Context
More than 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them are of primary school age. In the last decade, major progress has been made in improving access to education at all levels and increasing enrolment rates at all levels in schools, especially for girls. Basic knowledge has progressed dramatically, but further efforts are needed to make even faster progress towards the universal education goals. For example, the world has achieved gender equality in primary education, but few countries have reached this target at all levels of education.
The reasons for the lack of quality education are due to the lack of properly trained teachers, poor school conditions and equity issues related to opportunities for rural children.
Achieving quality education is the foundation for improving people’s lives and sustainable development.
In addition to improving their quality of life, access to inclusive and equitable education can help equip local populations with the tools to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems.
According to the United Nations, ensuring equal access for women and girls to education, health care, decent work and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and all humanity.
Our action
Children’s rights are at the heart of our actions.
Each of our programs is a response to the implementation – in children’s daily lives – of their rights as defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 November 1989, in particular Article 28, which states that every child has the right to quality education and learning opportunities. Through its education-related programs, FXB also contributes to the achievement of Goals 4 and 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In every FXBVillage program we run, we ensure that all children are in school and that those who had dropped out of the school system, for various economic or cultural reasons, return to school. Adolescents and young adults are encouraged to pursue vocational training. Such programmes are under way in Burundi, Namibia, Rwanda, Mongolia and Myanmar.
In addition to the necessary equipment, families receive degressive financial support to cover the costs of schooling and technical and vocational training. Close collaboration is established with schools, teachers and parents to ensure regular attendance and good academic results. Sometimes poor performance in school can also mean malnutrition, illness or abuse.
