FACTSHEET EU Children of Peace Projects SUMMARY OF UNICEF’S WORK THROUGH THE EU CHILDREN OF PEACE PROJECTS
EU CHILDREN OF PEACE
The EU Children of Peace initiative is a lasting legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize that the EU received in 2012 for its achievements in peace on the European continent.
It was decided that the prize money will go to humanitarian projects, under the management of the European Commission – Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (DG ECHO).
EU Children of Peace is supporting a severely neglected sector: education in emergencies. The initiative funds humanitarian projects for children in conflict regions, providing them with access to schools where they can learn in a safe environment, as well as with psychological support to heal their traumatic war experiences.
In the first year of the initiative (2013), 28 000 children from Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Colombia and Ecuador, as well as Syrian refugees in Iraq have benefitted from it.
UNICEF has been chosen amongst one of the first five partner organisation to implement an EU Children of Peace project. UNICEF Pakistan was selected as project country.
In 2014, the scope has been extended to reach out to more than 80 000 children, with projects including South Sudan, Chad (UNICEF project), the Central African Republic, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Colombia and Ecuador.
From the initial EUR 2 million funding for the humanitarian projects helping conflict-affected children with education in 2013, the EU doubled the funding to EUR 4 million for the EU Children of Peace projects that are being implemented in 2014.
UNICEF – EU CHILDREN OF PEACE PROJECT IN PAKISTAN (2013) Overview Project Location: Pakistan - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Jalozai camp, Nowshera district
Project Duration: 01/03/2013 – 01/05/2014 (14 months)
Amount of Funding: EUR 300.000
Number of beneficiaries: 4 000 children (initially 3 000 children), including almost 1 900 girls, and support for children, especially girls, whose access to education has not been possible before
Short description of the project
The violence in North Pakistan has been affecting the population since 2008. Camps and communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province have been hosting tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs). Since the beginning of 2013 heightened insecurity has resulted in a fresh influx of people placing additional pressure on resources and services.
The contribution by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) of EUR 300 000 from the Nobel Peace Prize to UNICEF Pakistan country office supports 15 primary schools in north-western regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Jalozai camp. UNICEF does not only offer education through its safe learning spaces but children receive health and hygiene lessons, psycho-social support and opportunities to play and grow in safe environment.
The EU Children of Peace package additionally includes school-in-a-box supplies, training for teachers, education for peace training and psychosocial counselling that help children cope with traumatic experiences.
Additionally, thanks mostly to awareness and sensitisation campaigns in the camp there have been almost 1 000 new admissions in the month of September.
Material
Euronews reportage: http://www.euronews.com/2013/11/13/learning-the-hard-way-girlseducation-in-pakistan-s-jalozai-camp/ Pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/sets/72157639585291213/
UNICEF – EU CHILDREN OF PEACE PROJECT IN CHAD (2014) Overview Project Location: Chad , Sila region - Tissi
Project Duration: 01/11/2013 – 1/05/2015 (18 months)
Amount of Funding: EUR 400.000
Number of beneficiaries: The funding under the EU Children of Peace initiative is supporting UNICEF's effort to provide access to education for 9 000 children (returnees 4.996, of which 2.591 girls; refugees 4.004 of which 2.019 girls; 30 primary school educators; 60 teachers)
Short description of the project
Since March 2013, inter-communal conflicts in Darfur, Sudan have led to a constant influx of Chadian returnees and Sudanese refugees in and around the city of Tissi in eastern Chad.
Around 50,000 returnees and refugees have now settled there, 80% of them are women (30,000) and children (10,000). After having faced traumatic situations, they are struggling to regain a sense of normalcy. Thousands of children no longer have access to basic education.
The assessment conducted by the Government and its partners shows that only 20% of the villages in Tissi have school infrastructure and school-aged children represent more than 25% of the total population.
The second round of funding under the EU Nobel Peace Prize projects, will enable UNICEF to set up some 60 primary school learning centers. 30 pre-school semi-permanent classrooms in the Tissi area will be established.
The initiative will also be implemented in existing schools and villages in the region. It will promote the “child-friendly school” approach to ensure emergency education in a safe and protective environment for children. Educational contents on peace education will be included in the training package of community teachers and in the school materials provided to children.
Material
Blog: http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/echo-action/eu-nobel-prize-for-children-eu-nobel-prize-forchildren/
EU CHILDREN OF PEACE – ANNIVERSAY EVENT Overview
To mark the first anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the European Union, an “EU Children of Peace” event took place in November 2013 in Brussels.
Dan Rohrmann, UNICEF Representative of Pakistan presented the significant impact on children which the project funding by the EU Children of Peace had generated.
The event coincided with Universal Children’s Day, and at a segment specifically dedicated to this, Mr. Rohrmann highlighted the importance of children's rights including in situations of conflict and natural disasters where children and women are most vulnerable and he took the opportunity to thank ECHO for the tremendous support received and to all those humanitarian and development workers who on a daily basis are defending children's rights and often in conflict and humanitarian settings risking their lives in doing so.
Material
Pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/sets/72157637900446266/ Event trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68XjgQVXh9U