Hunger Crisis in East Africa

5 reasons we invest in early education for refugee children

From Monday to Friday, more than 13,000 children march to World Vision’s early childhood education centres inside northern Uganda’s refugee settlements for their first smile of the day.

Here, learning is made fun and stimulating.

Rooms are filled with children ages three to six joyfully chanting nursery rhymes, giggling as they learn to count in English, singing as they repeat the alphabet and memorizing shapes and colours while playing with homemade toys.

Here, new friendships are sparked. Lines form to jump on the swings or hurl down the slide.

Here, an oasis that’s dedicated to one thing – setting children up with the learning tools to help them succeed in life.

“As children’s brains develop in the early years of their lives, they are highly influenced by their environment and the people that they are surrounded by. For refugee children, the environment they encounter can be challenging,” says James, World Vision’s child protection manager in the West Nile refugee response.

Many of the families, who arrived in Uganda more than two years ago, have witnessed or experienced violence, been shackled by poverty and have been unable to access basic services that help children develop.

“One of the biggest challenges we see in our classes is from children whose parents are not with them,” says Lona, a refugee who works at one of World Vision’s early childhood education centres in Bidibidi. “We pay extra attention to these children, and help them on their journey to learn and give them a sense of hope for the future.”

Why does World Vision invest in early education for refugees? We do it because we know that early education works.

A study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that children who regularly attend early education:

1.Do better in primary school - Children who attend early education classes perform better in reading, math and have better general knowledge, the OECD study found.

2.Stay in school longer - Children who attend early education classes were more likely to complete their primary and secondary education, setting them up for success in the future, the OECD stated. Additionally, a report from UNICEF found that children attending early education classes benefit because they have:

3.Better problem-solving abilities - At early education centres, children are challenged by activities that aim to develop their cognitive abilities. The results of these activities enable children to more readily solve problems.

4.Stronger social skills - Because children interact with a diverse group of children, and when they receive positive reinforcement and interaction with an adult, their ability to socialize is strengthened.

Finally, a study from UNESCO found that children who attend early education have:

5.Have stronger language skills - Children who attend early education classes tend to have wider vocabulary and can better interact with other children as they can communicate better, the UNESCO report states.

The benefits of early education last a lifetime.

As children reach adulthood, the OECD, UNESCO and UNICEF have found that children who took part in early education were:

• Earning more income
• In better health
• Less likely to engage in risky behaviour and criminal activity

Indeed, World Vision’s continued involvement in providing early education for thousands of refugee children in Uganda, it’s an investment in the future.

“Refugee children cannot be left behind. They deserve the same opportunity to access quality early childhood education and we are committed to delivering that,” James concluded.

World Vision is operating 38 early education development centres in refugee communities in northern Uganda.

Throughout much of East Africa, children face fierce challenges to their ability to thrive, and for too many, simply to survive. Today, they are experiencing the effects of a rare combination of circumstances that continues to afflict the region: drought, flooding, and civil unrest. These disasters, some natural, some man-made, have created a vicious cycle that is putting the future of millions at risk, and at least half of them are children.

Boys and girls are not getting the food they need to develop their bodies and minds. Malnutrition’s effects can last a lifetime if not remedied in time. Children are drinking dirty water that carries disease, and when their bodies are weakened by hunger, they can’t fight illness, and many die.

The faithful support of World Vision donors and partners is making a significant difference for families in East Africa. But today we recognize that to save a generation of children, we need to go deeper and broaden our response to more sharply focus on activities that target precious young lives.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

With the help of our donors, in May 2018 alone, World Vision reached more than 1 million people throughout parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. The response team reached: 

• 670,824 people with food security and livelihood activities
• 256,509 people with clean water and sanitation services
• 182,570 people with nutrition assistance
• 108,874 people with health care services
• 43,748 people with education programs
• 36,333 people with protection assistance
• 8,062 people with shelter and other essential relief items

BUT THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO BE DONE

Natural disasters and conflict have forced 8.5 million people to flee their homes across East Africa (South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya). Sometimes the places they flee to are no safer than the places they left. An influx of displaced people puts a strain on existing resources, from food and education, to shelter and healthcare.

Families are receiving food, shelter, safe water, and healthcare through the support of World Vision donors. But we need to do more. Children are growing up in displacement or refugee camps. Many might never know a world outside these places. World Vision is committed to making sure children come first when we are responding to humanitarian crises, and they are safe from harm.

By supporting World Vision’s response to the East Africa Crisis, you are:

• Helping families struck by natural disasters recover from their loss

• Giving children the chance to heal and thrive

• Serving people living in the midst of conflict

• Ensuring that babies and young children get off to a good start in life, with the nutrition they need to develop both physically and mentally

WORLD VISION’S RESPONSE

World Vision is on the ground in East Africa, focused on saving lives and reducing suffering, and building resilience in the region through lasting solutions whenever possible. As a child-focused organization, World Vision is deeply committed to reducing the suffering of children living in the world’s hardest places. Through the support of our donors, we aim to respond to children’s needs with speed, courage, and effective interventions that make a significant impact in the lives of children and their families. The East Africa Crisis is prioritizing services for families with malnourished children younger than 5, those with special medical needs, households with orphans, and socially excluded people, such as those from minority clans and child soldiers attempting to return to their homes.

Your support is providing desperate children and families across East Africa with critical assistance, which is determined by the specific needs in each community.

World Vision provides care and hope to exploited children

In January 2018, hundreds of child soldiers in South Sudan were released from armed groups. World Vision is working closely with boys and girls to provide them with psychological recovery and support their reintegration into family and community life. One such child is Alex (not his real name), now 17, who was forced to bear arms in South Sudan.

 “In the bush, we spent the days carrying guns and worrying about when the enemies were coming next,” he said. While some children like Alex have been reunited with their families, his family hasn’t been found, so he is living in an interim care facility. “Life here is much better. Here we are just playing and eating. Here we feel safe.”

World Vision also is providing Alex and others with education and skills training. If their families can’t be found, foster homes will be found for them. Alex is looking ahead with hope. “I want to be South Sudan’s president. The first thing I would do is bring peace and bring education ... Those two things are the most important.”