Japan and UNICEF Collaborate to Reopen Schools in Conflict-Affected Areas of Sudan
A $4.8 million financial cooperation agreement between Japan and UNICEF aims to improve learning environments and support educators in five conflict-affected states.
TOKYO: In a significant effort to support education in the Republic of Sudan, Japan and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have signed an agreement for the 'Plan for the Reopening of Elementary Schools in Conflict-Affected Areas (UNICEF Cooperation)'.
The agreement provides free financial cooperation amounting to 735 million yen ($4.8 million).The signing ceremony took place in New York, with Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Mikanagi Tomohiro and Mandeep O'Brien, Global Director of UNICEF's Public Partnership Division, exchanging the letters.Schools across Sudan were shut down in April 2023 due to ongoing armed conflict.
As a result, only about 30 percent of these educational institutions have managed to reopen since then, leaving approximately 90 percent of school-age children without access to education.
Furthermore, those schools that have reopened face severe overcrowding, largely due to the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs).The agreement seeks to address these challenges by enhancing the learning environment for elementary schools and bolstering the capacity of educators in five central, eastern, and southern states of Sudan.
These areas are particularly affected, with numerous schools needing restoration due to direct damage from combat and the absorption of IDPs.Through this partnership, UNICEF and Japan aim to improve essential facilities within these educational settings, including adequate teaching materials, sanitation infrastructure such as toilets, and water supply systems that were destroyed or severely compromised.
The ultimate goal is to create a conducive learning environment that allows children in conflict-affected areas to receive quality education.
The agreement provides free financial cooperation amounting to 735 million yen ($4.8 million).The signing ceremony took place in New York, with Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Mikanagi Tomohiro and Mandeep O'Brien, Global Director of UNICEF's Public Partnership Division, exchanging the letters.Schools across Sudan were shut down in April 2023 due to ongoing armed conflict.
As a result, only about 30 percent of these educational institutions have managed to reopen since then, leaving approximately 90 percent of school-age children without access to education.
Furthermore, those schools that have reopened face severe overcrowding, largely due to the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs).The agreement seeks to address these challenges by enhancing the learning environment for elementary schools and bolstering the capacity of educators in five central, eastern, and southern states of Sudan.
These areas are particularly affected, with numerous schools needing restoration due to direct damage from combat and the absorption of IDPs.Through this partnership, UNICEF and Japan aim to improve essential facilities within these educational settings, including adequate teaching materials, sanitation infrastructure such as toilets, and water supply systems that were destroyed or severely compromised.
The ultimate goal is to create a conducive learning environment that allows children in conflict-affected areas to receive quality education.