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14 September 2006
Aid Group Launches Program to Educate Children in Conflict Areas
Program will be largest effort in long history of Save the Children
Washington -- The humanitarian assistance organization Save the Children announced a five-year program to bring education to children living in countries affected by armed conflict. The initiative was launched concurrently in more than 40 countries, according to a Save the Children press release.
The U.S.-based group announced the launch of its "Rewrite the Future" education initiative at a press briefing September 12 at the U.S. Capitol. The event was attended by members of Congress who support increasing educational opportunities for children around the world.
The goal of the initiative is to provide hope for the future for millions of children by helping them "gain access to and reap the current and future benefits of a quality education," according to the release. The program aims to bring basic education to 3 million young children by 2010 and provide improved education to 5 million more children by that time.
Charlie MacCormack, Save the Children chief executive officer, urged aid donors to expand their concept of how to respond to crises caused by war or natural disasters. That response traditionally is limited to providing emergency aid such as medicine, food and shelter. In addition, he said, "education has to be part of the normal response to a crisis."
Education is "a casualty of war," Save the Children said in its recent “Rewrite the Future” report.
"Students and teachers often have to flee as school buildings are bombed or commandeered by armed forces ... essential education money gets diverted towards military action, teachers' salaries dry up and materials stop reaching schools,” the report states.
"Unless children affected by conflict are protected and educated, their future, and the future of their nations, are seriously imperiled," it adds.
Early investment in education protects children from the most damaging aspects of conflict -- such as being forced into militias, raped or subjected to other forms of abuse -- and is a significant factor in breaking the cycle of violence, building peace and helping countries get on a positive track for development, MacCormack said.
VALUING EDUCATION
"I value education a lot," said Mercy Acayo Aremo, a former refugee from Sudan now living and going to school in Baltimore, Maryland.
Children "are the leaders of the future," she said at the program's U.S. launch.
In a Save the Children public service film, Actress Eva Longoria said that "education can save our children and engage them in society. [It] offers hopes and teaches tolerance."
"Just as education is the ticket out of poverty, it is a means to achieving stability, security and prosperity" in areas that have been affected by conflict, Representative Nina Lowey said at the launch.
Education is for children who, for all or most of their lives, have "seen nothing but violence and bloodshed" and is "key to rebuilding shattered societies and for rehabilitating child soldiers," she said.
More information about Rewrite the Future is available on the Save the Children web site.
For additional information about how the U.S. government, groups and individuals are helping people around the world, see Partnership for a Better Life.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
