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World Children’s Day 2023

For every child, every right: ECW and partners work to fulfill the right to education for crisis-affected children and youth around the world.

By Education Cannot Wait

November 20^th, 2023

Every child, everywhere, deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and dream.

Unfortunately, for 224 million children impacted by armed conflicts, climate-induced disasters and forced displacement around the world, this right is not yet a reality. On this World Children’s Day, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises – reaffirms its commitment to providing children left furthest behind in the world with access to safe, inclusive and holistic education.

"Those who have suffered and survived will be the ones rebuilding our world. They are our hope for change. They are the ones that will unite around universal human rights. They dream of peace, and the right to learn in safety and make the world a better place."

~Yasmine Sherif, ECW Executive Director (Full Statement)

Today marks 64 years since the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and 34 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. November 20th serves as an annual reminder to continue to advocate for humanity's youngest members, with a focus this year on providing every child with every right, including the right to quality education.

The tools and knowledge gained through education are key to unlocking additional rights throughout one’s lives. From the State of Palestine to Ethiopia, Peru to Bangladesh and Ukraine – every child deserves to grow up in safety and have access to a quality education. Together with global partners, ECW continues to lay the foundation upon which crisis-impacted girls and boys can build a brighter future.

Since ECW’s establishment in 2016, its investments have reached nearly 9 million children in 43 crisis-contexts. Hear from the girls and boys caught in emergencies and protracted crises around the world on the importance and power of education.

Rama, 10, talks of her love for school in a UNICEF video taken from an UNRWA shelter in the Gaza Strip. © UNICEF 2023

RAMA, STATE OF PALESTINE

"I love school. I'm afraid of war, and I don't like it. Schools are beautiful where we study and learn." ~Rama, 10

Rama is a young girl currently taking shelter at an UNRWA school in the Gaza Strip. She used to take her books and notebooks with her to class and loved going to school – but, today, her education is at a standstill.

All education facilities have closed in the area, and many are being used as shelters and under attack. Education for all children in Gaza has been brutally interrupted since the start of Israel's ongoing military operation.

With innocent children bearing the brunt of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, ECW recently announced a First Emergency Response grant to urgently support mental health and psychosocial services and protective learning opportunities for crisis-affected girls and boys.

ECW urgently calls for top-ups and additional funding to support partners UNICEF and UNRWA to expand their life-saving work to reach Rama and other vulnerable children in dire need of support.

Fatuma smiles as she talks of her love of learning. Photo © Save the Children/Emnet Dereje

FATUMA, ETHIOPIA

“All the female teachers are very nice. When I grow up and finish my education, I want to be a teacher. I also want to live in big towns and cities.” ~Fatuma, 9

Fatuma wasn’t always in school. The 9-year-old girl – along with millions of other children in Ethiopia – faces a deteriorating humanitarian crisis, marked by ongoing conflict and the worst drought in four decades.

Responding to this crisis, ECW announced an emergency grant that builds on ongoing multi-year investments in Ethiopia. This investment enables the improvement of learning environments, and water and sanitation facilities, and supports non-formal and remedial classes to ensure out-of-school children like Fatuma can return to learning.

Thanks to ECW support, Fatuma’s school was rehabilitated, and students now receive clean water and hot meals every day – a key incentive for Fatuma’s parents and others in the community to send their children to school. Fatuma is now able to dream again.

Leonel works on a project with his classmates in Lima, Peru. © UNESCO

LEONEL, PERU

“We play or have conversations during recess. I tell them about Venezuela and they tell me about Peru. This way, we learn more about each other. Our relationships have improved, and we are learning from each other and respecting different opinions.” ~Leonel, 12

As a Venezuelan migrant living in Peru, Leonel has experienced many hurdles to inclusion. Thanks to an ECW-supported teacher training initiative, part of the +DIVERSIDAD Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Peru, school has become one place that he feels he belongs. The initiative is training teachers on best-practices in fostering inclusive education.

Peru is home to the second largest number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants. In addition to supporting the reintegration of migrants to the school system, ECW investments in Peru focus on ensuring the academic environment is welcoming and inclusive for all.

Thanks to initiatives supporting inclusive education, Leonel and his classmates are learning about and celebrating their differences today, rather than allowing it to divide them.

Jannat smiles during class at the community-based learning facility she attends. © Save the Children Bangladesh/Rubina Hoque Alee

JANNAT, BANGLADESH

“A year ago, [the learning centre] was started here and many girls like me got the chance to study again.” ~Jannat, 14

14-year-old Jannat is one of a million Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – home to the world’s largest refugee camp. After her family was forced to flee Myanmar, and settled in the congested camp, her dream of becoming a doctor felt out of reach.

Thanks to the support of ECW and partners through the Fund’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Bangladesh, Jannat and girls like her have been able to access safe, continued education in the camp. Where she once thought she “would never get a chance to go to school again in [her] life,” Jannat is now thriving at the ECW-supported learning centre.

Anastasia writes down notes during a lesson at her school in Kryve Ozero, Ukraine. © UNICEF Ukraine

ANASTASIA, UKRAINE

“When we go to the shelter, it’s harder to sit in class. It’s hard to hear, it’s hot and it’s harder to memorize information, but I feel safe at school.” ~Anastasia, 16

Sixteen-year-old Anastasia has gotten used to a sound no child should ever hear: the shrill siren warning of possible rocket attacks.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, millions of children have had their lives and education severely disrupted. For those like Anastasia, whose schools have remained open, they remain under the constant threat of attack.

In order to ensure continuous and safe education, ECW has launched a First Emergency Response grant in the country. This investment is supporting countless initiatives to keep children learning amidst conflict – including funding the recent installation of shatter-resistant window film at 23 schools, including Anastasia’s.

Now, Anastasia and her fellow classmates are able to go to school and continue learning without risk of injury. Anastasia can now continue on her path of one day becoming a doctor in Ukraine.

Access high-resolution photos from this story and our full media library on ECW's Flickr.

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