A destroyed kindergarten in Chuguev, Ukraine. Education Can’t Wait: UN Foundation Calls for $600 Million to Support Children in Ukraine and Around the World Peace and Security
Across Ukraine, four million children are missing out on normal schooling. Education Cannot Wait leaders met with Ukrainian schoolchildren and their local partners during a visit to the country this week.
The foundation called on world leaders to commit to protecting education from attack and to increase funding to ensure all children have access to safe classrooms, distance learning, and catch-up classes.
Investing in Children
“As a global community, we must rise to the challenge and ensure that every girl and boy across Ukraine affected by this brutal war, as well as Ukrainian children who have fled to other countries, have access to safety, hope, and the opportunities that only a quality education can provide,” said Yasmin Sherif, Executive Director of the UN Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises “Education Cannot Wait”.
“Our investments in education are investments in recovery, peace, security and justice,” she added.
Since 2017, the Fund and its strategic donor partners have provided more than $26.9 million in funding to support education programs across Ukraine, benefiting more than 360,000 children.
Education under attack
Since early September, Ukraine’s educational infrastructure has come under renewed attack. According to UNICEF, some 600,000 school-age children have no access to in-person education, and more than 1,300 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed since the war began. Even when children do attend school, the constant threat of bombing and attacks undermines the quality of education. In addition, schoolchildren are often forced to flee their homes, suffer the loss of loved ones, and are exposed to other threats.
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UN calls for protection of students and educational institutions from attacks
Education Cannot Wait and its strategic partners are calling for $600 million in additional funding to achieve the global goals outlined in the foundation’s four-year strategic plan. This will ensure that children in crisis-affected countries around the world receive a quality education and hope for a better future.
Humanitarian Situation
The UN Humanitarian Office reported on Friday that fighting in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy regions this week has killed and injured civilians, including three staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Two more aid workers were injured.
The shelling left around 28,000 people in Donetsk Oblast without access to essential services such as gas, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the area. In addition, on 12 September, an attack disrupted electricity and water supplies in Konotop, Sumy Oblast.
According to OCHA, forest fires in Donetsk and Kharkiv Oblasts have destroyed hundreds of homes and caused further displacement. Humanitarian organizations are providing emergency assistance to residents affected by military action and natural disasters.
For example, humanitarian workers this week continued to help displaced persons from frontline communities in Donetsk Oblast and border communities in Kharkiv Oblast in transit centers, providing housing, transportation, and support for evacuation to safer areas of the country.