199 Roads to School: Part 1

Medication Routine (02:47)

In South Africa, 12-year-old Luniko gets ready for school. He is HIV positive and explains that many of the children in his town are as well. He speaks both Xhosa and English.

Long Walk to School (04:00)

Luniko wishes he could afford transportation that would take him from his front door to school, but it is too expensive. He is afraid of the crime that he has encountered. His walk to school takes over an hour.

Taking the Subway to School (02:52)

In New York City, 12-year-old Sai gets ready for school. She moved to America with her parents in search of better opportunities. She goes to a selective school for gifted children, and feels bad that many minority students do not have the same education opportunities.

New Yorker at Heart (03:17)

Sai and her family left most of their relatives in India and moved to America when she was 5-years old. During her first year of school she was bullied for being different.

World Concerns (02:37)

Sai discusses her fear of nuclear power in response to Fukushima and describes a power plant in New York City that is built on a fault line. She wants to be a neurosurgeon when she grows up, and is fascinated with the power of the brain.

Finding Transportation (04:01)

In Iraq, 12-year-old Jafer gets ready for school. After walking through the desert, he tries to catch a ride with a tourist or a local. Otherwise, he has to pay to ride the bus.

Impacted by Terrorism (03:53)

Jafer would like to become a policeman and help fight terrorism in Iraq. He wishes the politicians of his country would communicate without violence and strive for peace like other countries. He is afraid of bombs that are often used close to markets and schools.

Morning Farm Routing (03:02)

In Switzerland, 12-year-old Rebekka gets ready for school. She loves the freedom of living in the country with her family and pets. She is partially-sighted.

Bus Ride to School (02:54)

Rebekka explains that the school in her village did not want her, so she must travel to a nearby town to go to school each morning. She still has 20% of her sight, but most things are blurry and she sees in black and white.

Kindness of Strangers (03:13)

Rebekka describes the fear she had the first time she rode the train alone. She marvels at the lengths people will go to make room for her.

Andri (03:14)

In Romania, 10-year-old Andri and his 8-year old sister get ready for school. In his village, cows graze in the streets and farmers drive horse-drawn carriages.

Sibling Support (04:04)

Andri helps his sister with her homework when he can. They take classes like Romanian, math, and religion. Sometimes Andri is bullied at school.

Preparing for the Week (02:42)

In Laos, 12-year-old To gets ready for school. He goes to school for 5 days at a time, and misses his family while he is gone. He takes two different boats to begin his 2-hour journey to school.

Controlled Fires (01:51)

Now on a bus, To comes upon a forest that has been burned down to make room for a rice field. He has a friend whose house burned down because a fire spread out of control.

Friendships and School (03:42)

To finishes his journey to school by boat. To worries about money and wishes he could buy his parents a nice house. He wants to become a police officer so he can punish drug dealers.