“75% of Lebanese refugee children are now in school but the tragedy is that it’s a really isolated example”
Barriers to education, Double-shift schools, Education in emergencies, Girls' education, Refugees and internally displaced people, Right to education, Sarah Brown
In this special episode of her Better Angels podcast, 鶹APP President Sarah Brown talks to Save the Children UK chief Kevin Watkins about his work and the importance of being able to relate to those who need help.
He is renowned as an original thinker. But Kevin Watkins does so much more than ponder the world鶹APPs problems 鶹APP he鶹APPs a man who knows how to get things done on a local and global level.
After many years with the charity Oxfam and then the United Nations, he headed the think tank Overseas Development Institute before becoming Executive Director of last year.
鶹APPHe鶹APPs an original thinker and a real humanitarian, combining a great mixture of intellectual power and the practical will to get things done,鶹APP says 鶹APP President Sarah Brown as she introduces a special interview episode of the Better Angels podcast.
It was Kevin who first came up with the idea for double-shift schools in Lebanon, to help the country deal with educating huge numbers of Syrian refugee children. Using the same classrooms, Lebanese and Syrian children can go to lessons at different times of the day.
鶹APPThe results have been pretty extraordinary,鶹APP he says. 鶹APPActually, something like 75% of Lebanese refugee children, school-aged children, are now in school. That figure was in the low 20% four years ago.
鶹APPI think that鶹APPs a small example of what is possible. The tragedy is that it鶹APPs a really isolated example.
In this in-depth discussion, Kevin talks about the lack of financial help for host countries after the Syrian refugee crisis began six years ago.
鶹APPThe typical international response is to wait,鶹APP he says. 鶹APPThe World Bank did nothing in Lebanon for three years, as almost one million children made this journey from Syria into Lebanon as refugees.
鶹APPWe have no action at all for three years. Which means, in a best case scenario, these kids have lost three years of schooling.
鶹APPYou then scramble together some short-term funding for one term, half a year, a year and pretend that it鶹APPs a systemic response, which it鶹APPs not.
鶹APPIn effect what you鶹APPre doing is you鶹APPre writing off the future of a whole generation of refugee kids. You鶹APPre leaving a country like Lebanon 鶹APP you鶹APPre turning your back on them and saying 鶹APPYou go deal with it鶹APP.鶹APP
Kevin says structured funding is the key to overcoming obstacles such as early marriage and child labour to get every child in the world into school.
He reveals that, whenever he goes into parts of the world riven by conflict or afflicted by poverty, the people there understand the value of education.
鶹APPThe thing is they鶹APPre absolutely right,鶹APP he adds. 鶹APPWe know that education is the single most powerful catalyst of change. It鶹APPs what lifts people out of poverty. It鶹APPs what improves health. It鶹APPs what creates jobs. It鶹APPs what drives growth.鶹APP
He also talks about Save the Children鶹APPs three big priorities 鶹APP health, nutrition and protection of children in armed conflict.
鶹APPFor me, what international development is about is three very fundamental things,鶹APP says Kevin.
鶹APPIt鶹APPs about human solidarity and about recognising that, in a globalised world, we all have responsibilities for each other, that we鶹APPre all connected.
鶹APPIt鶹APPs about empathy, and this ability to put yourself in somebody else鶹APPs shoes, and say 鶹APPThat could be me鶹APP. Or 鶹APPThat could be my kid who鶹APPs getting bombed in Aleppo鶹APP.
鶹APPIt鶹APPs about caring enough to make a difference. I think I do have a very strong sense of personal responsibility to try to make a difference.鶹APP
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If you are on a desktop, you鶹APPll need to select 鶹APPView in iTunes鶹APP and once the iTunes programme is open, you鶹APPll be able to switch on a subscription.
Alternatively, if you have a podcast player that subscribes via RSS, you can click the RSS icon on any episode or use this link to get a full feed of all the episodes.
To subscribe via iTunes from this page, hit the iTunes icon above.
If you are on a desktop, you鶹APPll need to select 鶹APPView in iTunes鶹APP and once the iTunes programme is open, you鶹APPll be able to switch on a subscription.
Alternatively, if you have a podcast player that subscribes via RSS, you can click the RSS icon on any episode or use this link to get a full feed of all the episodes.
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