Migration, armed conflict, internal displacement, climate
change and other interconnected factors have left over 780,000
children out of school. Delivered by the Norwegian Refugee Council
and UNICEF in coordination with the Government of Colombia and local partners, the programme
seeks to mobilize additional financial resources and reach over
180,000 children and adolescents with the safety and opportunity of
a quality education.
NEW
YORK, Aug. 9, 2024 /CNW/ -- Multiple
challenges are derailing efforts toward peace, stability and
economic progress in Colombia. To
address these challenges, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its
strategic donor partners announced today a US$12 million Multi-Year Resilience Programme
grant that will reach over 180,000 children and adolescents with
access to quality education.
Total ECW funding in Colombia
now tops US$28 million. To address
the Venezuela regional refugee
crisis, ECW has invested approximately US$70
million to date in Brazil,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
and Venezuela.
The second-phase of ECW's Multi-Year Resilience Programme in
Colombia will expand the scope of
existing investments, with the aim of overcoming barriers to
quality education for migrant, refugee and internally displaced
children, and will be delivered jointly by the Norwegian Refugee
Council and UNICEF together as a consortium with Corporación
Infancia y Desarrollo (CID), Corporacion Opción Legal and
Fundación PLAN in coordination with Colombia's Ministry of National Education.
Colombia remains in the top
four countries with the highest number of internally displaced
persons in the world and hosts the largest number of Venezuelan
refugees and migrants in the region, amounting to some 2.86
million, while large numbers of Venezuelan migrants transit through
its borders as they move towards other countries in search of
protection and better opportunities. Climate risks and other
challenges have also led to massive internal displacements.
"Without access to quality education, these children face
significant risks, including gender-based violence, recruitment
into armed groups, discrimination and other violations of their
human rights. To build peace and stability in Colombia, and across the region, we must
invest in their education. Colombia deserves the unlimited potential of
today's children and adolescents. Their education is not a luxury –
it is a right," said Yasmine Sherif,
Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for
education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United
Nations.
Despite the Government of Colombia's groundbreaking open-door policy,
which allows internally displaced people and children from
Venezuela to access public
schools, registry and other public services, the education system
is heavily underfunded and overstretched. In all, 787,000 children
are out of school. Only 57% of Venezuelan primary-school-aged
refugees and migrant children are in school, while the number drops
to just 22% for lower secondary education. Refugees, migrants and
internally displaced children face significant risks of dropping
out of school, with close to 2 out of 10 dropping out of school
entirely.
"Colombia is committed to
educating for peace, which is why we are incorporating
comprehensive education in schools that includes socioemotional and
citizenship-building components. The programme supported by
Education Cannot Wait contributes to these national efforts to
guarantee access to the right to education for historically
segregated populations, including migrant and host communities, as
well as victims of conflict and violence. This initiative
emphasizes the need to promote pedagogical practices based on
experiences for and with the educational community, advocating for
the valuation and respect of people's diversity and their learning
conditions. This comprehensive approach seeks the full development
of children and adolescents in vulnerable conditions, aiming to
combat the deep inequality that exists in our country, especially
in dispersed rural areas," added Oscar
Sanchez, Vice Minister of Education, Preschool, Primary,
Secondary and Upper Secondary.
The new funding will scale-up the impact and reach of ECW's
investments in Colombia, which
have already reached close to 100,000 children since 2019. The
programme seeks to remove barriers to access to quality education
for migrants, refugees and internally displaced children affected
by armed conflict and violence in Colombia. It also aims to ensure that those
out of school are brought to the education system through multiple
pathways for learning tailored to their needs, and that they are
supported to gain the foundational learning and skills they
need.
In all, the programme will provide access to formal and
non-formal education for 183,000 girls and boys. It also seeks to
enroll over 50,000 out-of-school children into ECW-funded
programmes. The programme places significant emphasis on inclusive
access to education for girls, children with disabilities,
migrants, refugees, internally displaced and other marginalized
children. In all 46,000 students will receive support to develop
their citizenship and life skills.
On X/Twitter, please follow: @EduCannotWait
@YasmineSherif1 @KentPage
Additional information available
at: www.educationcannotwait.org
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SOURCE Education Cannot Wait