INVESTING IN ChILDREN’S FUTURESEducation is every child’s right.Schools for Africa is making it a reality.

© U

NIC

EF/U

GD

A2010-00048/H

yun

“Together we can build more schools and equip them sufficiently.Let us together help raise the next generation of educated African leaders.”Nelson Mandela

LIVES TRANSFORMED.Twelve year-old Saâdiya Souley’s school was restored in late 2007. UNICEF worked along with her local community to rebuild her school, providing metal beams and also using locally available materials, such as mud bricks and corrugated iron sheets. UNICEF also provided tables and chairs to ensure that children enjoyed the right environment to continue their studies.

“This school building makes such a difference to me”, Saâdiya says. “When we studied under the huts, we had no table or chair. We had to sit on the ground. I did not like it as I felt dirty.”

“In addition to sitting on the ground, children were also exposed to the wind or the rains during the rainy season”, adds M. Mahama Arzika, the school director. “Parents were discouraged from sending their children to school. Sometimes, they even forbade their children from going to school and from studying in such conditions. Today, with the new school building, enrolment rates have increased significantly.”

When Saâdiya’s school opened in 2001 just 63 students, including only 8 girls, had enrolled. During the school year 2008-2009, 271 children enrolled, 50 per cent of them girls. While part of this achievement may be attributed to the new school building, this result was also achieved through the combined efforts of UNICEF and the Government of Niger with targeted communication campaigns: using itinerant educational cinema to broadcast films promoting girls’ education at the community level; organising group discussions with parents, community and religious leaders; and using local and national radio stations to promote key messages.

Saâdiya is the only child in her family going to school. She has three brothers and three sisters. Her sisters were married at an early age and therefore never had a chance to go to school. “I do not want to marry early because I do not want to stop going to school. I do not want to follow the path of my sisters.

I want to continue studying and learning so that I can become a teacher and I can teach all children in my community”, Saâdiya says.

“Before, parents did not see the interest of sending girls to school. But times have changed. They have now understood how important it is for all children, especially girls, to study” says Aminatou Issoufou, a member of the school’s mother education group, in the village of Saran Maradi.

The gross school enrolment rate in Niger jumped from 57 per cent (47 per cent girls) during 2006-2007 to 62 per cent (53 per cent girls) during the school year 2007-2008. UNICEF and its partners are currently supporting the Government in the expansion of a national policy for girls’ education. To date, UNICEF and its partners have set up school management committees in over 600 schools in Niger. In addition, the restoration of schools and classrooms accommodates approximately 16,000 children. Learning materials are distributed to an average of 150,000 children every year.

By 2013, UNICEF plans to bring primary school admission rates in Niger, from 76 per cent to 100 per cent.

EVERY ChILD’S RIGhT TO AN EDUCATION.

On 20 November 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), establishing one set of fundamental rights for all children. Today the CRC is the most widely ratified human rights agreement in the world and UNICEF’s work is guided by the provisions and principles of the CRC. Article 28 of the convention affirms every child’s right to an education.

Being able to read, write and do arithmetic increases the opportunities for children when they grow up. Education also plays a vital role in helping children protect themselves against

diseases that can ravage poor communities. Attending school builds confidence and contributes to a community spirit. Educated children are less likely to become victims of violence and abuse.

“No investment has such a lasting effect as the education of children. Children who go to school are healthier, more self-assured and can more easily assume a profession. And education is the only effective “vaccine” against HIV/AIDS.”

Per Engebak, UNICEF Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa

Saâdiya Souley at her primary school in Saran Maradi village, in Maradi region of Niger.

© UNICEF/Niger/2009/Bisin

© UNICEF/NYHZ2007-2256/Roger LeMoyne

In late 2004, UNICEF launched the Schools for Africa initiative in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Hamburg Society for the Promotion of International Law and Democracy. The aim of the program was to provide basic quality education to over 4 million children by 2010. Special focus was placed on supporting the poorest and most disadvantaged children, such as girls, orphaned and other vulnerable children and children with disabilities in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Since 2005 UNICEF has been working with communities and children to establish more Child-Friendly Schools in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and South Africa. By the end of 2008, results showed the initiative was well on track to achieving our goal of benefiting 4 million children by 2010, with 3.6 million children having benefited in the first four years. Due to this success, Phase 2 of the Schools for Africa program was launched in 2009 – expanding to benefit children in five additional countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali and Niger.

