated with compassion, comfort and love. The needy have to be comforted so that they can enjoy life like other people, Normally, people get courage to face life challenges when they are given encouraging words.

Some of the services that may be given to the needy include:

(a) Legal services: These services are provided to the needy when they are facing challenges like malicious prosecution, inheritance confiscation and sexual abuse. These services help the oppressed to get their fights and comfort. Usually, legal services are provided by people or institutions with legal expertise. When a legal service is provided free of charge it is called "legal aid".

(b) Shelter: This service is provided to Victims Of disasters that destroy residences. For example, people whose houses have been demolished by f100ds during the rain season or whose houses have been burnt or roofs blown away by wind are provided with temporary accommodation. Sometimes they are given plots of land and construction materials so that they can build their new settlements.

(c) Basic health services: The needy are provided with these services in order to help them deal with the health problems they are facing. Health services may be medical equipment, drugs, medical treatment and health education.

(d) Counselling: This service is provided to a person facing a problem that needs immediate solution so that he or she attains with his or her daily life plans or dreams. The dreams or plans may be related to education, health, employment, business or agriculture, This service may also be given to a person so that he or she copes with life challenges like the loss Of parents or children , incurable diseases or parents" loss of employment.

The importance Of caring for the needy in the community

Serving and comforting the needy have the following kinds of importance:

(a) Promotion of love among people: The service provided to the needy helps to promote Eve among people. For example, a person who was involved in a car accident, a fire hazard, floods and other calamities builds good relationships with people who volunteered to rescue him or her.

(b) Promotion Of unity and solidarity: Co-operating With each other in supporting the needy promotes and maintains unity and solidarity among people in the community Co-operation brings people together

(c) Protection of human rights: Caring for the needy builds a spirit of readiness and willingness to protect human rights. For example, community members protect the rights by providing the needy With services like shelter, clothes, food and treatment in order to Sustain their lives.

(d) Maintenance of family-hood: Caring for the needy promotes and maintains family-hood in the community. When community members provide support to the needy, it promotes love, co-operation and care for others, thus making them live as family relatives.

(e) Valuing people's dignity: Supporting and comforting the needy means valuing their dignity. Examples of acts of valuing people's dignity include helping a blind pupil by holding his or her hand when he or she is going to the toilet or any dangerous place such as crossing the road.

Exercise 4

1. What kind of services are needed by the needy in your community?

2. Mention five advantages of providing services to the needy.

3. What actions do you do to Show that you value your fellow pupils?

4. Briefly explain the importance Of delivering services to the needy with kindness.

Strategies for identifying the needy

It is important to develop strategies in order to identify places where the needy are found and their specific needs. This will enable you to give them proper support. Some of the strategies include:

(a) Public meetings: Public meetings in villages and streets help in identifying the needy in the community. The meetings provide an opportunity to community members to identify the challenges the needy are facing. For example, children Who are at risk, Widows who are denied their rights to inherit property and other community members with different challenges.

(b) Conferences and religious gatherings: Many people, including the needy, attend religious gatherings. The co-operation between religious leaders and society members in conferences and religious gatherings helps to identify and support the needy. For example. there are different groups in churches and mosques that can identify the needy and help them.

(c) Mass media: The mass media identify and broadcast the challenges fading the needy. Society members also use the mass media to report information about the needy Examples of the mass media are televisionv the radio and newspapers. Through the mass media, the needy are identified and later helped, depending on their needs

(d) Co-operating with governmental and non-governmental organisations: Co-operating with these organisations is important because they deal with different activities in the society Strategies for identifying the needy in the community involve institutions like schools, dispensaries, local government offices and religious institutions. These institutions have adequate information about community members, including the needy; thus, it is easy for them to identify people who are in need.

(e) Social media: These are used by society members to send and receive inforrfiätion. Thus, they can easily be used to identify and provide support to the needy. For example, through social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp, the needy can be identified and supported.

Exercise

1. What is the importance of identifying the needy in society?

2. What is the role of governmental and non-governmental organisations in supporting the needy?

3. Briefly explain how the local or village government identify the needy in your community.

4. Explain how social media networks can be used to identify the needy in your society.

Activity

In a group, prepare or private institution in your community. Perform

Vocabulary

Malicious charge : an act of oppression whereby a person is charged or accused falsely before the court of law

Exercise

1. People who have been affected by fire and floods are among the needy.

2. Television hinders immediate provision Of Support to the needy.

3. Food, clothing, health services and comfort are some of the needs of the needy.

4. Legal aid is important to the needy.

5. Songs, the radio and social media networks help to deliver messages to the society on the importance of supporting the needy.

6. TO comfort is the act Of consoling people With problems.

Part B: Choose the most correct answer and write its letters in the box provided.

7. Where can the legal services intended for the needy be obtained?

1. in human rights centres, courts and prisons
2. from lawyers, courts and human rights centres
3. in schools, police posts and health centres
4. in courts, village government offices and prisons

8. What is the importance of caring for the needy?

1. promoting love and dignity
2. maintaining brotherhood and self-promotion
3. protecting human and political rights
4. promoting dependence among the needy

9. Which methods may easily be used to educate the society on the importance of supporting the needy?

1. television, the radio and the mass media
2. seminars, public meetings and religious gatherings
3. public meetings, seminars and leaflets
4. the radio, public meetings and social media

C : Match each item from column A with its corresponding element from column B