UNICEF, EU launch #EmergencyLessons campaign on Education in Crisis Zones

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union (EU) on 16 May 2016 announced the launch of #EmergencyLessons campaign on education in crisis zones.

The campaign is a social media-driven public awareness campaign. It is aimed at reaching 20 million Europeans and highlighting the importance of education for children affected by emergencies.

Key highlights of #EmergencyLessons campaign
• The campaign specifically targets people 25 year old and younger peoples.

• For the next seven months, the stories of the children affected by emergencies will be shared on social media.

• It covers countries like Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.

• It seeks to inspire these nations to raise their voices on behalf of millions of children and adolescents whose education has been interrupted by emergencies.

• It draws on the real-life experiences of children living through emergencies in countries such as Guinea, Iraq, Nepal and Ukraine.

• The campaign celebrates the other benefits of going to school like the friends made, the teachers who support children through trauma, and the stability found in the routine of attending classes.

A number of celebrities are lending their support to the campaign. These include Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian European Space Agency astronaut; Bostjan Nachbar, Slovenian basketball player; Kriszta D. Toth, Hungarian news presenter and media personality; and Jaro Bekr, Slovakian dancer.

Comment
Nearly one in four of the world's school-age children – 462 million – now live in 35 countries affected by crises, including an estimated 75 million children who are in desperate need of educational support.

Apart from missing out on education, and the benefits it yields for them and for their societies, out-of-school children are more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and recruitment by armed forces, the agency said.

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