On the occasion of the International Children’s Day on November 20th, which marks the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly, we wanted to highlight some of the values and beliefs that the Unity Foundation team and our partners share in regards to education.

What would the world be like if we contributed to providing them with a quality education that is oriented towards developing their capacity to understand the society in which they live and to contribute to its progress? We are convinced that every human being, and in particular every child in the world, is endowed with immense potentialities that can be revealed through adequate education.

Such an education must take into account the physical, intellectual, and moral development of individuals and make not only the students but also their teachers and parents active agents of their own education. In this framework, the education of girls and young women is also crucial for the sustainable progress of communities, because, as the first educators of children, they play a key role in the advancement of the following generations.

Ferina, principal of the Sirilogui Creative Education Center (YBTI) in Mentawai, West Sumatra, Indonesia, teaching a child at her home.

Our seven partner organizations are committed to providing such education to an ever-increasing number of children and young people around the world, and girls and women make up more than half of Community School students and PSA participants. Our partners had to adapt quickly to their new reality, despite the many hardships along the way, and find new ways to pursue their educational mission. Their new framework has changed their usual needs to continue educating the children of their communities. 

Read some stories from our partners in the International Children’s Day newsletter!