In many poor families, the children go to work, not to school.

These children, especially the girls, are exposed to all kinds of dangers when they go out into the world.

Child slavery or child trafficking and the sexual abuse of children are very serious problems in such countries.

Also, the girls are often married off at a very early age.

How can we help these millions of unfortunate people? Education is the best answer to many of these problems.

Education can change the way people think and perceive things, and it can help them to raise their living standards.

Unicef is working hard to help these people.

As Hong Kong citizens, we enjoy a high living standard, good education and equal opportunities.

We should treasure what we have, and if we can help others, we should do so.

Wing Chong

Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School

Life with father

There are many things about my father that I do not like. What am I to do?

When someone in the family breaks something, he scolds us loudly, but if he breaks anything he says nothing.

When we have a problem with the neighbours, it is my mother who comes out and gets involved.

My father just sits in his chair and watches TV.

When my father gets a cold, he never wears a face mask. He doesn't think about our health.

My father does not like it when my mother plays mahjong. But he does not talk to her when he is watching TV.

I often wonder whether my father loves us or not. If he loves us, he wouldn't do the above-mentioned things.

How can I forgive my dad?

Grace Siu

Time to consider

A French magazine recently published some interesting statistics about the average time a person spends on various activities in his or her lifetime.

'Standing, 30 years; sleeping, 23 years; sitting, 17 years; walking, 16 years; running, 1 year and 75 days; eating, 7 years; watching TV, 6 years', and so on.

These statistics were given in a light-hearted way, so we cannot take them too seriously.

But they do raise our awareness of how we spend our time.

We should be as careful with our time as we are with our money. We must use our limited time wisely.

Kwan Hin-ching

Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College

Down with bullies

Bullying in schools has been growing in recent years. Some people think this is the result of violent videos and computer games.

The wrong kind of videos and computer games can affect teen behaviour.

Because they see violence all the time on the screen, young people think violent behaviour is justified. Parents should make sure their children are not exposed to such harmful forms of entertainment.

We should also stop bullies. If students continue to bully others, they will cause serious social problems.

Lee Chin-man

Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Kwai Chung)

Smiles make smiles

People who seldom smile are not popular. This is because they give a negative impression. We avoid glum or serious-looking people because we do not want to be affected by their negative sentiments, too.

Meanwhile, people who are smiling are popular. They look optimistic and friendly and accommodating.

You feel like stopping and talking to them.

The look on our faces and the impression we give others is of great importance.

The secret of being popular is to keep on smiling and being polite.

Rita Ng Wing-tung

Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College

Mission English

English is the international language, so we should concentrate on raising our English standard.

One good way to improve your English is to study an English translation of a story or article written in Chinese. This way, you can compare passages and get the meaning of a sentence. Read the English first, and if you don't understand something, refer to the Chinese.

Another way to improve your English is to observe the world around you, out on the streets and in public places. There is a lot of English out there to be learned. You can look at English signs and notices, and pay attention to the English being spoken around you.

Ho Wing-sum

SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School

Sheer exercise variety

Every weekend our family goes to the clubhouse to do exercise, such as playing badminton. After exercising, we feel relaxed, comfortable and happy.

Some people say they have 'no time' for exercise. Such people are just looking for an excuse not to exercise.

Exercise can be enjoyed in many different and enjoyable ways.

We can go swimming, running, cycling and hiking, or we can join a gym.

Sandy Liu

Pooi To Middle School

Think before you eat

Hong Kong people continue to waste food. You see this shocking waste in restaurants, fast food shops and hotels. People should think before they buy food or order lunch and dinner.

Millions of poor people all over the world don't have enough food to eat. Millions are dying of starvation.

We Hong Kong people enjoy a good, well-developed environment. We should all think hard about our eating habits and lifestyles.

Liu Sin-ying

Real soccer gold

Soccer, or football, is especially popular in Europe. Most of the famous soccer teams are based in Europe.

You find soccer fans everywhere, and I am one of them.

My favourite soccer team is Real Madrid. I love their attack mode. Sometimes they attack from the side and sometimes from the middle.

They are also all good at personal dribbling.

The Real Madrid players are the most valuable soccer players in the world. They are worth their weight in gold.

Wong Nok-hei

SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School

The beauty of blogs

Blogs are the new channel for expressing ourselves. They are flooding the internet. We also use blogs in place of the hand-written diary.

Blogs are multipurpose and multifaceted. We can upload photos and videos and share them with our friends.

Convenience is important. Personally, I am not interested in writing blogs, because I believe in protecting my privacy.

But I still cherish the advantages that science and technology are giving the modern world.

Lam Pak-hung