16th May 2016
DUBLIN / BRUSSELS / NEW YORK, 16 May 2016 – An astronaut, actors, TV personalities, a Snapchat superstar and a professional basketball player are among those supporting #EmergencyLessons, a European Union and UNICEF project launching today that highlights the importance of education for children affected by emergencies.
Ireland is one of seven countries leading this initiative, which is targeted at some 20 million Europeans under the age of 25.
Groups from Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom are also taking part in this social media-driven campaign in hopes of inspiring young Europeans to raise their voices on behalf of millions of young people whose education has been interrupted by emergencies.
The #EmergencyLessons campaign draws on the true stories of children living through emergencies in countries like Nepal, Guinea, Iraq and Ukraine. The extraordinary lengths they go to to get an education show that children can and must continue to learn during crisis. Over the next seven months, we will share their stories with you via social media.
The first of these touching stories, featuring Yaroslav and Nastya from Ukraine, will be released on Youtube today. Each of the seven films will include a social media call to action – Yaroslav and Nastya’s ‘ask’ is that you share an old school photo, accompanied by the hashtag #EmergencyLessons.
Leading the campaign for Ireland is National Ambassador Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (16) and Digital Ambassador James Kavanagh (26). This summer they will travel to see UNICEF and the EU’s operations in Nepal, one year after earthquake struck – killing 9,000 people.
Nearly one in four of the world’s school-aged population – 462 million – now lives in 35 countries affected by crises, including an estimated 75 million children who are in desperate need of educational support.
Apart from missing out on education, out of school children are more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and recruitment by armed forces. Schools provide a safe haven where children can be protected from these threats.
The campaign also celebrates the other benefits of going to school – the friends made, the teachers who support children through trauma, the stability found in class routine.
UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power explained why it is necessary to focus on education: “Just 2% of humanitarian aid globally is channelled into education, but the benefits of educating a child in emergency go far beyond equipping people to earn a living – though that is of crucial importance – education has unexpected benefits like improving health outcomes and helping girls avoid child marriage. Most of us are lucky enough to remember our schooldays fondly – that is because we benefitted from a top class education system. That is something that must be made available to children everywhere.”
“Here in Europe, we tend to take school for granted, and forget what a vital part of life it is to children, especially when everything else around them is collapsing,” said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides.
“We hope this campaign will better help Europeans understand why, when disaster strikes, opportunities to learn are just as important as access to food, water, vaccines and shelter.”
UNICEF Global Executive Director Anthony Lake said: “Young people understand better than anyone how important education is to their lives today and to their futures. Who, better than today’s youth, can demand that the world provides them with the skills they will need to build a better world? Their future, and ours, depends on it”.
NOTES FOR THE EDITOR
National Ambassador
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (16) is an Irish Actor and singer/songwriter from Co. Wicklow.
The Transition Year student starred alongside Jack Reynor (Transformers), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) and Maria Doyle-Kennedy (The Commitments) in Sing St, written and directed by John Carney of Once fame. When the film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, Ferdia was listed as one of the festival ‘up and comers’ to watch for 2016.
Digital Ambassador
James Kavanagh (26) is a social media professional from Dublin, and co-founder of start-up food company Currabinny.
James is best known for his Snapchats – and for the work he does to raise awareness around autism, mental health, feminism and bullying.
A number of other celebrities are lending their support to #EmergencyLessons, such as Italian European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Slovenian Basketball player Boštjan Nachbar, Hungarian news presenter and media personality Kriszta D. Tóth, and Slovakian dancer Jaro Bekr.
About the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO)
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) funds relief operations for victims of natural disasters and conflicts worldwide. Aid is provided impartially, directly to people in need, without discrimination of their race, ethnic group, religion, gender, age, nationality or political affiliation.
To find out more about the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), go to http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
To find out more about the #EmergencyLessons campaign, go to www.emergencylessons.ie, or follow the hashtag on social media.
To find out more about UNICEF, go to www.unicef.org
To find out more about ECHO, go to http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en
NOTE FOR DIGITAL NEWSDESKS AND PICTURE DESK
Photos and video are available for your download here
If you want to focus on children in crisis, you can also embed video animations of stories UNICEF has heard from child refugees via our Twitter or Facebook, as part of our “Unfairy Tales” series. Still images available on request.
For more information contact:
Aedín Donnelly, Communications and Media Manager for UNICEF Ireland aedin@unicef.ie | Tel: +353 1 809 0281 | Mob: +353 85 1395272
ENDS
