Returning to school, rebuilding lives
Facilitating a safe return to school in the face of adversity and violence
During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to education, or simply being able to attend a learning activity, was a huge challenge for many children and adolescents in Honduras. Many schools closed, and the country was affected by two devastating hurricanes in the middle of the pandemic. Fortunately, with the country’s recovery, schools have reopened, and education and learning opportunities have returned to children and their communities.
However, access to education remains difficult for children and adolescents in a country like Honduras. Despite the presence of schools and the emergence of online learning opportunities, many children remain behind in their education, due to the effects of climate change, displacement and localized violence that pose many barriers to access quality education.
In response to this context, UNICEF and its partners Save the Children and Asociación Colaboración y Esfuerzo (ACOES) teamed up to roll out dedicated activities to identify children and adolescents who were out of school, provide appropriate counselling and support as well as provide teachers and school staff with training to strengthen their capacity in pedagogical skills and psycho-emotional support for children who have been out of school. Over the past year and a half, these activities have been introduced to urban communities, in high- risk neighborhoods with alarming drop-out rates, such as Tegucigalpa. Despite the pandemic and the localized challenges, over 6,550 children have returned to formal education, and almost 10,000 children received learning materials to encourage continuation of their studies.
This intervention has been so successful, that several former students of the program have commenced volunteering in their own communities upon finishing their curriculum, to encourage friends and fellow children in their communities to return to school.
“When boys and girls have the tools and educational centers available to them, as well as creative activities such as arts or sports, it motivates them, despite the adverse conditions they find in their local communities”
UNICEF would like to thank ECHO for their generous contribution and support to UNICEF’s Education programme in Honduras, which is benefitting the most vulnerable children in high-risk communities.
With education being a basic human right, as well as a global goal (no.4 Quality Education), UNICEF Honduras reiterates its commitment to ensure no child is left behind and that every child is supported and can reach their full potential.
