Having seen the effects of the ongoing crisis firsthand, Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), tells IPS that affected children and their mothers arrive in Moldova visibly traumatized and need immediate psychosocial support.
“As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, across the region, there are more than 5 million refugees who have fled Ukraine and an additional 7.1 million people internally displaced. An estimated 400,000 people have passed through Moldova in search of safety thus far,” she says.
Educational needs 'enormous' for Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Moldova
Many refugees have moved on to other European countries, though about 100,000 remain in the country currently, according to Education Cannot Wait, the United Nation’s global fund for education in emergencies. Of those, 50,000 are school-aged children. Only 1,800 of those children are currently enrolled in school in Moldova, the organization said.
As Moldova welcomes refugees, the educational needs are "enormous" and its educational capacity is "overstretched" and "strained," Yasmine Sherif, director of Education Cannot Wait, told ABC News.
The Moldovan border is the closest to the major port city of Odessa. A total of 419,499 Ukrainians have crossed into the non-EU state, one of the poorest in Europe.
Most of those who have entered the former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people have moved on but an estimated 100,000 remain, including 50,000 children -- of whom only 1,800 are enrolled in schools.
"Refugee children from Ukraine have fled a brutal war and have arrived dispossessed and traumatised in Moldova. They are very vulnerable and need immediate support," said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait.
"Public schools are open to refugee children; however, the capacity is over-stretched and there is a need for urgent mental health and psycho-social services, sanitation, and teachers."
One World with Zain Asher - Interview with ECW Director Yasmine Sherif
Moldova is hosting roughly 100,000 Ukrainians who fled the war. 50,000 children who are no longer enrolled in school and missing out on their education. To address this, representatives from Education Cannot Wait visited Moldova to scale up support for refugee children. Learn more in this incisive interview by CNN One World's Zain Asher with ECW Director Yasmine Sherif.
Education Cannot Wait in Moldova with Strategic Partners Scaling-up its Ukraine Crisis Regional Education Response to US$6.5 Million for Crisis-Affected Children and Youth
Expanding on Education Cannot Wait’s ( ECW ) US$5 million Ukraine First Emergency Response grant announced in March, ECW today announced a new, initial US$1.5 million allocation to support the education in emergencies response for the Ukraine refugee crisis in Moldova while on mission with strategic partners USAID, FCDO/UK and Theirworld. This new allocation brings ECW’s total Ukraine crisis education response to US$6.5 million to date.
Educational needs 'enormous' for Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Moldova
Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has unfolded in the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, education advocates are working to ensure Ukraine's displaced children are not forgotten.
More than 4.6 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the invasion began, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. They have primarily fled to Poland, as well as Romania, Hungary, Russia and Moldova, which, like Ukraine, declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Though one of the poorest countries in Europe, Moldova has welcomed the equivalent of 15% of its population in a matter of weeks, with over 415,000 fleeing there from Ukraine, according to the U.N.
Many refugees have moved on to other European countries, though about 100,000 remain in the country currently, according to Education Cannot Wait, the United Nation’s global fund for education in emergencies. Of those, 50,000 are school-aged children. Only 1,800 of those children are currently enrolled in school in Moldova, the organization said.
Violence in Cameroon, Impacting Over 700,000 Children Shut Out of School
Over 700,000 children have been impacted by school closures due to often brutal violence in Cameroon, according to an analysis released by the UN humanitarian arm, OCHA, on Thursday.
Violence Impacts Over 700,000 Children Due to School Closures in Cameroon
Attacks against education and killings, kidnappings and harassment of students and teachers are forcing schools to close and pushing vulnerable children further to the margins.
Violence Impacts Over 700,000 Children Due to School Closures in Cameroon
Attacks against education and killings, kidnappings and harassment of students and teachers are forcing schools to close and pushing vulnerable children further to the margins.
La ONU Alerta de Que la Violencia en Camerún Afecta a la Escolarización de Más 700.000 Niños
La Oficina de Naciones Unidas para la Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios (OCHA) ha alertado este jueves de que la reciente ola de violencia en Camerún está afectando a la escolarización de más de 700.000 niños, cuyas escuelas se han visto obligadas a cerrar ante el acoso de los grupos armados.
Una Iniciativa Para Mejorar la Situación Educativa de la NIñez Migrante
Durante el foro Foro Nacional Educación sin Fronteras, que se lleva a cabo hasta hoy en el Hotel Habitel de Bogotá, fue presentado el proyecto La Educación no Puede Esperar, fruto de una alianza entre Unicef, Save the Children, World Vision, el Consejo Noruego para Refugiados, la Fundación Plan y la financiación de Education Cannot Wait.
Maryland High School Teacher Keishia Thorpe Wins $1 Million Global Teacher Prize
A Maryland high school English teacher who has worked to open up college education for her students has won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize, the Varkey Foundation announced Wednesday.