Silent kids in poverty protest

WARWICK SMITH/Manuwatu Standard

QUIET TIME: Opiki school children didn't talk all day after taking a vow of silence to protest against child poverty.

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While other kids screeched, laughed and raced around the playground, this class of Opiki school children didn't breathe a word.

Maths tests were conducted in silence. Observational drawings were sketched without a peep.

By 2.50pm, the Year 7 and 8 pupils were ready to burst and some of them still had to stay quiet for another 18 hours.

The pupils had taken a vow of silence to protest against child poverty.

Begun by Canadian-based charity Free The Children, the vow is taken to raise awareness about abused and starving children.

The Opiki kids decided they wanted to take a stand after learning that other children in the world were living and dying in awful conditions.

Kids can choose to be silent for the minimum 6 hours a school day a "medium" 12 hours, or an "extreme" 24 hours.

Just before the bell rang yesterday, the 23 children in Tony Greer's class gazed wordlessly at their teacher.

Mr Greer, who had been talking occasionally, said it had been a very surreal day.

"This morning when I walked into class it was really weird. Usually it's `hello' and a lot of banter, but it was just nothing. I was really impressed by the kids right from the start they all took it really seriously. It was a different experience, and hopefully one they will remember."

The bell rang, and friends Siobhan Pescini, 12, Lucy Drake, 11, and Natalie Rix, 12, could talk.

Staying silent was "way harder" than they expected.

"Especially at playtime and lunchtime, because all our friends were trying to make us talk," Lucy said.

"I got really frustrated, because I'm a chatterbox."

But they wanted to stay silent so people paid attention to starving children, Natalie said.

"How many children die a day is so sad."

"And seeing pictures of newborn babies being so skinny and stuff," Siobhan said.

"We needed to raise awareness for the kids who live in poverty, who don't have a voice of their own."

- © Fairfax NZ News