Angola

• 383 schools have been rehabilitated in 17 provinces (out of 18 in the country)• 54,000 teachers have been trained, benefiting 2,430,000 children• 82 schools have been provided with clean water• 121 schools have been equipped with sanitation facilities• De-worming of children has been carried out in over 10,000 schools

Malawi

• 132 schools have been repaired• 7,200 teachers have been trained, benefiting 550,000 children• 481 schools were provided with furniture and learning materials• 68 schools were equipped with sanitation facilities• 222 schools were supplied with clean drinking water• Over 100 communities were trained in participatory school management

Mozambique

• 150 schools were built or rehabilitated• 194 schools received water facilitates or improved water facilities• 277 were provided with sanitation facilities, benefiting over 370,000 children• 238 schools received school furniture and materials• 4,951 teachers and principals were trained

Rwanda

• 54 schools were built or rehabilitated • 56 schools were supplied with safe water and sanitation facilities• 5,108 teachers were trained, benefiting over 751,670 children

South Africa

• Comprehensive Child-Friendly Schools implementation plan was developed in • 3 provinces: Eastern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal • 13 schools were rehabilitated and provided with safe water and sanitation facilities• 13 schools were supplied with furniture• 12,950 teachers have been trained

Zimbabwe

• 100 schools have been provided with sanitation facilities, • 50 schools received safe water facilities• 76 schools were built or rehabilitated, benefiting 192,500 children• 100 schools were supplied with furniture• 200,000 children received textbooks• 10,565 teachers have been trained, benefiting 528,250 children

Thanks to donors’ support to date, children have benefitted from the Schools for Africa initiative with new and improved classrooms, school equipment and learning materials, trained teachers and improved water and sanitation facilities. Some specific achievements include:

SChOOLS FOR AFRICA - PROGRESS.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1340/Guillaume Bonn Rwanda, 2009

Boys drink safe water in a classroom in Rubingo School, a Child-Friendly School in a village in Gasabo District. Child-Friendly Schools promote free, compulsory education for all children in a safe, clean learning environment. The Government has adopted UNICEF’s Child-Friendly School standards for all schools in the country.

Schools for Africa - areas of work Country Country cost examples

Construction of new schools Malawi $393,490 can cover the cost of building 10 new schools.

Construction of new classrooms Rwanda $277,950 can cover the cost of construction 15 classrooms equipped with blackboards and storage cupboards.

Provision of sanitation facilities including separate latrines

Angola $190,750 can cover the cost of constructing latrines and urinals for girls and boys in 5 schools, benefitting 3,000 children.

School furniture and equipment Zimbabwe $39,240 can buy school furniture including blackboards, desks and chairs for 30 schools.

Provision of safe water Burkina Faso $81,750 can cover the cost of drilling boreholes and installing a hand pump water tank in 5 schools, benefitting approx 3,000 students.

Teaching and learning materials for both teachers and pupils

Ethiopia $56,000 can buy 200 UNICEF ‘s ‘School-in-a-Box’ kits, each containing teaching equipment for 2 teachers and 80 students.

Training of school teachers and directors

$3,924 can cover the cost of a 5 day training program for 1,000 school staff, benefitting around 6,000 children.

TOTAL $1,043,104**

*This is a projective figure and may be revised **Based on exchange rates USD to AUD as at 28 Oct 2009, 1 USD = AUD 1.09

SCHOOLS FOR AFRICA – THE FUTURE.With continued donor support, Phase 2 of Schools for Africa is on track to reach approximately eight million* additional children. In Australia, we have set a $1 million goal to help achieve this target. The table below shows examples of how funds might be used. These are examples only, as due to differences in labour and supply costs, the cost of implementation is different in each of the 11 countries.

AN EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT FROM YOU.

RWANDA

MALI

NIGER

ETHIOPIA

BURKINA FASO

ANGOLA

SOUTH AFRICA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE

MOZAMBIQUE

MALAWI

We are asking you to consider making a significant contribution to help UNICEF continue to meet the objectives for Schools for Africa Phase 2. Help African children realise their right to an education in Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

With your help, thousands more children will be able to attend school, many for the first time.

Eight year-old Maureen Kalulu is like any other child her age. She is active, loves to play, and dreams of becoming a typist when she grows up.

In another respect however, Maureen is unlike other eight year-olds. The third grader at South Lunzu Primary School in Blantyre, southern Malawi, has no classroom she can call her own. Instead, she and her class learn under a tree.

“Our clothes get dirty all the time,” she says. “We get rained on, the cold is unbearable, and it is impossible to concentrate with the noisy traffic passing nearby.”

Maureen lives with her grandmother and two of her siblings. Her parents live and work in Nsanje, one of Malawi’s poorest districts situated on the southern tip of Malawi. Maureen says her parents left her in Blantyre in the hope that she can get a better education.

Built in 1952 and nestled at the foot of Mount Ndirande, the School is a decrepit, weather-beaten, old-fashioned structure that is home to more than 2,300 pupils. Huge cracks pepper the decaying walls and the floors are contoured by large gaping holes, attesting to decades of dereliction.

On the far eastern side of the school compound, almost hidden from view, lies a two-classroom block housing Standard 5 pupils.

The pupils sit on the cold floor. The walls are ringed by a large crack that worries the head teacher, Mrs. Esther Pondelani. She says she is torn between keeping the pupils in the classrooms and taking them out to learn under trees. Nor are her problems limited to the crumbling physical infrastructure.

Overcrowding, insufficient desks, and inadequate staff housing are other problems that preoccupy her mind.

