EDUCATION IS HOPE

Education provides the building blocks to construct a meaningful life. The formal and informal tools we develop through learning provide skills and confidence that pave the way for opportunity. With the opportunity to take the paths that engage us, we build hope for stability, health, and fulfillment. The Education for All (EFA) fund was born of our sense of urgency to get the most vulnerable children safely back to school when learning has been disrupted.

ACCESS TO EDUCATION IS NOT EQUAL.

The COVID-19 pandemic shook the foundations of education throughout the globe. At its peak, more than 1.6 billion students were out of school. While many students are now back in their classrooms, the prospect of returning to school is still a dream for many whose education had been disrupted long before the pandemic.

Basic structures, easily taken for granted, determine the trajectory of many students’ futures around the world. Students and teachers need spaces where they are confident that they can stay safe and healthy; not risking physical harm, violence or illness by pursuing education. Lack of safe infrastructure and access to water, sanitation facilities and hygiene (WASH) has devastating implications on the ability of students to stay in school. These barriers have solutions that we are dedicated to providing; with the support of EFA, All Hands and Hearts is working with underserved communities around the world to make sure that everyone has safe access to education.

Attending school without access to safe water or sanitation facilities can mean risking water-borne and vector-borne diseases and risking severe dehydration. This can cause students to miss more school days and face expensive, devastating medical issues. Illness is easily spread in places where it is impossible to maintain sanitary toilets and where there is no space equipped for students and staff to wash their hands. The World Health Organization and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme for WASH found that 37% of schools around the world don’t have a decent toilet on site. In the 60 highest-risk countries, 3 in 4 children at school lack basic hand washing services, and 1 in 2 lack basic water available at all. It is in these settings that school-based services for health and protection are vital.

When a school does not have a secure, private space for female students to use the bathroom and continue their studies after menstruation begins, young girls can face the decision between risking health issues and gender-based violence or dropping out of the school system altogether. Even before COVID-19, 1 in 4 girls ages 15-19 were not in school, compared to 1 in 10 boys. Beginning menstruation should not sentence any young girl to end her education.

Lack of simple things like the ability to remain safe and healthy never needs to be the barrier for a child to gain an education. Staying in school from a young age makes a significant difference in a child’s life. With the opportunity to have their brilliance realized, young people can establish health and livelihood stability in their families. They can innovate locally grown change throughout entire communities.

Fortunately, we can make a difference in removing many of the barriers keeping children from attending school and help open doors for students around the world.

WE’RE GETTING STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL, AND YOU CAN HELP.

EFA allows us to bring safe education to communities where it is needed most. Launched in the throes of September 2020, EFA was able to help rebuild eight schools in its first year — bringing 1,957 students back to school across The Philippines, Nepal, The Bahamas and Mexico. This work continues and expands as we begin work with our first school communities in Guatemala. 

In the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala, we will help students across at least six schools remain safe and healthy through water access, sanitation facilities and hygiene training. These resources are critical in the region, and we’re working with local partners to ensure a lasting impact for brighter futures. 

The fibers of vibrant communities are woven into disaster-resilient solutions as we work closely with local communities wherever we go. By asking what a community prioritizes and what issues are the most pressing in each setting, our dedicated teams work with inspiring individuals to build lasting, locally-relevant resilience. 

EFA allows us to bring safe education to communities where it is needed most. Launched in the throes of September 2020, EFA was able to help rebuild eight schools in its first year — bringing 1,957 students back to school across The Philippines, Nepal, The Bahamas and Mexico. This work continues and expands as we begin work with our first school communities in Guatemala. 

In the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala, we will help students across at least six schools remain safe and healthy through water access, sanitation facilities and hygiene training. These resources are critical in the region, and we’re working with local partners to ensure a lasting impact for brighter futures. 

The fibers of vibrant communities are woven into disaster-resilient solutions as we work closely with local communities wherever we go. By asking what a community prioritizes and what issues are the most pressing in each setting, our dedicated teams work with inspiring individuals to build lasting, locally-relevant resilience.