PROMOTING EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES, UNRWA RELEASES ‘EDUCATION BRINGS HOPE
IN TIMES OF EMERGENCIES’ ANIMATED VIDEO
22 December 2015
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has launched a new animated video for children and families affected by conflict as part of its Education in Emergencies programme. The video, ‘Education Brings Hope in Times of Emergencies’, encourages families to utilize UNRWA resources and support their children in re-engaging in education during times of conflict.
The video tells the story of 10-year-old Hamza and his older sister Sarah, whose lives are turned upside down when armed conflict erupts in their neighbourhood. It is a depiction of what many Palestine refugee children are facing, across the Agency’s fields of operations. Hamza talks in the video about continuing schooling, “Staying in school is important for me and my friends. I feel safe and happy. Even though some days are hard, our school and teachers give us hope that everything will be ok. My education is the key to my future!”
Community screenings and discussions will further support the message that education is vital for helping children retain normalcy and cope under strenuous circumstance.
UNRWA works to ensure that its education programme builds resilience through its emphasis on quality, inclusion and equity. This resilience enables the education system to better respond to emergencies and build skills and values which will contribute to peace and stability in the long term.
The strength of the UNRWA Education in Emergencies approach is its holistic nature. The programme includes the provision of psychosocial support, safe learning spaces and alternative learning modalities such as self-learning materials, UNRWA TV and computer based programmes. To learn more, please read Education in emergencies.
Since 2013, the UNRWA Education in Emergencies programme has been supported by Educate A Child – An Education Above All Foundation. It is thanks to their generous support of US$ 5 million that UNRWA was able to produce the ‘Education Brings Hope in Times of Emergencies’ video.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, and financial support has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, deepening poverty and conflict. As a result, the UNRWA General Fund, which supports core essential services and most staffing costs, operates with a large deficit. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large deficits, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
Spokesperson, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
Chief of Communications, Arabic Language Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 216 8295
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0724
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Subject: Children, Education and culture
Publication Date: 22/12/2015