Global Fund for Children launches initiative with support of the LEGO Foundation to help kids overcome COVID-19 education disruptions
The Partnership to Educate All Kids will reach 100,000 children around the world who are facing barriers to educational success that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 23, 2022 – WASHINGTON, DC, and LONDON – Today, Global Fund for Children (GFC) announces a new initiative to help children who have experienced pandemic-related education disruptions access and thrive in learning environments that prepare them for future success.
The Partnership to Educate All Kids (PEAK) initiative, which is supported by a $5 million grant from a Fundação LEGO, will reach an estimated 100,000 children in communities hard hit by the global health crisis. It will provide grants and capacity development to at least 50 community-based organizations in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia that support the learning and development of children aged 6 to 12 from marginalized communities.
“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on children’s education, forcing schools to close and pushing more young people into poverty and child labor,” said GFC President and CEO John Hecklinger. “Kids around the world need urgent support to return to school and catch up on missed learning so they can build a brighter post-pandemic future for themselves and their families.”
“We are at a transformational moment for educational systems everywhere,” said Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, Chief Executive Officer of the LEGO Foundation. “Together we need to make a leap in playful learning, creating a future that promotes inclusive education, lifelong learning opportunities for all children, and where holistic skills and innovation are central.”
The PEAK initiative will enable local organizations to sustain or expand their work ensuring children are able to access education and return to classrooms; addressing learning gaps; offering services such as literacy programs, after-school tutoring, and digital classrooms; supporting emotional and social wellbeing; and advocating for children who have been shut out of the education system. It will also provide local organizations with capacity development to integrate learning through play into their educational activities.
This initiative is made possible by the generous support of the LEGO Foundation, which is dedicated to building a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners.
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Sobre o Fundo Global para Crianças
O Global Fund for Children faz parcerias para construir um mundo onde todas as crianças e jovens desfrutem de recursos e oportunidades iguais na sociedade e vivam livres de violência, discriminação e exploração. Para esse fim, a GFC investe em organizações locais inovadoras, ajudando-as a aprofundar seu impacto e desenvolver sua capacidade de mudança social. Juntos, a GFC e seus parceiros promovem os direitos de crianças e jovens que enfrentam pobreza e injustiça e os equipam com as ferramentas e habilidades para atingir seu potencial máximo. Desde 1997, a GFC investiu $51 milhões em mais de 900 organizações, alcançando mais de 11 milhões de crianças e jovens em todo o mundo.