Access to education for children in conflict zones

Dear donor, Happy New Year!

Although a little late, Visions wish you a happy new year full of hope, confidence and drive.

For many of us, the year 2024 was characterized by global crises, moments of disappointment, despair and resignation. But there were also moments of hope: thanks to your great support, we were able to create prospects and stand up for educational justice and the protection of children in crisis regions.

In figures, this means that together we reached over 60,000 people in educational projects and humanitarian emergency aid in 2024 - a figure that stands for the power and the difference we can make together.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment, your generosity and your trust in our work. Without you, none of this would be possible. Together for a world in which every child has a fair chance of education and a self-determined life.

AFGHANISTAN

The situation in Afghanistan in 2024 remains dramatic. Three years after the Taliban returned to power, basic human rights are severely restricted, especially for women and girls. Over 1.1 million girls are denied access to school and women are systematically excluded from public life. At the same time, the humanitarian crisis is worsening - 24 million people are in urgent need of support, more than half of them children.

In March and September, we were able to travel to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban took power in order to see the situation on the ground for ourselves, visit ongoing and completed projects and strengthen partnerships. It became clear how massively the political and economic changes since the takeover have affected people's lives. Many are struggling with unemployment, financial poverty and the effects of the climate crisis. Nevertheless, we were impressed by the resilience of the local people and experienced first-hand how important it is to continue the project work.

UGANDA

The political and economic situation in Uganda is largely stable, but the effects of the climate crisis are already being felt strongly by the population. In addition, due to its status as a major host country for refugees in East Africa, its young population (around half of the population is under the age of 14) and a high rate of financial poverty, the people continue to face enormous challenges.

The Visions team embarked on a 12-day project trip in June with the aim of getting to know new partners and their work as well as visiting ongoing projects. The discussions focused on exchanging ideas with NGOs, pupils, parents, teachers and political actors as well as identifying the biggest current challenges that prevent children from attending school.

TURKEY/ SYRIA

In the border region of Turkey and Syria, the consequences of the devastating earthquakes at the beginning of 2023 continue to shape the year 2024, with many families still living in emergency shelters or among the ruins of destroyed neighborhoods. Basic living conditions remain precarious and the need for support is still enormous.

In October, our team travelled to the border region to visit local projects and analyze the current needs on the ground. Particularly in areas close to the Syrian border, it became clear how important stable educational opportunities are for children who are often severely traumatized. The visits have sharpened our focus on the ongoing challenges in the region and made it clear that long-term education projects are essential to give children prospects and stability.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your loyal support and look forward to everything we can achieve together in 2025.

All the best,

Vanessa from Visions for Children

Links:

• Visit our website
• Visit us on Instagram

We were on a project trip to Uganda and gained exciting impressions and learnings that we would like to share with you in this update. For a total of 12 days, part of the Visions team was on the road to get to know potential new partners and their work and to visit schools that we already support together with local partners.

In conversations with NGOs, students, parents, teachers and political actors, we also wanted to find out: What are the biggest challenges currently preventing children from attending school?

In this update, we share with you the answers we found and other exciting insights from the project trip.

On a project trip in Uganda

Our journey began in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and Wakiso, the country's most populous district, which surrounds the capital. From there, we headed north-west to Kiboga in central Uganda, Lira in the north and the surrounding districts of Otuke, Oyam and Alebtong. Svenja (Head of Projects), Carolin (Coordinator of Uganda Projects), Franzi (Head of PR) and Jonas (photographer and videographer) met with five local organizations on their twelve-day project trip and visited a total of 17 projects.

The aim of our project trip was to strengthen existing partnerships and establish new ones. We visited current projects and met with our long-standing partner organization Link to Progress (LTP) to deepen our collaboration, discuss challenges together and celebrate successes. The workshops with LTP provided valuable insights. Together, we explored potential new projects and visited project schools, including Okune Primary School and the schools of the WASH project in Alebtong. We also met potential new partners and visited their projects in Wakiso, Kiboga and Lira to get to know their working methods better and explore new schools where educational projects can be implemented in the future. These local NGOs specialize in issues such as children's rights, protection against violence against children, the advancement of women and economic empowerment.

Further meetings, for example at the German embassy or with other committed NGOs, enriched our understanding of the current situation in the country and expanded our local network. The many insightful discussions revealed new ways in which access to education in Uganda can be promoted in the long term. For a world in which every child can read and write.

Our learnings

• The importance of a common vision and strategy: In the exchange with local organizations, it became clear how crucial the development of a common vision and strategy is for the project work. This allows us to create an open and understanding environment that increases the effectiveness and holistic success of the projects, especially when the students, teachers, parents and community members themselves identify with the project.
• Holistic approach: The effectiveness of educational projects is enhanced by a holistic approach that takes equal account of different challenges and needs. At the schools of the WASH project in Otuke and Alebtong, the construction of new sanitary facilities and the implementation of workshops led to an increase in the number of registered pupils, but this also created the challenge that some classrooms were no longer sufficient and the quality of teaching could therefore decline again. At Okune Primary School, we are already addressing this challenge by building a new classroom block.
• Long-term impact on the community: Visiting projects that have already been completed has shown how sustainable the implemented measures are for the schools and their surroundings. At Barmwony Primary School, active groups and committees introduced by LTP are still in place two years after the end of the project. In addition, the training sessions conducted to destigmatize menstruation have had long-term positive effects, as teachers continue to promote the issue. Furthermore, the community takes responsibility for the school and continues to develop it independently, for example by planting school gardens or self-organizing funding for the construction of additional structures.

Fancy even more insights?
Then take a look at our TikTok channel! There we take you with us on our journey day by day. You can find an update on the current status of the ongoing education projects in Uganda on our Instagram channel.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your commitment so far! Without people like you, we would never be able to implement our projects.

We would therefore be delighted if you would like to continue supporting our work and to tell your friends and family about our association.

All the best to you!

Vanessa from Visions for Children e.V.

Links:

• Visit our website