International Day of Education: The NGO Educo calls for more budgetary commitments in this emergency context

This is a message from the NGO Educo on the occasion of the International Day of Education commemorated every January 24.

EDUCO DENOUNCES THE FACT THAT IN 2022, AID FOR EDUCATION IN COUNTRIES EXPERIENCING A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS HAS ONLY COVERED 28.9% OF NEEDS

– 40% of children and adolescents living in conflict zones, countries at war or countries affected by natural disasters have been deprived of their right to education in the last five years.

– Only 3% of humanitarian funds are currently devoted to education in emergencies, far from the 10% required by the Global Campaign for Education, of which Educo is part.

January 24, 2023– On the occasion of the International Day of Education, the NGO Educo denounces the lack of funding for the education of children and adolescents in humanitarian emergency contexts. “Humanitarian emergencies are ever more numerous in the world. They are also more complex and of longer duration. We are talking, among other things, about wars or disasters caused by the climate crisis. In such situations, children’s right to education is not guaranteed,” says Pilar Orenes, General Manager of Educo. “When bombs destroyed your school, when you had to flee with your family because of violence or when torrential rains devastated your community, your right to education goes up in smoke.

Currently, globally, 3% of humanitarian funds are allocated to education in emergencies. Educo estimates, however, that this percentage should reach 10%, as recommended by the Global Campaign for Education, of which the NGO is a part and of which it coordinates the action in Spain. “In humanitarian emergencies, education tends to take a back seat. It is certainly obvious that food and the protection of children must be ensured in the first place, but education is also an emergency. Indeed, if children do not return to school as soon as possible, the risk of dropping out of school will be higher, as well as that of being a victim of child labor or early marriage. This is essential not only for their future, but also for their present. Going to school means rediscovering a routine that helps children cope with daily life in a context of crisis. It also means meeting other children and interacting with them in a protected space,” explains the director general of the NGO. 

Over the past ten years, donor countries have increased their funding for humanitarian aid to the education sector. In 2013, contributions to education represented 1.9% of total expenditure; in 2022, they amounted to 2.9%. Concretely, according to the Financial Track System of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations (OCHA), they have been multiplied by more than four, from 163 to 721 million dollars. However, this increase is not enough to cover the ever-increasing needs. With the increase in the number, complexity and duration of crises, educational needs have increased sixfold over the past decade, while the response of humanitarian actors has not been commensurate.

Faced with this situation, Educo calls for budgetary commitments in favor of education in emergency contexts to be increased tenfold and increased to 10%. The NGO also asks to recognize the need to prioritize education in emergencies and therefore the funds allocated to it, to implement long-term strategies that address the systemic causes of crises. in order to reduce its impact and promote peace, and to give prominence to the gender approach. “Education is the key tool that allows future generations to be better prepared to rebuild their country in a peaceful and sustainable way. It is a fundamental component of the fight against poverty and the reduction of the gender gap. Investing in education in contexts of war, forgotten conflicts or environments devastated by drought or earthquakes must not be limited to ensuring the resumption of classes and the training of children and adolescents. . It should also include accelerated education programs for those who have missed part of the school year, mental health care and psychosocial support for minors and education staff, and canteens or facilities water and sanitation. Actions must be carried out using a gender-based approach that ensures that special attention is paid to girls and women, the group still most affected,” concludes Pilar Orenes. forgotten conflicts or environments devastated by drought or earthquakes should not be limited to ensuring the resumption of classes and the training of children and adolescents. It should also include accelerated education programs for those who have missed part of the school year, mental health care and psychosocial support for minors and education staff, and canteens or facilities water and sanitation. Actions must be carried out using a gender-based approach that ensures that special attention is paid to girls and women, the group still most affected,” concludes Pilar Orenes. forgotten conflicts or environments devastated by drought or earthquakes should not be limited to ensuring the resumption of classes and the training of children and adolescents. It should also include accelerated education programs for those who have missed part of the school year, mental health care and psychosocial support for minors and education staff, and canteens or facilities water and sanitation. Actions must be carried out using a gender-based approach that ensures that special attention is paid to girls and women, the group still most affected,” concludes Pilar Orenes. It should also include accelerated education programs for those who have missed part of the school year, mental health care and psychosocial support for minors and education staff, and canteens or facilities water and sanitation. Actions must be carried out using a gender-based approach that ensures that special attention is paid to girls and women, the group still most affected,” concludes Pilar Orenes. It should also include accelerated education programs for those who have missed part of the school year, mental health care and psychosocial support for minors and education staff, and canteens or facilities water and sanitation. Actions must be carried out using a gender-based approach that ensures that special attention is paid to girls and women, the group still most affected,” concludes Pilar Orenes.

