The European Union on Wednesday provided 300,000 Euro from its Nobel Peace Prize money to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for its educational activities for children affected by security issues in parts of north-western Pakistan.
The agreement was formalised between Ambassador and European Union Delegation Head Lars-Gunnar Wigemark and European Union Representative to Pakistan Dan Rohrmann.
The funds from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) will enable UNICEF to provide education to 3,000 children including 1,500 girls in 30 schools currently operative in the Jalozai Camp, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said a press release.
Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Wigemark remarked, “children are extremely vulnerable to political conflicts and their education is under threat”.
“They risk carrying the burden of conflict throughout their lives. It is fitting that the Nobel Peace Prize funds benefit those who are the future’s hope”, he said.
UNICEF has been providing educational support to children in Jalozai Camp since 2008. The package includes school supplies, teachers’ training, education for peace training and psycho-social counseling that helps children cope with traumatic experiences.
Dan Rohrmann said that these funds will provide an opportunity for children to reconnect to a safe learning environment that not only provides quality education but also gives some sense of normalcy to many Pakistani children living in tumultuous environments.
He said that in these camp schools, the children get education and also benefit from other basic services such as health,water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and physical security which ensures holistic childhood development.
