Educate A Child, a global programme of Education Above All Foundation (EAA), has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in Paris, France. The purpose of this MoU is to collaborate and engage in projects and activities that support access to primary education. These projects will contribute to the reduction of the number of out of school children in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately half the world’s out of school children reside. Joint efforts will include promoting attention to the issue of out of school children, and supporting their enrollment and retention once in school. The five-year agreement, once fully implemented, can make the difference to 500,000 children in countries Sub-Saharan Africa. The cost estimation of the aforementioned overall objective is US$ 50,000,000 ( Fifty Million United States Dollar) to be shared equally by the Parties The specific countries of operation and its projects will be determined between now and December 2015 by a dedicated taskforce comprised of AFD and EAC’s technical team. The projects will start to be implemented as from January 2016.
Commenting on the MoU, Marcio Barbosa, CEO, Education Above All Foundation, said: “We believe that in order to achieve universal primary education the current funding gap of $26 billion needs to be addressed by a variety of different sources. These include the private sector, individual philanthropists, sports and arts organisations, the wider community and, of course, governments. EAA’s efforts include bringing coordination among the donor community and avoiding duplication. Today’s agreement with the Agence Française de Développement represents a key collaboration which could make a difference to 500,000 children in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Jean-Jacques Moineville, Deputy CEO at AFD said: “Since 2000, the international agenda has moved from combating poverty to a global debate on the challenges of sustainable development, linking education with employment and social protection. That is why, the development of human capital has become a major sphere of intervention for AFD. Given the scale and urgent nature of the requirements, AFD supports basic quality education for all, as well as the development of knowledge and skills, and youth access to decent jobs, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
At the end of 2015, the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will come to an end, including MDG2, which looks at ensuring universal primary education is guaranteed. There remain 58 million out of school children worldwide, and this is now a critical time to ensure those hard to reach children who remain out of school are not forgotten. A final push is needed by the global community, both financial and political, to ensure the completion of the unfinished MDG2.
About Educate A Child (EAC)
Launched in 2012, EAC, a global program of Education Above All Foundation, aims to trigger significant breakthroughs in providing quality primary education to the 58 million children who currently have no access to schooling. Through EAC supported projects, (today more than 40 projects in 38 countries) children overcome barriers to educational access and retention. With the overall goal of successfully completing an entire cycle of quality primary education, EAC strives to improve both individual and social outcomes for these children.
For more information, visit ► educateachild.org
About Education Above All (EAA)
Education Above All (EAA) is a global initiative founded in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar. EAA’s aim is to build a global movement that contributes to human, social and economic development through quality education and other welfare programmes and initiatives. With a particular focus on areas affected by poverty, conflict and disaster, EAA champions the needs of children and youth and empower them to be active members of their communities. By meeting the demand for education, EAA equips them to support sustainable development and to nurture environments of peace, security, justice and prosperity. EAA is the umbrella organisation overseeing three core programmes: Educate A Child, Al Fakhoora and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), as well as one special project, the Kakuma/Kenya Project. For more information, visit ► educationaboveall.org