Urgent Intervention Needed for Sudanese Refugee Children as They Need External Response – Global Issues
CAIRO & NAIROBI, Aug 26 (IPS) – As peace sweeps across war-torn Sudan, thousands of people fleeing deadly fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have found refuge in neighboring countries, including Egypt. .
The number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt has increased almost sevenfold in what is considered the worst migration crisis in the world, affecting 10 million people, at least two million have fled to neighboring countries, including Egypt. In Egypt, more than 748,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR, most of whom are women and children who recently arrived from Sudan. This number is expected to continue to rise.
“As Sudan plunged into conflict, international aid agencies, UN agencies, civil society organizations and governments developed a plan to address the urgent needs of refugees fleeing Sudan to seek safety in five different countries, including Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, South Sudan and in the Central African Republic,” Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education, Cannot Wait (ECW), a global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises at the United Nations, told IPS.
To be clear, the Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan for 2024 calls for USD 109 million to respond to the education needs of refugees across the region. So far, only 20 percent of this money has been collected, including USD 4.3 million—or 40 percent of Egypt’s requirement.
ECW was among the first to respond in the education sector, providing emergency grants to support partners in all five countries.
The Egyptian government has shown great commitment to providing refugees with access to education, but with 9,000 children arriving every month, the needs are great.
Therefore, about 54 percent of newly arrived children are currently not in school, according to a recent survey.
Sherif says that despite Egypt’s refugee policy, needs are great, resources are limited and additional funds are urgently needed to increase access to safe, inclusive, and equitable education for refugee and vulnerable community children.
“Families fleeing the brutal conflict in Sudan endured unspeakable violence and their lives were torn apart. For girls and boys displaced by internal conflict, education is a way of life. It provides protection and a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos. And give them the resources they need to recover and thrive again,” she said.
The Egyptian government has shown great commitment to providing refugees with access to education, but with 9,000 children arriving every month, the needs are great.
In the UN high-level stock-taking campaign in Egypt in August 2024, ECW, UNHCR and UNICEF are calling on donors, governments and people of good will to contribute to filling the remaining gap and increase the educational response of refugees and the host community. children.
“We have seen the important work done by UNHCR, the Catholic Relief Service and local organizations. But the needs are faster than the response, and Egypt now has a growing financial gap of USD 6.6 million. The classes hold as many as 60 children, most of them from the communities which we host,” said Sherif.
Stressing that additional resources are urgently and urgently needed to ensure that refugees and civilian children living in Egypt and other refugee-hosting countries in the region can go to school and continue their education. With the future of the entire region at stake, ECW’s request is for as many donors as possible to step in and help deliver the USD10 million needed here and now to adequately support refugees and host communities.
“We have seen the important work done by UNHCR, the Catholic Relief Service and local organizations, such as the Om Habibeh Foundation. But the needs quickly exceed the response,” said Sherif.
“In the spirit of shared responsibility contained in the Global Compact on Refugees, I ask international donors to immediately strengthen their support. The available funding comes from ECW, ECHO, EU, Vodafone, and several other private sector partners. We must not abandon children in their darkest hour .
Dr. Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR Representative to the Government of Egypt and the League of Arab States, agreed.
“Forcefully displaced children should not be deprived of their fundamental right to pursue their education; their flight from conflict will no longer be an obstacle to their rights. UNHCR, together with ECW and UNICEF, continue to ensure that children’s education, and thus their future, continue to ensure that children’s education it is taught, and because of that their future is protected,” he said.
“Until now, it is important to continue to support Egypt as a host country. It has shown incredible resilience and generosity, but the increasing number of displaced people requires increased international assistance. By strengthening Egypt’s ability to support refugees, we can ensure that more children have access to education and ultimately and a bright future,” added Hamdan.
During ECW’s high-level campaign in Egypt, the ECW team met with key strategic partners-including donors, UN agencies, and local and international NGOs-with Sudanese refugees to assess the scope of needs and the ongoing educational response with aid. partners.
Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF representative in Egypt, emphasized the organization’s commitment.
“UNICEF is focused on its commitment to ensure that Sudanese children affected by the conflict have the opportunity to continue their education. In Egypt, through the use of new learning spaces and the Comprehensive Inclusion Program, UNICEF is working tirelessly, under the leadership of the Egyptian government, in collaboration with other agencies at the UN and development partners, to create inclusive learning environments and strengthen strong education and service systems,” said Hopkins.
“This not only benefits the Sudanese children who have been left behind but also supports our host communities by ensuring that all children receive a quality education.”
In December 2023, ECW announced the First Emergency Grant of USD 2 million to Egypt. The 12-month grant, implemented by UNHCR in partnership with UNICEF, reaches more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees in the governorates of Aswan, Cairo, Giza and Alexandria.
Funding supports interventions such as non-formal education, cash grants, social solidarity with host communities, mental health and psychosocial support, as well as construction and renovation work in community schools hosting refugee children for the benefit of both refugees and host community children. As conflict escalates around the world, ECW is committed to ensuring that all children have access to lifelong learning and achievement opportunities.
Beyond Egypt, ECW allocated USD 8 million in Emergency Response grants to the Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan to address the urgent protection and education needs of children fleeing the war in Sudan. In Sudan, ECW has invested USD 28.7 million in multi-year and emergency grants, which have reached more than 100,000 girls and boys affected by crises.
During the campaign, ECW called on leaders to increase funding for the region’s refugee response and other neglected issues around the world. ECW is urgently calling on public and private donors to mobilize an additional US$600 million to reach 20 million disaster-affected girls and boys with safe, quality education by the end of its 2023–2026 strategic plan.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
