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World Refugee Day: Helping Children Rewrite the Future in War Zones
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| The Power of Education (watch slideshow) |
Washington, DC (June 20, 2007) — To mark World Refugee Day — and the unmet need of educating millions of children in conflict-affected countries — Save the Children today is convening a panel of experts on Capitol Hill to discuss the continued use of child soldiers in areas of conflict and the role of education in helping protect children from recruitment into armed groups and giving them a chance for a better future.
At the panel, feature speakers include:
Benjamin Ajak, former Sudanese lost boy and co-author of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, his personal story of fleeing war in Sudan, going to school in Kenya and finally finding a new home in America.
Gabriel Oling-Olang, Save the Children child protection expert from Northern Uganda, who is currently working to reintegrate former child soldiers back into their communities.
Emily Vargas-Baron, former USAID administrator and editor of From Bullets to Blackboards: Education for Peace in Latin America and Asia.
Neil Boothby, Columbia University Professor in Forced Migration who has worked for more than 20 years on the effects of violence and conflict on children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Peter Singer, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute and author of Children at War
The Capitol Hill panel discussion is part of Save the Children’s Rewrite the Future campaign — a global effort that seeks to address the needs of millions of children who live in conflict-affected areas and are unable to go to school. Among 77 million children currently not attending school, more than half — 39 million — live in countries impacted by war and conflict.
On Thursday Save the Children supporters will meet with members of Congress and their staffs to urge passage of the recently introduced Education for All Act that offers a roadmap of comprehensive solutions to protect and educate children impacted by war and conflict.
"This week we are challenging the world to ensure that 39 million children in conflict-affected areas have access to quality education and the opportunity to rewrite their own future for the better," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children, headquartered in Westport, CT.
"School can provide a safe place in an otherwise dangerous world, imparting skills to help children protect themselves and recover from the psychological impact of war and violence," MacCormack said. "And education can offer a route out of conflict and poverty."
Successful efforts to assist children in areas of conflict include:
In Nepal: Save the Children has worked with the army and rebel groups to recognize schools as ‘Zones of Peace’ that should not be targeted, so they can stay open.
In Southern Sudan: Save the Children established child protection groups in villages to escort children to and from school and keep them safe, especially girls.
In Afghanistan: During the Taliban rule, girls were not allowed to go to school and female teachers not allowed to teach. Save the Children established home-based schools where girls met, usually in a female teacher’s home, for a couple of hours daily. Save the Children has now expanded its efforts to educate children, especially girls, in Afghanistan.
"In 2000, 189 world leaders pledged to achieve eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015, including universal primary education for all children worldwide," MacCormack noted. "With more than half of all children out of school now living in conflict-affected countries, we will not even come close to meeting this goal unless we make access to education in these countries a much higher priority."
What can you do?
Help us Rewrite the Future. Bring education and hope to millions of children living in conflict-affected areas around the world.
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What is Save the Children doing?
Rewrite the Future is a challenge to the world to ensure that millions of children out-of-school because of conflict get access to quality education. With your help, Save the Children can:
- Ensure access to education for three million children and improve the quality of education for them and five million more;
- Work to make schools safe — a key tool in protecting children affected by conflict;
- Influence national governments and international institutions to prioritize quality education for conflict-affected children.
