UNICEF’s School-in-a-Box
Essential education supplies packed in a metal box to ensure children can continue learning even during emergencies.
Education is fundamental to children’s development, providing knowledge and skills for them to grow socially, emotionally and cognitively. Through learning, children have the chance to unlock and reach their maximum potential in life.
But many children are unable to access education during crises such as conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters. Crises not only interrupt children's education but can also reverse their progress. Without education, their future prospects become bleaker.
Inclusive classroom
Even during emergencies and in their aftermath, it is crucial that children’s learning is not compromised. With the School-in-a-Box, UNICEF helps ensure that children can continue their learning regardless of the circumstances.
Packed in a metal box, the kit is a portable classroom that can be set up in emergency settings. Since its content is not culturally specific, it can be used anywhere in the world.
The kit contains 42 different school supplies, enough for 40 students and a teacher. Consumable items, such as pencils and erasers, are sufficient for a period of at least three months and some of the items, such as pens and paper, can be used by both the teacher and students. The kit includes Braille-embossed supplies, such as a clock and posters, allowing all children, including those with visual impairments, to learn.
Supporting recovery
In emergencies, education also supports recovery, providing children with a sense of normalcy that helps them cope with trauma. The School-in-a-Box contributes to re-establishing learning as the first step towards the restoration of normal schooling during and immediately after an emergency.
The kit can also be used in situations where a country suddenly faces an unexpected increase in the number of students and supplies are urgently needed. The kit can be pre-positioned in countries where emergencies are more frequent, or they can be deployed on-demand from UNICEF’s strategically placed global supply hubs.
Adaptable supplies
The School-in-a-Box is versatile; the waterproof metal box has padlocks that can be used to safely and securely store all supplies. Its lid can be transformed into a blackboard using paint and a brush, which are also supplied as part of the kit.
The kit is normally distributed to teachers, who are responsible for its safekeeping and for using its contents when they teach and distributing its contents to students.
Some of the items in the School-in-a-Box
