US$1m committed to CAR refugee children’s education

An estimated 1.4 million students have been affected by school closures in the Central African country, along with increased sexual violence against children.

CAPE TOWN, July 1 (ANA) – An emergency response grant of about US$1 million has been announced to ensure access to education in safe, inclusive and protective learning environments for displaced and returnee children affected by the recent post-election violence in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The fund was announced by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) on Wednesday, of which US$600,000 will be delivered by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and US$400,000 by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“This new wave of violence and forced displacement has increased humanitarian needs at a time when Central Africans are already dealing with the crippling consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, years of conflict and insecurity, and the devastating impacts of climate change and other crises,” said Yasmine Sherif, director of Education Cannot Wait, the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies.

“Once again, children bear the brunt of the crisis. Their education is disrupted, their rights violated, they are experiencing violence, being separated from their families, and at risk of being recruited into armed groups,” she said, adding that due to school closures, girls are suffering sexual violence, being forced into early marriage and are exposed to other risks that no child should ever have to face.

ECW was established during the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 by international humanitarian and development aid actors, along with public and private donors, to help reposition education as a priority on the humanitarian agenda.

The organisation said an estimated 1.4 million students have been affected by school closures in the Central African country. Some of these students may never return to school. Analysis carried out in Bangui shows an increase in sexual violence against children, particularly girls, during the closure of schools.

In all, the conflict has forced nearly 200,000 people, almost half of them children, to flee their homes. While many have since returned home, around 100,000 people remain displaced. This brings the total number of displaced people to 1.5 million, or nearly one-third of the country’s total population, according to ECW.

It said its First Emergency Response grant targets 18,300 conflict-affected girls and boys aged 3 to 18, of whom 60% are girls and 10% are children with disabilities. The ECW funding will be used to provide safe, clean, and inclusive learning spaces with basic learning materials.

“The extensive disruption of education over the past year alone risks having profound consequences in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Central African children, already affected by years of crisis,” said Fran Equiza, Unicef representative in CAR.

“We are very grateful to Education Cannot Wait for this generous and timely contribution that will allow us to improve equitable and inclusive access to education for the most vulnerable children and to keep them in school.

“We will also be able to invest further into alternative learning opportunities, such as accelerated classes and radio education for out-of-school children, in combination with psychosocial support, a crucial need in such an emergency context.”

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher