UNICEF and Al Fakhoora Mark Successful Completion of a Youth Leadership Project Implemented in Gaza – UNICEF Article

GAZA, State of Palestine, 21 March 2017 – Yesterday UNICEF and Al Fakhoora marked the successful completion of a youth leadership project implemented in the Gaza Strip.

 During the ceremony, the students presented 18 youth-led initiatives which developed innovative solutions to address some of the obstacles they face in daily life. For instance, some developed online applications that help people find essential services near their houses. One team developed an application to find the nearest pharmacy and check the availability of the prescribed drugs while providing links to websites describing their potential side effects; another team developed a tool which enables people to turn the electricity and the electronic appliances at their homes on and off at a distance.

A total of 1,233 students age 16- 17 implemented 50 adolescent-led initiatives under the project, focusing on social, scientific, environmental, and humanitarian themes. The adolescents  had previously been trained to strengthen their ‘4Cs’ – the skills they need in communication, critical thinking, cooperation and creativity to succeed in the 21st century, exercise leadership and contribute to the development of their communities.

“I am proud to recognise these students and their impact on Gaza today. With the support of Education Above All and our partners, they have contributed to more than just the reconstruction of schools. They have made their schools more welcoming and inclusive places, said Farooq Burney, Executive Director of Al Fakhoora, which supported the project.

“This is a vital part of our mission to enable young people to receive a quality education that helps communities to rebuild and prosper as they recover from conflict,” he added.

UNICEF is working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to create better learning environments for children in the Gaza Strip. Together, the two organizations are rebuilding one public school and rehabilitating another 17, which will also benefit from additional classrooms, in line with the child-friendly school (CFS) model.  

The project is supported by Al Fakhoora, a programme of the ‘Education Above All’ Foundation funded by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), with a view to improving the education of the most vulnerable children. The project includes a youth initiative component implemented by UNICEF in partnership with Al Nayzak Organization and for Supportive Education and Scientific Innovation to help boost adolescents’ skills.  

“The project provides adolescents with entrepreneurship skills to boost their future employability in the Gaza Strip, where they face multiple challenges such as poverty and unemployment, and need support to learn to navigate risks and develop their potential,” said Tania McBride, UNICEF Chief of Gaza Field Office.

“The innovations we saw were amazing and inspiring. Every student who participated in this project has created something that can be used by others. It shows the positive results which can be achieved for all when adolescents are allowed to develop potential, to the benefit of all” she added.

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About the Al Fakhoora Programme

Al Fakhoora is a programme of Education Above All Foundation that works to provide young Palestinians with education opportunities in Gaza. Working in partnership with local and international NGOs in Gaza, Al Fakhoora focuses on scholarship and empowerment programmes, reconstruction and rehabilitation of education facilities and providing psychosocial support.

For more information about Al Fakhoora and its work, visit: fakhoora.org

About Education Above All Foundation

Education Above All (EAA) is a global initiative founded in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA’s aim is to build a global movement that contributes to human, social and economic development through quality education and other welfare programmes and initiatives. With a particular focus on areas affected by poverty, conflict and disaster, EAA champions the needs of children and youth and empower them to be active members of their communities. By meeting the demand for education, EAA equips them to support sustainable development and to nurture environments of peace, security, justice and prosperity. EAA is the umbrella organisation overseeing three core programmes: Educate A Child, Al Fakhoora and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), as well as one special project, the Kakuma Project.

For more information about EAA and its work, visit: educationaboveall.org

About Qatar Fund for Development

Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) is a Qatari public organization established and organised pursuant to Law Number 19 of 2002 as amended and established under the laws of the State of Qatar. QDF was envisioned and articulated as an independent body to coordinate and implement foreign assistance on behalf of the State of Qatar. As such, QDF will serve as the “face” and brand of Qatar’s foreign assistance efforts. QDF, through representing the State of Qatar, aims at helping Arab countries and other developing countries to develop their economies and implement development programs by providing loans, grants and technical assistance for the economic and social development of these countries. In addition, QDF aims at contributing to the capital of development finance institutions and other international and foreign development institutions that aim at helping developing countries in the development of their economies.

For more information about Al Fakhoora and its work, visit: fakhoora.org

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work, visit: www.unicef.org