EAA PUSHES TO MAKE “BACK TO SCHOOL” AN OPTION FOR OUT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE WORLD

EDUCATE A CHILD WORKING WITH PARTNERS IN MORE THAN 30 COUNTRIES TO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS TO ADDRESS THE GAP IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

The school year in Qatar is back in full-throttle with nearly 250,000 students returning to classes this month. And, while students in Qatar can expect a safe, protected place to learn, that is not the case for many of the 58 million children worldwide who lack access to education, many of whom are in neighboring countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

Nearly half a million children in Gaza have been affected by the delay of the new school year, due to the need to rehabilitate schools which were used as shelters during the conflict. According to recent UN reports, twenty-two schools were completely destroyed and 118 schools damaged by conflict (OCHAOPT, September 2014).

Educate A Child (EAC), a global programme of Education Above All Foundation, is dedicated to supporting the fundamental right to education. Founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, EAC has identified eight universal barriers that are hindering access to education around the world. By collaborating with strategic international partners such as UNRWA, UNICEF and UNESCO, EAC aims to address these barriers via co-funded projects to aid children who are denied their basic right to primary education.

“Education Above All, is working to address a barrier of particular importance in the Middle East – conflict and insecurity. With the support of our partners, we are supporting the creation of safe educational environments. In Syria, Iraq, in order to put children back into the classrooms, which are often the only safe spaces in their lives,” said Marcio Barbosa, CEO of Education Above All Foundation.

The ongoing conflicts in the region have created more poverty, decreased resources and damaged infrastructure, which have been identified as significant hurdles to accessing education.

According to UNHCR, an estimated 10,000 Syrian refugees, and more than 1,400 children in the Za’atari camp in Jordan, were registered at the end of 2013.  Such children often have no access to education in their host country and classify as one of the main groups that are not receiving educational aid.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education created Educate A child, a global programme in 2012, dedicated to providing access to quality education to 10 million out of school children by 2015/16. After just over a year, Educate A Child, through its implementing partners, has contributed to access for more than two million out of school children.

17/09/2014