Fortunately for her, UNICEF recently built two classroom blocks with funding from the Schools for Africa Initiative, thereby easing some of the congestion. The blocks accommodate 170 Standard Eight pupils.

“We need more classroom blocks,” says eighth grade teacher Mrs. Jane Matuwisa. “We also need desks and chairs for the pupils who are sitting on the floor.”

Maureen says she only dreams of the day when she will be able to learn in a classroom. With the Schools for Africa initiative mobilising funding for the construction of classrooms and with other donors embarking on similar initiatives, that day may not be too far off.

IMPROVING PRIMARY EDUCATION IN MALAWI.

©UNICEF/Malawi

©UNICEF/Malawi

UNICEF encourages the adoption of the Child-Friendly Schools model around the world and promotes a holistic approach in an effort to create conditions that will attract children to school, keep them there and support them to learn effectively. Safe, clean water to drink and sanitation facilities play a big part in this.

Child-Friendly Schools offer children an inclusive, safe and healthy environment with well-trained teachers and learning materials in all classrooms. Children,

their parents and the community are provided with opportunities and recreational activities.

With your support, UNICEF and its partners can build more new Child-Friendly Schools and improve existing schools so more children in Africa receive a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment. Help us continue to create more Child-Friendly Schools, where children will want to participate to ensure a better future.

Throughout 2009 in Mali, UNICEF continued to support the government to implement an integrated approach to achieve child survival. These measures include access to quality primary education, particularly for girls; access to quality health services, including immunisations; provision of safe water and sanitation; and education for the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

UNICEF ‘ChILD-FRIENDLY SChOOLS’.

‘ChILD-FRIENDLY SChOOLS’ are:

© UNICEF/MLIA2009-00086/Giacomo Pirozzi Mali, 2009

A girl in the UNICEF-supported Child-Friendly School in the rural village of Guivagou 20 km from the town of Bankass, Mopti Region, central Mali.

Rights-based. Proactively seek out-of-school children, encouraging them to enrol irrespective of gender, race, ability or social status.

Gender sensitive. Promotes equality in enrolment and achievement among boys and girls.

Safe and protective. Ensures children can learn in a safe environment.

Community active. Encourages involvement between schools, communities, parents and children in all aspects of the education process.

Academically effective. Provides children with relevant knowledge and skills for surviving and thriving in life.

health promoting. Encourages physical and emotional health of children by meeting key nutritional and healthcare needs.

WILL YOU PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN hELPING UNICEF GIVE MILLIONS MORE AFRICAN ChILDREN ACCESS TO SChOOL?

Your donation will help transform the lives of thousands of children in Africa by providing access to a quality, safe and healthy education. And that help will go a long way to:

● Building brand new Child-Friendly Schools

● Renovating run-down schools under the Child-Friendly model

● Providing safe drinking water, hand washing facilities and latrines for boys and girls and other water and sanitation infrastructure to existing and under-construction schools.

PUTTING GIRLS FIRST.UNICEF’s Schools for Africa program aims to help the most vulnerable children have access to a quality, basic education. One of these at-risk groups is girls, often called the ‘water haulers of the world.’

Household chores, such as fetching water, keep many girls out of school. Even if girls do manage to go to school, they are often sent to fetch water when it is needed. Most other household chores, including cleaning latrines and garbage disposal, also fall to women and girls. When family members become sick, girls are more likely to be kept home to care for them.

Providing water close to homes frees girls and boosts their school attendance. All children need a sanitary and hygienic learning environment, but the lack of sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools has a stronger negative impact on girls than on boys. Girls need safe, clean, separate and private sanitation facilities in their schools.

Please complete and return the enclosed donation form today. Call 1300 884 233 or donate online at www.unicef.org.au/SFA Thank you.

© UNICEF/NYHQ1996-1166/Giacomo Pirozzi

“I call upon you to act now. Make a donation and inspire the millions of children in Africa to fulfil their dreams.”

Nelson Mandela

WE’LL KEEP YOU INFORMED.In recognition of your vital role in helping us ensure the right to an education for more children, we will keep you up to date with the progress of the Schools for Africa program.

WhY UNICEF?UNICEF is the leading global development and emergency relief organisation working specifically to support vulnerable children and their rights. Over 60 years of experience have helped us to become a leader in delivering healthcare, education and protection to vulnerable children. UNICEF achieves results.

UNICEF is part of the United Nations, so we are uniquely placed to influence government policies around the world. However we are not funded by the UN – we rely on voluntary contributors.

Our UN position also means we are able to work across more countries and access more remote or dangerous areas than other aid organisations. UNICEF has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organisation in the world.

Thank you for helping UNICEF make a difference.

Australian Committee for UNICEF LimitedABN 35 060 581 437Level 7, 171 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000PO Box 488 Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230Email: unicef@unicef.org.auwww.unicef.org.auDonation Hotline: 1300 884 233

© U

NIC

EF/M

LIA09-00171/G

iacom

o P

irozzi