EAA Foundation and partners bring education to 1.2 million children affected by Syrian crisis
Together, EAA Foundation, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNRWA and the Qatar Fund For Development, have committed more than $60 million in funding over seven years to enable out of school children affected by the Syrian crisis into quality education.
In a drive to reach the most marginalised, the extended programme will enrol out of school children living in refugee camps, besieged and hard-to-reach areas where security concerns prevent them from attending formal schools. Through a comprehensive self-study curriculum, children will continue their education at home or in Community Learning Centres (CLCs), in safe learning environments.
Inside Syria and in refugee-hosting countries, almost 12 million Syrian children require humanitarian assistance – up from half a million in 2012, according to latest UNICEF reports. Additionally, an estimated two million children who live in hard-to-reach or besieged areas in Syria have received limited humanitarian assistance over the years (UNICEF, Decades of progress for children at risk across Middle East and North Africa).
Barron Segar, UNICEF USA Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, said:
“Education is one of the greatest catalyst to transform the lives of the children of Syria. Getting kids affected by crisis back to learning is critical to restore a sense of normalcy to their lives and give them hope for a better future. UNICEF is a global leader in delivering education programs to children in emergencies. Through our partnership with EAA Foundation, we look forward to continuing our work to help a generation of Syrian children realize their full potential.”
The Qatar Fund For Development emphasised that education enjoys the largest share of the Fund’s support, in line with the State of Qatar’s foreign aid priorities. The Director of the Qatar Fund For Development, His Excellency Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, said:
“Investing in education is crucial and essential to addressing extreme poverty and building safe and sustainable societies. It is important that children who live in areas suffering from armed conflict and insecurity are protected, and that they shouldn’t lose the opportunity to go to school and dream of a better future.”
Dr Mary Joy Pigozzi, Executive Director of EAA Foundation’s Educate A Child programme, said:
“By enabling the most marginalised out of school children affected by the crisis in Syria into education, we are investing in the future of the country. Quality education is the driver of human development. It is fundamental to reducing inequality, promoting well-being and building lasting peace and security.
“Urgent action is required to stem the growing number of children who find themselves out of school. No child should be left without an education. It is only through strong partnerships between governments, organisations and local communities that we will realise the U. N’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”
Worldwide, 121 million children and adolescents are out of primary and lower secondary education and progress towards reducing this number has stagnated since 2007 (Global Partnership for Education, Out of School Children).
As part of EAA Foundation’s commitment to enabling 10 million out of school children into quality education, two further partnership agreements have been signed:
- EAA Foundation and UNESCO have partnered in Pakistan to reach 100,000 out of school children:
- Working with the Government of Pakistan the partnership will provide school improvement plans, build government capacity and carryout community outreach;
- 14 remote districts across the country with low primary school enrolment rates will receive support to enrol children, prevent dropout and improve school facilities.
- EAA Foundation and RISE International will provide access to education for 24,000 out of school children in Angola with a $2 million financing contribution from ExxonMobil.
- The partnership will construct 25 new schools and provide access to education for vulnerable and marginalized children who have been impacted by years of war, poverty, and a lack of basic infrastructure and social services;
- Through partnerships with local government and officials from the Ministry of Education, the project will also be able to provide essential materials, such as desks, chalkboards and textbooks, as well as hire school teachers.
