Conflicts pose many challenges to a country, especially to the children and most of them specifically from the marginalised communities, often pay the biggest price for the conflicts, in which more often they play no role.
Conflicts are the worst enemies of education and now the pandemic ravaging the whole universe is stifling education as children across the world are deprived of in-person classes which in turn affect their physical and mental developments.
Several internal conflicts have displaced millions of people in different countries in the Middle East and North Africa region such as Syria, Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Yemen etc for years now and the children among this displaced people get few chances to pursue their education. Most of them were forced to flee to a foreign country just to save their life and they are living at the mercy of somebody, more often international agencies and in such situation education becomes a luxury.
Qatar has been an active player in the international efforts to alleviate the hardships of refugees or victims of conflicts. Recently Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, with the support of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), through Qatar Scholarship Programme, has entered into a cooperation agreement with the American University of Beirut and the Luminus Technical University College to develop scholarship programmes, which will award scholarships to 1,200 disadvantaged youth over the next four years.
The programme implemented by EAA’s Al Fakhoora programme, will serve the marginalised youth in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria, providing them with opportunity to access quality education, student support services and civic engagement opportunities.
Director General of QFFD Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari said: At QFFD, the support of quality education is positioned at the forefront of supporting communities around the world. We believe that the support of education results in empowering the youth and therefore they will be able to build a community that nourishes and brings justice and peace.” These words prove the true nature of Qatar’s thinking. Qatar had realised the power of education long back and has been tirelessly working to make available the best inthe world in education in the country.
Qatar’s quest for education doesn’t stop here, but the country has been striving hard to make education accessible to millions of out-of-school children and youth across the world, especially in the developing and least developed countries.
EAA, founded in 2012 by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, aims to contribute to human, social and economic development through the provision of education, with a particular focus on those affected by poverty, conflict and disaster. EAA has been active in the field of education ever since its foundation providing not only education, but also employment opportunities to millions of children and youth in areas of conflicts and disasters in different parts of the world.
