QFFD signs MoU with Guatemala to educate 20,570 out of school children

QNA

Doha

Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) signed an MoU with the Republic of Guatemalas Ministry of Education in cooperation with its strategic partner Education above All Foundation (EAA ), to enroll 20,570 Guatemalan Out Of School Children (OOSC) into a quality primary education.

This new, six-year project between Education Above All’s Educate A Child program Funded by QFFD and its partner buildOn will focus on supporting children to break the cycle of poverty through the provision of a quality primary education. The goal of this project is to create improved access to inclusive and equitable quality education for out of school children at the primary level in Guatemala, it will do so using 4 key strategies, including building school infrastructure and construction of new primary schools in rural communities; sensitization and capacity building with community members, leaders, teachers, government officials, and students; accelerated education programs and direct support to OOSC through classes, school kits, and securing birth certificate registration; and income generating initiatives and the provision of individual small loans.

Being a student in Guatemala is not a simple task as distance to school, poor infrastructure, high education fees and overcrowded classrooms are all obstacles that face students in this country. If a student is fortunate in avoiding those barriers, they may face other issues such as poor perception of education, caste/Ethnic discrimination, birth registration challenges. And it is harder for girls to attend to school.

Stemming from poverty, one of the more significant barriers to education in Guatemala is child labor. Today 90.2 percent of the children are attending schools, however 6.5 percent are drop out of school and working and 3.3 percent are combining between education and working. And all those obstacle stem from the bigger problem which is poverty.

The Deputy Director General of projects, Qatar Fund for Development Misfer Al-Shahwani, said on this occasion:" The strategic agreement signed today is guided by the adamant belief that access to quality education is a fundamental driver of social and economic prosperity. To this end, the project will seek to create improved inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities to more than 20,000 out of school children of primary school age in Guatemala."

Guatemala's Minister of Education Claudia Ruiz announced that this signing of the Memorandum would contribute to strengthening childhood education and the efforts made by the Ministry of Education based on its strategic lines.

The Director of the Education Above All Foundation Talal Alhothal noted: "Today's agreement between QFFD and the Republic of Guatemala is a step towards far-reaching change, built around inclusive and equitable quality education for some of the worlds most marginalized children. The strategic partnership between QFFD and EAA is deeply rooted as there is a common ground between both institutions in their aim to support the most marginalized out of school children around the world with the opportunity to enroll in a quality primary education.