Lending its support to call for more funding for emergency education led by The United Nations Global Fund for Education can’t wait (ECW) the head of the United Nations emphasized in a video message that no one should be denied the opportunity to learn.
Mr. Guterres noted that all 222 million children today are suffering from poor education. To help them, 18 countries and private partners committed $826 million to ECW, on the opening day of the landmark conference.
Education, a fundamental right
“No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what barriers stand in your way, you have the right to a quality education.,” he said, in a call for greater international efforts to ensure that more vulnerable children and young people have a chance to succeed.
Leave your comments at Education can’t wait for the Financial Summit in GenevaThe Secretary-General welcomed the fact that since its inception in 2017, the fund has trained 87,000 teachers and gave seven million children in crisis the “education they deserve.”“.
EQUAL commitments from 18 countries and the private sector topped $826 million on the first day of the conference, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of the ECW High Level Steering Group, Gordon Brownwelcomes international support for learning for all, such as invest in sustainable peace.
“We are talking about the most isolated, desolate, neglected children in the world. We are talking about girls who are trafficked or forced into child labor or child marriage, unless we can help them,” he continued.
Somaya Faruqi (centre) works with students at Missouri University of Science and Technology to build a robot.
Afghanistan: a textbook of despair
With his own painful story about education in crisis in Afghanistan, Somaya Faruqi explains that although she fled the country when the Taliban took power in August 2021, many of her “sisters” were left behind.
Faruqi, 20, who still keeps in touch with them and works as a women’s rights activist, said her girlfriends are currently unable to study after being banned by the authorities from taking classes.
“The situation is much worse than you can see on the news and on social media,” she told UN News. “Every day I get messages from friends that they are forced to marry, regardless of their age or consent.”
Heavy responsibility
She added: “I feel a deep responsibility to support my sisters who are still in Afghanistan. Every day, I keep in touch with them, even though their circumstances are not good.
“I listen to their stories, offer words of encouragement, and help connect them to resources when I can. It hurts to see the struggles they face, but it just strengthen my resolve to fight for their rights and to help build a better future for all Afghan women.”
digital ambition
Ms. Faruqi, a native of Herat in western Afghanistan, is currently studying mechanical engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in the US.
Her hobby of fixing things stems from helping her father fix cars, which sparked a love for robotics. Captain of the Afghan female robot team.
The bright future is gone
“We will build the first robot company in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, when the situation changed,” she said. “Now we can see the real situation inside Afghanistan, that (Taliban) does not value what we have and what we have achieved in 20 years.”
Today, Somaya says she has many happy memories growing up in Afghanistan but feels deeply saddened about how the authorities in fact “taken everything from us”.
Through thick and thin
Before the August 2021 coup, “Afghanistan is the place I call home,” she explains, “where I can follow my dreams and contribute to the development of the community. However, since the Taliban took control, The situation has turned bad, and my heart aches for the suffering of those trapped there.”
Somaya told UN News that the morning would start off cheerfully “with a sense of excitement and purpose knowing that I would be at school that day”. “For me, school is not only a place to study but also a sanctuary where I can be myself, make friends and dream big. I cherish the opportunity to learn new things and every day feels like a precious gift.
“But more than that, school is where I make the most meaningful connections in my life – with girlfriends who share my passion for knowledge and growth. We laugh together, cry together, and encourage each other to overcome difficulties. Being with them makes me feel whole, alive and free.
“Now, when I look back on those days, my heart is filled with gratitude and nostalgia for those precious moments. I know that not all girls have the same chance as me, and it breaks my heart.
“Going to school and spending time with friends is not a privilege, but a fundamental right. I will always cherish those memories and working to create a world where every girl has a chance to experience magic just like I did.”
