Postcards from the Edge

Children on the frontlines of conflict and crisis write to world leaders to support ECW and global efforts to ensure education for all

By Education Cannot Wait

February 23^rd, 2023

Last month, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies, reached out to its partners to ask crisis-impacted girls and boys worldwide to share how education is impacting their lives.

These “Postcards from the Edge” offer extraordinary first-person accounts about the power of education. They describe what it’s like to flee horrific attacks by militia, to have acts of terrorism destroy your home, to leave your country, to live in hunger, and to go to school with the fear of violence.

They are a message of hope in the face of adversity and a call on leaders to make good on the promise of education for all.

Lucas dreams of becoming a doctor. Photo © UNHCR/Lucas

14-year-old Lucas* from the Central African Republic had his education interrupted when militia raided his village.

“One day, in the morning, Mum asked me to go with her into the field. When we got to the field, armed men came and found us, and one of them killed my mum in front of me. They wanted to kill me too and one of the armed men refused,” he recalls.

After arriving at a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at a time of little hope, Lucas’ school provided him with a sense of purpose.

“I dream of becoming a doctor when I’m older to help the community…I’ll return to my home village to work and help people after my studies."

Kamil left his house in Syria to seek refuge. Photo © Save the Children/Kamil

In Iraq, Kamil*, a 12-year-old Syrian refugee, was forced to migrate after violence broke out in his home city.

In Syria, Kamil’s parents wouldn’t let him leave his house because of the threat of explosions.

“One day I went out without telling my parents, and I heard a very big sound of an explosion which was a car bomb,” Kamil says.

After learning that the car bomb had killed his friend and friend’s family, he and his parents migrated to Iraq. They moved to a new town, where he has found safety and community in his new school. He has big dreams for the future.

“I want to be an architect in the future to help build and reconstruct my country Syria and all the countries that are affected by war and destruction.”

Sofía appreciates the opportunities she’s been given to go to school in her new country. Photo © UNICEF/Sofía

In South America, millions of people have been displaced due to political instability, insecurity, gang violence and more.

Sofía* was forced to leave her home country Venezuela when she was just 8 years old. She reflects on her memories of home.

“Now I live in a group of houses in a neighborhood, and although it is a bit dangerous and we cannot go to the park alone, I like it because I get to be with my family and it reminds me of when I lived in Venezuela,” she says.

As she adjusts to life in Peru, she is making new friends at school and getting the support she needs to recover from the trauma of displacement. She appreciates the kindness she’s received from her classmates and teachers.

“There are many girls like me who are migrants and leave their country to have a better life in a new country. This is why I am calling on world leaders. I ask that their priority be the education of girls and boys, to give them all the conditions and materials to finish school.”

Nafisa is thankful for the opportunities she's been given to go to school while many others can't. Photo © Street Child/Nafisa

Girls around the world demand to not be forgotten.

Nafisa*, from Afghanistan, dreams of becoming a surgeon, but the opportunities for girls in her country are waning.

“My request from the world leaders is to pay close attention to Afghanistan’s situation. Me and my sisters need education, we should not be forgotten by the world,” she says.

For the time being, she’s been able to attend class at a non-formal learning space. She asks donors to fund more learning spaces for Afghan girls and boys.

Darline, like millions of other children in Haiti, is seeking a better future. Photo © UNICEF/Darline

In Haiti, where devastating gang violence has affected millions, 14-year-old Darline* finds strength in education.

“The education system is in tatters. It is a political, economic and social crisis. The school is not functioning due to inflation, scarcity of fuel, insecurity and gang violence in the country,” Darline says. “Today, we go to school but with fear in our stomachs. We avoid wearing school uniforms.”

Darline wants to become a doctor.

“I want to be able to help the young people of the next generation no longer take up arms, no longer let the country sink into unsanitary conditions… I demand change!”

ECW has received dozens of handwritten letters and drawings from girls and boys in more than 20 countries worldwide. Photo © Plan International

ON THE FRONTLINES OF EDUCATION EFFORTS

ECW’s strategic partners — including Plan International, Save the Children, Street Child, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Vision and many others — are continuing to collect first-person accounts to highlight the singular power of education to provide opportunities, end poverty and build a more peaceful world for generations to come.

At the ECW High-Level Financing Conference on 16-17 February in Geneva, Switzerland, world leaders stepped up with over US$800 million to support the education of 222 million girls and boys living in crises. These new commitments will give children like Lucas, Kamil, Sofía, Nafisa and Darline the opportunities and hope that only an education can provide.

Throughout the Conference, attendees viewed and listened to the Postcards from the Edge.

Read more Postcards from the Edge from the world’s most vulnerable children:

Hadiza*, Cameroon
Abeba*, 10, Ethiopia
Oliva*, Madagascar
Zawad*, 11, Bangladesh
Huma, Pakistan
Jacques*, 13, Haiti
Amani*, 12, South Sudan
Doménica*, 11, Ecuador
Awa*, Mali
Bruno*, 12, Central African Republic

*Name changed for privacy purposes.

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