by Nuzhat Shahzadi, Chief of UNICEF Field Office & UN Joint Presence, Kiribati
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| The ocean is too close |
Maria* is 13 and lives in Temwaiku village, Tarawa Island, in the Pacific country of Kiribati. She attends the Junior Secondary School and likes learning new things. The afternoons are hot and as the breeze from the ocean breaks the stillness in the air she usually comes out of the tiny Buia which she shares with her family. She walks around on the road with her friend Maki*- they giggle and share stories of the day in school, the happenings in the village…There are no playgrounds in Temwaiku. In most places the island is too narrow and all available land is needed for houses, schools, churches, cemetery, stores, clinics, etc.
