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ECW, Strategic Partner Bringing Relief to Refugee Children Fleeing the Ukraine Conflict – Global Issues

Yasmine Sherif, Education Director Can’t Wait, at “Blue Dot” founded by UNICEF, UNHCR and partners in Chi? Print? U. “Blue Dot” support centers provide protection, temporary shelter, food and psychosocial support to meet the urgent needs of families fleeing Ukraine. Credit: ECW
  • by Joyce Chimbi (nairobi)
  • Joint press service

With their lives turned upside down, affected children are missing, traumatized and among the millions displaced from their homes to neighboring countries, including the Republic of Moldova, in search of safety, protection and help.

Witness the effects of the ongoing crisis first-hand, Yasmine Sherif, Director Education Can’t Wait (ECW)told IPS that the affected children and their mothers arrived in Moldova clearly traumatized and in need of immediate psychosocial support.

“As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, across the region, more than 5 million refugees have left Ukraine and an additional 7.1 million people have been internally displaced. To date, an estimated 400,000 people have traveled through Moldova in search of safety,” she said.

Sherif paints a picture of a country unprepared for the refugee crisis – despite its welcoming spirit and open-door policy for refugees.

“Moldova is the poorest country in Europe with a significant capacity gap and is struggling to accommodate the influx of refugees. Today, Moldova hosts at least 100,000 refugees, including 50,000 refugee girls and boys, of which only 1,800 are currently enrolled in school. “

Sherif confirmed that Moldova is enrolling children in school as quickly as possible and that public schools are open to refugees. However, she said that there are pressing problems that affected Ukrainian refugee children face and that at present, Moldova is not equipped to address their educational needs.

Sherif says capacity has been stretched in Moldova and many parts of the education system need to be developed even before the refugee crisis.

With 50,000 children across the country in need of enrollment, she said, capacity is now exceeding expectations. Moldova was not ready for this crisis”.

ECW and strategic partners US Agency for International Development (YOU SAID), Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth & Office of Development / UK (FCDO / United Kingdom), and Their world is looking at capacity gaps, including “emergency mental health and psychosocial services.”

Children in Moldova are taught in Romania, a language derived from Latin, while children in Ukraine speak Russian, a Slavic language – resulting in a language barrier. This requires more teachers who can teach in Russia and are trained to handle children in crisis. For refugee children in rural Moldova, access to safe water and sanitation is another pressing need.

Sherif spoke in the context of a high-level business trip to Moldova together with the country’s strategic partners in a coordinated and joint response in Moldova.

ECW has so far contributed US$6.5 million to support education in the emergency response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

In March, the organization announced that it had donated US$5 million to Ukraine First Emergency Response.

On April 13, ECW announced a new sum, initial US$1.5 million allocated to support education during emergencies, to be done in cooperation with the Government of Moldova, to ensure refugee children and youth can access safe and secure learning opportunities and protected.

During the high-level mission, USAID also announced more Donate US$18 million into the ECW global trust fund to support ECW education responses in crisis-affected countries globally. After Germany and the UK, this donation makes the US the third-largest donor to ECW – the United Nations’ global fund for education in protracted emergencies and crises.

With an estimated funding gap of $30 million for emergency education response in Ukraine, ECW has ramped up advocacy efforts, calling on donors and other strategic partners to help close the gap. .

The UNHCR representative in Moldova, Francesca Bonelli, said that education is key for refugees to live with dignity and “is one of the first services requested. We greatly appreciate the support of the Moldovan authorities, teachers and community in welcoming the refugees. ”

Their World President, Justin van Fleet, said the organization would announce additional funding. Their World is an innovative global children’s charity committed to ending the global education crisis and unleashing the potential of the next generation.

The fund will support refugee education projects in the coming weeks, he said, harnessing the charity’s experience from other emergencies and campaigning to ensure donors invest 10%. funding for humanitarian response to education.

“The school closures caused by COVID-19 have told us that there are more school losses than school days,” said UNICEF Representative in Moldova Maha Damaj, UNICEF Representative in Moldova Maha Damaj. “In Moldova, UNICEF is working with partners to help refugee children from Ukraine regain their learning experience in a safe and supportive environment that nurtures their resilience to the traumas of war.”

“As a leading funder of Education Can’t Wait, the UK is committed to protecting the right to education of all children, including those affected by the crisis. We stand ready to support a coordinated educational response for refugee children from Ukraine. Alicia Herbert, Director of Education, Gender and Equality and Gender, FCDO, says:

Whether all the resources contributed meet the most pressing needs of affected Ukrainian children in Moldova, it all depends on how long it takes to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. how long.

“More than 400,000 refugees have passed through Moldova. If the conflict escalates further and new towns like Odesa are taken, a second wave of refugees will arrive in Moldova and elsewhere,” said Sherif.

“Moldova is not currently prepared for a refugee crisis of this magnitude, and more funding will be needed to fill the ongoing capacity gap. I urge governments and the private sector not to rest because there can be no peace until everyone has peace.”

Report of the United Nations Office IPS


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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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