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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 16 May 2008 – UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation
and the Hamburg Society today signed a memorandum of understanding at the
foundation’s headquarters in Johannesburg to consolidate their partnership promoting
the six-nation ‘Schools for Africa’ campaign.
The initiative is expected to reach its $50 million fundraising target by year-end, three
years ahead of deadline. The funds are being used to provide millions of children in
Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe with:
• Improved learning environments that are safe, protective and accessible
• Newly built or rehabilitated classrooms
• School furniture, including blackboards, desks and chairs
• Teaching and learning materials
• Safe drinking water and separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys.
Children in these countries will also benefit from better training for teachers and involved
community members, who will be able to make schools more child-friendly.
Child-friendly standards
“No other investment has such a lasting effect as the education of children,” said UNICEF
Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Per Engebak. “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 and AIDS.
“The Schools for Africa initiative is an ideal vehicle to help achieve Millennium
Development Goals 2 and 3, which set specific targets for universal primary education,
gender equality and the empowerment of women,” added Mr. Engebak. “We also see the
initiative as a way to mainstream Child Friendly School standards, to ensure a quality
education for all children.”
Child Friendly School standards comprise an established strategic framework developed
and implemented by UNICEF and its education partners worldwide since the 1990s.
Among other things, the standards advocate a rights-based approach to learning, with
strong community involvement, provision of safe water and sanitation, and sensitivity to
the needs of girls in schools.
Achieving universal primary education
Despite the acknowledged importance of education for all children, however, achieving
universal primary education has proven difficult the world over.
According to a 2005 report produced jointly by UNICEF and UNESCO, some 121 million
children were reportedly out of school, 65 million of them girls.
Forty-five million of those out of school globally are from sub-Saharan Africa, including
21 million in Eastern and Southern Africa alone. What’s more, a majority of the 31
countries that are at high risk of not achieving universal primary education by 2015 are
located in sub-Saharan Africa.
Lives transformed through education
In the Schools for Africa campaign, said UNICEF Representative in South Africa Macharia
Kamau, “we have yet another opportunity to help transform the lives of children through
quality education. We are pleased to have these three organizations aligning themselves
with this expanded initiative.”
The agreement signed today strengthens the existing Schools for Africa partnership in
support of progress towards the achievement of MDG 2 and MDG 3 – and towards the
targets for universal primary education and women’s empowerment reflected in the goals
of the African Union’s Second Decade of Education for Africa.
According to Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor, the memorandum of
understanding will help to “ensure that all children in Africa have access to the kind of
education that will transform their lives and the future of our continent.”
Fundraising by National Committees
A major element of the expanded Schools for Africa campaign is the intensive fundraising
effort already in place by UNICEF National Committees around the world.
Countries participating in the initiative receive fundraising support from UNICEF
committees in Germany, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, the United
Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Australia, the United States, Korea, Portugal,
Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
In addition, major individual and corporate partners – such as Peter Kramer, Chairperson
of the Hamburg Society, Gucci (currently the largest single donor to Schools for Africa),
Siemens, ING, Payback, Cadbury, Bobcat, Orbis and T-Mobile – continue to support the
education campaign.
Article & Photos: UNICEF- All Rights Reserved
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/southafrica_43976.html
and the Hamburg Society today signed a memorandum of understanding at the
foundation’s headquarters in Johannesburg to consolidate their partnership promoting
the six-nation ‘Schools for Africa’ campaign.
The initiative is expected to reach its $50 million fundraising target by year-end, three
years ahead of deadline. The funds are being used to provide millions of children in
Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe with:
• Improved learning environments that are safe, protective and accessible
• Newly built or rehabilitated classrooms
• School furniture, including blackboards, desks and chairs
• Teaching and learning materials
• Safe drinking water and separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys.
Children in these countries will also benefit from better training for teachers and involved
community members, who will be able to make schools more child-friendly.
Child-friendly standards
“No other investment has such a lasting effect as the education of children,” said UNICEF
Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Per Engebak. “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 and AIDS.
“The Schools for Africa initiative is an ideal vehicle to help achieve Millennium
Development Goals 2 and 3, which set specific targets for universal primary education,
gender equality and the empowerment of women,” added Mr. Engebak. “We also see the
initiative as a way to mainstream Child Friendly School standards, to ensure a quality
education for all children.”
Child Friendly School standards comprise an established strategic framework developed
and implemented by UNICEF and its education partners worldwide since the 1990s.
Among other things, the standards advocate a rights-based approach to learning, with
strong community involvement, provision of safe water and sanitation, and sensitivity to
the needs of girls in schools.
Achieving universal primary education
Despite the acknowledged importance of education for all children, however, achieving
universal primary education has proven difficult the world over.
According to a 2005 report produced jointly by UNICEF and UNESCO, some 121 million
children were reportedly out of school, 65 million of them girls.
Forty-five million of those out of school globally are from sub-Saharan Africa, including
21 million in Eastern and Southern Africa alone. What’s more, a majority of the 31
countries that are at high risk of not achieving universal primary education by 2015 are
located in sub-Saharan Africa.
Lives transformed through education
In the Schools for Africa campaign, said UNICEF Representative in South Africa Macharia
Kamau, “we have yet another opportunity to help transform the lives of children through
quality education. We are pleased to have these three organizations aligning themselves
with this expanded initiative.”
The agreement signed today strengthens the existing Schools for Africa partnership in
support of progress towards the achievement of MDG 2 and MDG 3 – and towards the
targets for universal primary education and women’s empowerment reflected in the goals
of the African Union’s Second Decade of Education for Africa.
According to Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor, the memorandum of
understanding will help to “ensure that all children in Africa have access to the kind of
education that will transform their lives and the future of our continent.”
Fundraising by National Committees
A major element of the expanded Schools for Africa campaign is the intensive fundraising
effort already in place by UNICEF National Committees around the world.
Countries participating in the initiative receive fundraising support from UNICEF
committees in Germany, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, the United
Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Australia, the United States, Korea, Portugal,
Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
In addition, major individual and corporate partners – such as Peter Kramer, Chairperson
of the Hamburg Society, Gucci (currently the largest single donor to Schools for Africa),
Siemens, ING, Payback, Cadbury, Bobcat, Orbis and T-Mobile – continue to support the
education campaign.
Article & Photos: UNICEF- All Rights Reserved
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/southafrica_43976.html
UNICEF, Mandela Foundation and Hamburg Society consolidate ‘Schools for Africa’
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© UNICEF video
Former South African President Nelson Mandela and his foundation
have joined with UNICEF and the Hamburg Society in expanding
their drive to provide quality education for millions of Africa’s children.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela and his foundation
have joined with UNICEF and the Hamburg Society in expanding
their drive to provide quality education for millions of Africa’s children.
© RM Photography/Hearfield
Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor (left) and
UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Per
Engebak sign the new ‘Schools for Africa’ memorandum of
understanding in Johannesburg.
Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor (left) and
UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Per
Engebak sign the new ‘Schools for Africa’ memorandum of
understanding in Johannesburg.