Education For Children Inside Syria

Dear Friend,

Eight years after the start of the conflict, the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic remains one the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with more than 13 million people in need of assistance within the country, including more than five million children. The humanitarian situation has put additional stress on Syria’s education system, which was already overstretched and under resourced before the conflict began. An estimated 1.8 million children are out of school currently, and more than a million children are at risk of dropping out. The formal education system lost over one third of its education personnel, and across Syria one in three schools is out of use because it has been destroyed, damaged or is sheltering displaced families.

As you know, UNICEF has partnered with Educate A Child (EAC), a global program of the Education Above All Foundation, to implement the Self-Learning Program in Syria (SLP). With your support, the program will reach approximately 300,000 children in Syria over three years who have limited or no access to schooling with a curriculum and environment that is conducive to learning, so that children who have missed out on regular schooling can continue their education and ultimately return to a formal school setting.

In the program’s first year, a total of 118,174 children - more than half of whom are girls - enrolled in SLP or Curriculum B activities across Syria – an overachievement of the original Year 1 target. UNICEF and partners also accomplished the following results in the first year of the program:

• Procured 640,720 textbooks from the self-learning materials for distribution in opposition-controlled areas, and an additional 195,904 Curriculum B textbooks for use in government-controlled areas;
• Distributed self-learning materials to 113,200 children through a cross-line operation in Raqqa, where children had no educational materials to start SLP activities;
• Supported the activation of 485 learning spaces in public schools, homes, community centers and tents in camps;
• Procured 52,000 school bags that comprise a learning kit distributed to children across Syria;
• Procured 317 school-in-a-box kits for distribution in opposition-controlled areas where children do not have access to government-supported schools;
• Procured 977 recreation kits for distribution to newly enrolled children;
• Reached 8,828 children with psychosocial support; and
• Recruited 6,534 teachers and trained 2,973 to be facilitators for the SLP.

With population displacement, widespread violence, multiple armed groups and authorities vying for control, an overstretched education system and widespread poverty, Syrian families find it extremely challenging to prioritize education when they have difficulty meeting even their basic daily needs. With your support and matching funds from EAC that double the impact of your gift, UNICEF is able to engage in ongoing work to implement the Self-Learning Program and Curriculum B in a way that is mindful of the deeply complex operational environment in Syria.

Sincerely,

Whitney Simon