SOS-Kinderdorf International [to 25 October 2014]

Syria: War has denied children their right to education
Three years of brutal conflict in Syria have reversed more than a decade of progress in children’s education. Today over two million of Syria’s 4.8 million school-aged children are not in school and are missing out on their right to an education.
21 October 2014 – Before 2011, when the war began in Syria, basic education was free and more than 90% of primary school-aged children were enrolled in school – one of the highest rates in the Middle East…
But three years of brutal conflict in Syria have reversed more than a decade of progress in children’s education. Today 2.2 million of Syria’s 4.8 million school age children are not in school as a result of the conflict, and more than half a million Syrian refugee children now living outside of Syria are not in school either.
The collapse of Syria’s education system has been most profound in areas hit hardest by violence. In Al Raqqa, Idleb, Aleppo, Deir Azzour, Hama and Daraa less than half of all children today attend school. Idleb and Aleppo have lost a quarter and a sixth of their schools respectively – with attendance plunging below 30 per cent.
Since the war began, more than 4,000 schools across Syria have been destroyed, damaged or turned into shelters for displaced people. The right to a quality education is guaranteed to all children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but Syria’s children are not able to enjoy it….
SOS for students
SOS Children’s Villages Syria has focused on helping schools serving orphaned and displaced children.
Before the new school year started in mid-September, SOS emergency teams distributed 6,600 school bags and stationary to needy children in and around Damascus. During 2013, SOS Children’s Villages donated 16,000 school bags and stationery.
SOS Children’s Villages’ emergency relief in Syria has also included the delivery food and essential household supplies, potable water, and warm winter coats for children.