Dubai Cares Returns from Niger following Launch of Primary Education Programmes with OXFAM and UNICEF
- Announcement Marks First Collaboration with OXFAM and Fourth with UNICEF
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Chairperson of
Dubai, has returned from Niger after heading a Dubai Cares delegation to launch primary education programmes with OXFAM and the United Nations ChildrenCs Fund (UNICEF) in the West African country which, according to the United Nations Human Development Index, is ranked as the poorest country in the world.Cares Board of Directors
The announcement marks Dubai Cares’ first partnership with OXFAM to develop and implement primary education programmes in the developing world. This is the fourth partnership with UNICEF, with which Dubai Cares is already implementing programmes in Djibouti, Sudan and Yemen.
Nearly 2,000 children will benefit from the Dubai Cares-OXFAM programmes, in addition to teachers, parent teacher associations (PTAs), school management committees, and women’s associations. The initiative will also generate positive outcomes to five local, national and regional civil society organisations, and governmental staff, primarily from the Ministry of Education.
The overall objective of the Dubai Cares-led project in Niger is to build capacity in primary education among pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in the Tillaberi region. The programme will also improve quality and gender equity within the teaching system and drive the goals of Niger’s Strategy for Development and Poverty Reduction (2007) to ensure primary education for all by the year 2015.
Her Excellency Al Hashimy said: “Dubai Cares will work closely with OXFAM International to improve children’s access to basic education in Niger. We will also explore new ideas to build the capacity of communities and, particularly, that of women, with the aim of empowering them to become active partners in their own development.
“Providing access to primary education is only part of the equation – promoting a sense of ownership among communities is the best guarantee to ensure they will seize the opportunity given to them by their improved educational facilities."
Commenting on the new partnership, Barbara Stocking, CEO of Oxfam said: "Dubai is widely known for its ultra-modern infrastructure, business opportunities and high quality of living. More recently, it is gaining worldwide recognition as a centre of philanthropy, taking seriously its obligation to contribute to development and the reduction of world poverty. By funding education projects, Dubai Cares is offering children a hope for the future and joining the global fight against poverty. Oxfam welcomes this generous initiative."
The joint Dubai Cares-UNICEF programme is expected to benefit approximately 150,000 school-children, and provide basic training to nearly 1,000 newly recruited teachers. Workshops on subjects related to community development such as hygiene, nutrition and sanitation will also be concurrently conducted.
Basic school kits will be supplied to children as part of the initiative, which will help increase the number of enrolled children in 600 schools to 90,000 from the existing 83,000. In addition, the programme will also provide classroom furniture for 200 schools and building materials to construct 50 emergency learning centres. Improving sanitary facilities in 200 schools and increasing the attendance rate of girl students in the 12 communes from 45 to 47 per cent are the other key components of the programme.
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy added: “Almost 50 per cent of Niger’s villages do not have functional primary schools, with very few pre-schools or kindergarten centers to support child survival or readiness towards education. Our project will focus on increasing educational opportunities for children, especially girls, in the most remote and marginalized communities.”
According to the Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2006, Niger has one of the poorest education indicators in the world with female literacy rate of only 14.8 per cent, among the lowest in the world. The education system faces enormous challenges in terms of access, quality and target, particularly in the context of limited government funding for education.
Akhil Lyer, UNICEF Representative in Niger, said: "Considering the enormous gaps in Niger’s education sector, and noting the efforts and commitment of the government to increase access to education while enhancing its quality, significant contributions from donors such as Dubai Cares are crucial for ensuring that all children receive quality education in Niger. UNICEF therefore wishes to thank Dubai Cares for its invaluable support.”
The Dubai Cares delegation visited the towns of Tera and Say, both in the Tillaberi region, the sites of Dubai Cares’ education programmes, where they met with community leaders and young beneficiaries of the Dubai Cares-OXFAM International initiative.
Dubai Cares has prioritized its phase one grants to 12 countries that indicate the widest gap in primary education. Earlier this year, Dubai Cares announced the 12 beneficiary countries – Bangladesh, Bosnia, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Maldives, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Occupied Palestinian territories, Sudan, and Yemen; and Palestinian refugees (in Lebanon and Jordan).
Launched in September 2007, Dubai Cares has evolved into the world’s largest charitable establishment, solely devoted to improving primary education around the world. As a contribution to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals for providing primary education to every child by 2015, the initiative validates the emirate’s commitment to play an effective role in securing a better tomorrow for future generations.
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