DUBAI,Mar 27 (WAM) – A delegation led by Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares, part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has successfully concluded a field visit to Colombia to monitor and evaluate the progress of its programme titled ‘Protecting Conflict-Affected Children and Youth Through Education in Northeast Colombia’. The delegation also participated in an in-country programme launch alongside the programmes’ implementing partners, the UAE Embassy to Colombia and local authorities.
Launched in 2017, the programme extends for three years and targets vulnerable girls, boys and youth affected by the conflict in Arauca and Norte de Santander, and directly benefits 15,000 children and young people.
The programme, implemented in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Save the Children, aims to address four major challenges: the increasing number of out-of-school children and youth, low transition rates from primary to secondary schools, highly-dispersed rural areas and the poor quality of education. It engages out-of-school children and youth through non-formal education – via a bridging programme and flexible education models – and provides technical support to the Secretariat of Education, as well as schools to ensure educational services for the out-of-school children and youth. The programme also works on strengthening and improving results in access to education, education quality, in addition to education management in Northern Colombia.
Arauca and Norte de Santander have been historically affected by conflicts and both face high levels of vulnerability with most of the population living in a situation of poverty – 40 per cent of the population in Norte de Santander and 61 per cent of the population in Arauca. There is an increasing number of out-of-school children and youth, as a direct consequence of the conflicts. In Arauca and Norte de Santander only 31 per cent and 32 per cent of the students enrolled at primary level respectively, do reach secondary level and only six per cent of children entering the first grade complete their secondary education. (WAM) (END/2018)