The
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm that lack of sufficient fund is threatening
education for millions of children caught up in conflicts or disasters, reports
NaijaAgroNet.
UNICEF raised this
flag ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that out of
the $932 million needed this year for education programmes in emergency
countries, UNICEF has so far received recorded voluntary contributions of less
than $115 million.
Muzoon Almellehan,
UNICEF’s latest and youngest Goodwill Ambassador, said in Hamburg, Germany.
“The funds are
necessary to give 9.2 million children affected by humanitarian crises access
to formal and non-formal basic education,” Almellehan said.
Pointing out that without
education, children grow up without the knowledge and skills they need to
contribute to the peace and the development of their countries and economies,
aggravating an already desperate situation for millions of children,” said
Muzoon Almellehan, UNICEF’s latest – and youngest – Goodwill Ambassador,
speaking from Hamburg, Germany, where she is representing UNICEF at the G20
Summit. “For the millions of children growing up in war zones, the threats are
even more daunting: Not going to school leaves children vulnerable to early
marriage, child labour and recruitment by armed forces.”
Funding gaps for
UNICEF education programmes in some of the world’s hot spots vary from 36 per
cent in Iraq, to 64 per cent in Syria, 74 per cent in Yemen and 78 per cent in
the Central African Republic.
Pursuing educational
opportunities has been cited as one of the push factors leading families and
children to flee their homes, often at great risk to their lives. A survey of
refugee and migrant children in Italy revealed that 38 per cent of them headed
to Europe to gain access to learning opportunities. A similar survey in Greece
showed that one in three parents or caretakers said that seeking education for
their children was the main reason they left their countries for Europe.
For children who
have experienced the trauma of war and displacement, education can be life-saving.
“When I fled Syria in 2013, I was terrified I would never be
able to return to school. But when I arrived in Jordan and realized there was a
school in the camp, I was relieved and hopeful,” said Muzoon. “School gives
children like me a lifeline and the chance of a peaceful and positive future.”
As an education
activist and Syrian refugee, Muzoon joins forces with UNICEF to speak out on behalf
of the millions of children who have been uprooted by conflict and are missing
out on school.
“I urge world
leaders to invest in the futures of children living in emergencies -- and by
doing so invest in the future of our world,” Muzoon said.
Uj. N. Dominic/GEE
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