Rewrite the Future

Education for children in conflict and emergencies
Education in Conflict Affected Fragile States
by Save the Children, UK

Every world leader has committed themselves to getting every child into school by 2015. We should be almost halfway to meeting this Millennium Development Goal, yet at the current rate of progress this isn’t going to happen.

The number of out-of-school primary aged children in the world dramatically fell from over 100 million to 77 million in 2006. Yet this drop has not been seen in countries affected by conflict, where 39 million children remain without an education.

This is because donors give the least amount of aid for education to the countries most in need of it - conflict affected countries.

Until the necessary amount of aid for education is targeted at the countries that need it he most – conflict affected countries the Millennium Development Goal of primary education for all will be deemed a failure.

Save the Children are calling for world donors to:
▪ Put the millennium development goal of education for all back on track by ensuring that aid for education reaches countries affected by conflict.
▪ To provide an extra US $5.2 billion in aid to fund education in conflict affected countries.
▪ To support the education cluster so that education is part of every humanitarian response in an emergency.


Education in an Emergency

Save the Children want education to be part of every humanitarian response in a crisis along with food, shelter and protection.

Humanitarian disasters and conflict leaves children particularly vulnerable. Many will have been forced to flee their homes, witnessed destruction or violence, and be vulnerable to diseases, exploitation and death.

Teaching children how to recognise unexploded bombs, avoid new dangers such as contaminated water and cope with the trauma they’ve been exposed to is a
vital part of any humanitarian response. Education can do this yet in emergencies it is often overlooked.

Education can easily be wiped out in an emergency. Schools can be destroyed, teachers flee and funding is diverted. The longer education is left out of an emergency response the longer it takes to replace.

In recent years humanitarian funding has increased from US $1.6 billion in 2000 to US$8.5 billion in 2005 in line with the increased number of emergencies. Yet these resources are not sufficient enough to cover needs, making prioritisation and allocation of scarce resources a dilemma for humanitarian donors and leaving education without the support it needs.

The recent endorsement by the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Inter-Agency Standing Committee of an education cluster approach could and should be a catalyst for this to change. It is expected that this formation, expected towards the end of this month (April) will make education part of every emergency response, ensure a coordinated and effective response and attract adequate funding.

FACTS: Children living in conflict:
▪ In 2003 more than half of armed conflicts used combatants under the age of 15
▪ 1 in 3 children in conflict affected countries miss out on education.
▪ Save the Children estimates that about 5.3 million primary aged children (6-11 years) and six million 12-17 year old adolescents are out-of-school in the DRC. This is one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world.
▪ In Nepal, between January and August 2005, more than 11,800 students were abducted from rural schools for indoctrination or forced recruitment into the militia.
▪ In Afghanistan, most qualified teachers fled the conflict. Now fewer than 15% of teachers hold professional qualifications. 60% of girls aged 7-13 are out of school.
▪ In Angola almost half of the countries children (44%) do not attend school. Many girls leave school to become servants, sell goods or to marry. Many children disabled by war are also excluded.


2. Support for launch of Save the Children’s campaign

Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, said: “It is a moral outrage how the world is treating these children. The international community cannot leave vulnerable children, already living with the consequences of armed conflict, without the hope of a decent future. Children cannot wait for conflict to end before we give them the opportunity to go to school.”

Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children UK Chief Executive, said: “This is a crisis that the world is choosing to ignore. Today, millions of children face the prospect of being recruited and forced to fight, exploited as cheap labour and are more at risk of being trafficked and abused, all because they can’t go to school. “These children live in the hardest to reach countries, in the harshest conditions - the mandate for where aid efforts must be focused. Yet, those with the power, knowledge and resources are failing to intervene because they won’t address the difficulties preventing them from delivering aid to the children who need it." Whitbread continued: “Unless we ensure that aid for education reaches children affected by conflict, their futures - and the future of their nations - will remain bleak.”

For more information, interviews, VNR, case studies, contact Save the Children Media Unit on 0207 012 68413



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