Uniting to Protect

ECW commemorates International Day to Protect Education from Attack with inspiring stories from Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Syria & Ukraine

By Education Cannot Wait

September 9^th, 2022

On this International Day to Protect Education From Attack, September 9, Education Cannot Wait is calling on world leaders, governments, public and private sector donors, philanthropic foundations, high-net worth individuals, civil society organizations and individuals to step up and ensure children everywhere are able to access safe, protective learning environments.

Over the past two years, the world has seen an increase in violent attacks on schools in countries like Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, the State of Palestine and Ukraine. According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack’s (GCPEA) ‘Education Under Attack 2022’ report, there were more than 5,000 reported attacks on education and incidents of military use in schools and universities, harming more than 9,000 students and educators in at least 85 countries in 2020 and 2021.

“By disrupting children’s access to education, these heinous attacks put children and adolescents at grave risk to their lives, either killing them or causing life-long disabilities, while also exposing them to gender-based violence, trafficking, sexual assault, recruitment into armed groups and other violations of their human rights, not the least their right to education.” ~ Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait

Around the world, 222 million girls and boys are in need of urgent educational support – and many of them are experiencing disruptions to their learning and threats to their safety due to armed conflicts and attacks on schools. ECW’s #222MillionDreams ✨📚 global campaign calls on donors and other strategic partners to ensure children are able to access safe learning environments and realize their dreams of an education.

In commemoration of this year’s International Day to Protect Education From Attack, we are sharing moving stories delivered by our partners in the field in global hotspots, refugee crises and on the edge of conflict in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (CAR), Syria and Ukraine.

Children in Central African Republic are happy to be learning safely in school. Photo © ECW/Zigoto Tchaya Tchameni (Zigi)

MARGUERITE - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Nine-year-old Marguerite, from the Central African Republic (CAR), likes to study history and French. Unfortunately, she lives in an area that has been frequently disrupted by military unrest and attacks by armed groups. As a result of these attacks and other factors, more than half of the children in CAR do not complete their primary school education.

“When there are soldiers, we don’t go to school. We stay at home. But I am happy I can continue my education now." ~ Marguerite

Through ECW investments, children like Marguerite are returning to school to continue their education. Marguerite has received school materials, learned to write, and enjoys playing teacher at home with her sister.

The ECW-funded Multi-Year Resilience Program (MYRP), delivered by the Norwegian Refugee Council, Plan International, UNICEF, and UNHCR, ensures access to protective learning environments for displaced children and adolescents in CAR. Over the past three years, ECW-supported activities in CAR have reached over 126,300 children.

A Malian refugee student plays the role of teacher at a school in Goudoubo camp. Because of rising insecurity teachers no longer show up and students often teach each other. Photo © UNHCR/Sylvain Cherkaoui

OUMAR - MALIAN REFUGEE LIVING IN BURKINA FASO

Oumar’s path to education hasn’t been easy. Growing up in Mali, he had no school to go to in his hometown. The teenager first went to school at Mentao refugee camp in Burkina Faso, where violence forced teachers from going into schools. Later, at Goudoubo refugee camp, Oumar’s education was again interrupted by violence in the region.

“The following school year, as soon as school started, the same security issues continued in Goudoubo. I was very disappointed that once again my school closed and that I was not able to finish the new school year.” ~ Oumar

After Oumar moved a few miles down the road to a different refugee camp, his education was halted a third time due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Oumar’s story speaks for millions of children and adolescents in Burkina Faso whose education is interrupted by armed groups and forced displacement. But there is hope.

According to GCPEA’s ‘Education Under Attack 2022’ report, many countries, such as Burkina Faso, adopted distance learning measures and extended these new modalities to students whose education was interrupted due to COVID-19, conflict and attacks on education. With the support of ECW, UNHCR provided distance learning opportunities — broadcasting lessons over the radio. Oumar is optimistic about finishing his studies.

Rafat at the ECW-supported Learning Center in Idlib, northwest Syria. Photo © UNICEF/Dadoul

RAFAT - SYRIA

When Rafat was only 9 years old, he had already experienced several barriers to receiving an education. Not only did he have to move time and again because of the ongoing violence in Syria, but he also had to navigate life with a severe visual impairment. The GCPEA ‘Education Under Attack 2022’ reports that 2.5 million children were out of school in Syria, and identified approximately 90 reports of attacks on schools and universities in 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, an Education Cannot Wait-supported learning center opened in a refugee camp in Idlib, Syria. Rafat was hesitant to enroll because of how far behind he had fallen behind in school, and the bullying he experienced given his disability. However, with support from ECW and the Fund’s strategic partners, Rafat was given eye examinations and glasses that allowed him to concentrate on learning.

“I was unable to attend school for nearly two years due to my family being displaced. Now, I am able to attend and learn from my Arabic teacher, Mr. Ahmed. I love Mr. Ahmed and interacting with my sister and friends in class. My teachers taught me to read and write in a way that was easy for me.” ~ Rafat

Since Rafat started attending school at the camp, his mother has seen him happier — achieving good grades and being more active. He has been able to complete multiple cycles of non-formal education.

Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, meets refugee children at a daycare center in Chișinău, Moldova.

VICTORIA - UKRAINIAN REFUGEE LIVING IN MOLDOVA

Victoria is a mother of two young girls. As the war in Ukraine kicked off, she and her family were forced to leave their homes. ECW Director Yasmine Sherif met Victoria on a recent mission to Moldova, where they are now living with a host family.

Despite the unimaginable violence that the girls witnessed on their journey — and the uncertainty that their futures hold — access to quality education remains a last hope. Even though the rest of their world has fallen apart, Victoria takes solace in the fact that they are still attending school.

“I first think about my children. They are why we were forced to leave — because our children are always our first concern… Here they can continue their education, socialize and take their mind off the war. They can forget about it for a while and just be children again.” ~ Victoria

The experience of Victoria and her girls speaks for the fractured lives of over 600 thousand Ukrainian refugees entering Moldova. Their story emphasizes the necessity for education to remain a priority in humanitarian aid efforts. This past April, ECW demonstrated a commitment to the education response for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, allocating US$1.5 million, which brings ECW’s total Ukraine crisis education response to US$6.5 million to date.

A severely damaged school in Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine. Photo © UNICEF/Kristina Pashkina

TAKING ACTION TO PROTECT EDUCATION FROM ATTACK

The stories highlighted are not isolated events. They portray the realities for millions of children and adolescents whose lives today are upended by armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate-induced disasters and other crises across the world.

For this reason, Education Cannot Wait keeps its promise to realize the #222MillionDreams ✨📚 of these children and adolescents by providing inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities, as laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4) and Human Rights Conventions. On this International Day to Protect Education From Attack, join ECW in championing the right for every student — no matter who they are, where they live or their circumstance — to receive a quality and secure education.

Read Yasmine Sherif's statement on the International Day to Protect Education from Attack 2022.

Children playing in a school's basketball court that was recently restored in Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine. Photo © UNICEF/Mykola Synelnykov

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