Day of the (Forgotten) African Child

For Release – 16 Jun 2017

Nairobi - While students in North America and Europe get ready to celebrate the school holidays, 1.4 million children in East Africa are desperate to resume their education. 

As the continent commemorates the 2017 Day of the African Child, the focus on protecting children and creating equal opportunities for all, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, could not be more apt for millions of East Africa’s children today. 

World Vision is raising alarm about 1.4 million children in South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda who have abandoned their education and fled their homes due to armed conflict or extreme hunger due to drought. 

“In many places, children are on the move, in search of safety and food, foregoing their education. We know that in South Sudan, schools have been violently attacked and one in every four schools is closed. In drought-affected areas of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, we have heard of schools closing because children no longer attend, as they search for food or water to survive,” says Zacharia Imeje, World Vision’s regional humanitarian and emergency affairs advisor in East Africa.

Widespread drought is affecting 22 million people across eastern Africa. A lack of sufficient growing conditions, water and food has displaced millions, separating families and forcing children in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia to migrate. Meanwhile, conflict in South Sudan has displaced more than 3 million people, with 1.8 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Many of those children have travelled unaccompanied and arrive in countries such as Uganda in desperate need of protection, food aid and other critical services.

“Largely, children who are displaced have been forced to abandon their education, and have been forgotten about by the rest of the world,” says Brenda Kariuki, World Vision’s director of advocacy, campaigns and external engagement in East Africa. “No matter what their circumstance or location, all children should have the opportunity to go to school. Governments and humanitarian actors should work together to ensure that children in drought or conflict affected areas do not forgo their education – it is their right, and we owe it to them.”

With drought conditions persisting, Imeje worries that more children will drop out of school in the months to come, limiting their opportunities for the future and increasing their risk of exploitation. 

World Vision has launched a US $110 million appeal to respond to the conflict and hunger crisis across South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. More than 30,000 children have been already been reached through emergency child protection and education programmes. Meanwhile, a refugee response in Uganda is appealing for US $10 million, to reach 1.6 million people in need.

-Ends – 

Notes to Editors: 

The number 1.4 million who are out of school due to conflict or drought is based on the following: 

South Sudan

•1.17 million children ages 3 to18 do not have access to education due to conflict and displacement 

•73% of South Sudan’s children are out of school, the highest proportion in the world

•25% of the country’s schools were closed in 2016, due to conflict

Somalia

•80,000 children enrolled in schools have been forced out of education due to school closures and children migrating with families due to drought

Kenya

•174,954 school aged children have been reported to be out of school due to drought 

•Water shortages and the lack of school meals have reduced school attendance 

•Some schools have closed as families and teachers migrated, while others have experienced an influx of displaced children

Ethiopia

•150 schools in Omaria closed due to lack of food and water in November to December 2016 

Uganda

•900,000 refugees have arrived in country fleeing South Sudan, 59% of those refugees are children

For more information, please contact: 

Mark Nonkes

interim Communication Manager | East Africa Hunger Crisis

World Vision East Africa Regional Office 

based in Nairobi, Kenya

Email: mark_nonkes@wvi.org 

Skype: marknonkes | Mobile: +254 735 174 956 

Lillian Omariba

Senior Communications Manager

Email: Lillian_Omariba@wvi.org 

Skype: lkemmy30 | Mobile: +254 715 552 476