On the occasion of International Day of Education (24 January), and as the sector experiences an unprecedented crisis, Aide et Action is launching an information and awareness campaign based on emojis. A universal “language” to remind the world that even today 258 million children are still being deprived of an education. To save the future of entire generations, urgent action is needed!
The third International Day of Education will have a particularly bitter taste this year. With 258 million children denied their right to education in the world and with 1 in 6 school-age children unable to read a simple sentence, education was already in serious crisis long before the appearance of COVID-19. Now, we’re facing the biggest education emergency of our lifetime.
The global pandemic has only made matters worse: more than 500 million children have been out of school for several weeks; 4 million girls are likely to be forcibly married in the coming months; and, as a result of the inexorable rise in poverty, child labour is increasing.
A universal language to alert the world
Faced with this catastrophic situation, Aide et Action has decided to launch an information and awareness campaign to alert the world to the urgency and gravity of the situation.
We have decided to use a language that has become universal, understandable for everyone – and especially for people who cannot read. We are using emojis to tell the story of those who are being denied an education.
The story represents the 12 million girls who are married each year before turning 18 and the 152 million children forced into child labour each year. We are using emojis to highlight an emergency.
Education for all
These stories, these human tragedies, are still too often ignored and must urgently come out of the shadows, be known to all and lead to a large-scale mobilisation for the cause of education. It is no longer possible to wait: the future of entire generations depends on it.
Share our message, spread our campaign on your social media, together let’s put pressure on policy makers to take urgent action for education.