Prominent world figure concerned with humanitarian and charity work announced on Thursday the founding of an international non-governmental organisation, called ‘Educators Without Borders’, with its headquarters based in Geneva.

The announcement was made at a press conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, and attended by public figures, officials, people interested in humanitarian, charity and social affairs, legal and academic figures, and representatives of civil society organisations.

The idea of establishing the organisation originated from a sense of social responsibility towards those affected by the decline and lack of educational services caused by conflicts, strife and wars, as well as areas that are not receiving sufficient attention by the governmental educational services, Dr Karima Matar Al Mazroui, the President of the organisation, said during the press conference.

Dr. Karima reviewed international reports and statistics, which indicate the high rate of illiteracy in the world and low access to education.

The organisation has a global influence, and seeking to establish a new concept of humanitarian and charity work, through which it guides the donation and efforts to areas aimed at improving the lives of millions around the world, she pointed out.

She pointed out that education is one the sectors that represent a critical juncture for development empowerment of millions of children and youth, because of its impact on reducing poverty, stimulating economic growth, and helping to build a more secure and stable world.

Dr Karima stressed that enhancing the educational process of children, their parents and teachers is an essential policy tool at the organization, as this process assists in making a fundamental change in knowledge, attitudes and skills. Hence, the organisation’s role in focusing on the educational process has emerged as a shared social responsibility.

She also pledged that ‘Educators Without Boarders’, since its inception this year, will work on promoting access to education for children and young people in developing countries, to become positive contributors to their communities by designing and supporting integrated, sustainable and scalable programmes.

The president revealed that the organisation will conduct the largest charity campaign under the theme ‘Partners in Education’. The campaign aims to help people deprived of educational services, and to lend a helping hand.

The organisation also plans to launch a series of unique initiatives that will help governments, policy makers, and those who are interested in humanitarian and charity issues develop a future educational framework, according to Dr. Karima.

In this regard, Dr. Karima noted that the needs of children living in fragile communities, conflict zones and natural disasters areas are a high priority on the organisation’s agenda. Statistics show that only about 2 percent of total humanitarian aid is spent on education.

Furthermore, Dr. Karima pointed out that the organisation will play a major role in highlighting the need to focus more on the need of children in countries affected by the state of emergency. She added that one third of the organisation’s budget will be allocated to educational programs in emergencies. She also reviewed the objectives for which the organisation was established, namely, the provision of educational and rehabilitation services to students, the training and rehabilitation of teachers to enable them to carry out their tasks effectively to ensure sustainability, the provision of literacy programs.

The educational projects of the organisation, especially technical education programs, include establishment of schools, early childhood programs, regular educational programs, technical education programs, integration programs and education for people with determination), the program of providing school meals, raising awareness and education programs, Rehabilitation and training of teachers, she explained.

‘’In the area of partnerships, the organisation seeks to create a number of strategic partnerships with a number of international organizations and institutions to benefit from its scientific and practical expertise in order to contribute to achieving the goals for which the organisation was established,’’ she added.

WAM