A special exhibition has taken place alongside the 78th United Nations General Assembly, celebrating the 10-year partnership between the Education Above All Foundation (EAA) and UNICEF.
Called A Decade of Dreams, the event took place at the Danny Kaye Visitors’ Centre at UNICEF House, New York, celebrating more than five million out-of-school children and youth gaining access to quality education.
The exhibition was unveiled by the EAA CEO and the Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development at UNICEF, and also UNICEF Ambassador, Ms Sofia Carson. They welcomed a series of high-level government officials and policymakers, representatives from United Nations agencies, the private sector, education organisations, ambassadors and other partners of the EAA Foundation.
The event celebrates more than five million out-of-school children and youth gaining access to quality education.
The exhibition features installations of photos and videos of children and youth sharing their personal journeys. The images vividly illustrate the transformative support provided by UNICEF and the EAA Foundation in helping these children reach their potential and realise their dreams.
UNICEF has worked with the EAA Foundation across several programmes. This includes the Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) Programme, touching nearly 265,000 beneficiaries in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal and establishing youth centres across nine countries, supporting thousands of young people trained in community engagement, along with thousands of educators.
Meanwhile, UNICEF in partnership with the EAA Foundation’s Al Fakhoora Programme response to the 2014 Gaza conflict is directly assisting nearly 5,000 young people. UNICEF also supported its PEIC Programme, contributing to ‘Education Under Attack’, a global survey by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). With PEIC’s involvement, GCPEA championed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, now endorsed by 118 states.
UNICEF has worked with the EAA Foundation across several programmes
Education Above All Foundation (EAA) CEO said: “EAA and UNICEF have worked together in diverse countries, enabling vulnerable children, whether fleeing conflict or stricken by poverty, to learn and thereby take up a path to a brighter future. Those children raise their communities through the power of education, which brings greater prosperity, better health, and the ability to overcome challenges.”
“Education is an entryway to meet the many needs of children, especially when they are facing multiple deprivations. Children cannot learn when they are hungry, when they feel unsafe, or grappling with trauma. Together, UNICEF and EAA will continue to turn the page on the future of millions of children and support quality education and the necessary services for the learning journey,” said the Deputy Executive Director of Programmes at UNICEF.