For more than 30 years, Educo has carried out projects focused on education in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Several of its programs are currently being developed in emergency situations, such as in the Sahel region, in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh or in Ukraine. The objective of the organization is to guarantee children involved in these activities access to equitable and quality education, even in the context of crisis in which they live. 

“I am happy to have returned to school thanks to Educo. My future will be successful”

In Burkina Faso in West Africa, many emergency education projects have been implemented by Educo following the closure of schools due to the humanitarian crisis. Alidja, an internally displaced student, benefited from the remedial lessons of the Education in Emergency Situations (ESU) project implemented by Educo with the financial support of UNICEF. While she was in CE1 class, she had left her village Nagré, Gourma province, Eastern region with her parents to settle in Fada following the security problem. On the spot, Alidja, was engaged in the sale of boiled eggs in order to have a little income to help her parents. She was desperate that her schooling had been interrupted. In front of his classmates in the neighborhood who are continuing their education, she was embarrassed because she had practically dropped out of school. But following information taken, his parents advised him to give up his commercial activity (selling eggs) to go and follow the remedial courses initiated within the framework of the ESU project in schools in Fada. Anything that allowed him to get back on track. “I am very happy to have returned to school thanks to Educo. My future will be a success”, rejoices Alidja who wants to become a teacher later. She wants all internally displaced children to have the chance to benefit from such projects implemented by Educo. Anything that allowed him to get back on track. “I am very happy to have returned to school thanks to Educo. My future will be a success”, rejoices Alidja who wants to become a teacher later. She wants all internally displaced children to have the chance to benefit from such projects implemented by Educo. Anything that allowed him to get back on track. “I am very happy to have returned to school thanks to Educo. My future will be a success”, rejoices Alidja who wants to become a teacher later. She wants all internally displaced children to have the chance to benefit from such projects implemented by Educo. 

« Thanks to the ESU project of Educo, I can write a letter for his father, help my parents to decipher the messages on their phones ».

Hawoulatou, an internally displaced child in Fada, also benefited from the remedial classes implemented by Educo. Arrived in Fada in 2021, she had embarked on small business by helping a woman to sell rice. Before enrolling for remedial classes, Hawoulatou could neither read nor write. When she found herself in the neighborhood with her classmates who are students, she felt embarrassed. Since she joined the catwalk, she stopped selling rice, she now knows how to count and read. And now she expresses herself well with her classmates when they are having fun. Hawoulatou says she is convinced that with the courses of the ESU project, she will be able to integrate the traditional education system later. 

“Thanks to the Educo project, I can write a letter for his father, help my parents decipher the messages on their phones”

In Niger, Educo also implements education projects to help provide quality education to children affected by the humanitarian crisis. Ramatoulaye, an internally displaced child in Tillabéri, spent a year without going to school. She was enrolled at the SSAP center in Tadresse implemented by Educo as part of the Project for Access to Safe Quality Education for Children Affected by the Security Crisis and COVID 19, in the Tillabéri Region in Niger (PAES ). Ramatoulaye knows how to read and write after 6 months of learning that society’s view of her has changed. She manages to read and write and hopes to be able to study and become a teacher or a nurse. 

For Educo, the testimonies of Alidja, Hawoulatou, Ramatoulaye, reveal the reality of children living in emergency situations. This is why the NGO once again defends the need to invest in the right to education. This is a key element in addressing the social inequalities that arise from all humanitarian crises.

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