PODCASTS SERIES: "Beyond School Books"
'Beyond School Books' is a wide-ranging and provocative series of radio programmes on education in countries affected by conflict and natural disasters.
Each segment explores the role of education in the context of humanitarian response to conflict and post-crisis countries. The topics range from the struggle of Iraqi youths to study amidst war to how architecture is making significant strides in school construction and safety. Journalists, education specialists, young people and international figures speak on ways education can be - and has been - used to rebuild hope and foster social transformation in schools and communities. Special attention is paid to the unique experience of girls and young women in these complicated contexts.
Segments are also distributed on the Public Radio exchange for broadcasters and radio stations around the world at: http://www.prx.org/group/UNICEF
© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1152/Kate Holt
Six-year-old Nemanja Brkic (left) and a classmate hold up drawings in their nursery school in Novi Sad, capital of Vojvodina Province. Nemanja was born with hearing problems. His nursery school is one of the first to accept disabled children as part of a new law integrating disabled children into regular schools. Nemanja is the only child in his class with special needs, and, with therapy, he is able to keep up with his classmates.
By Rudina Vojvoda
NEW YORK, USA, 21 September 2011 – Over 1.5 million children in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) live with disabilities. Commonly locked up in segregated institutions or hidden away in their homes, children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised groups of our society. They are often denied their basic right to quality education and lack opportunities to interact with their peers and participate actively in the society.
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© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-0999/Kate Holt
Somali children waiting to register for food and other aid in the Dagahaley refugee camp in North Eastern Province, near the Kenya-Somalia border. The camp is among three that comprise the Dadaab camps, located on the outskirts of the town of Dadaab in Garissa District. In Kenya, 1.7 million children have been affected by the drought, including 220,000 Somali refugee children in the north-eastern town of Dadaab.
By Rudina Vojvoda
NEW YORK, USA, 12 September 2011 – As the emergency escalates throughout the Horn of Africa, the numbers of those in crisis continue to grow. Currently, 13.3 million people in the region are in need of humanitarian assistance. Somalia is the worst-affected country, with more than 750,000 people at risk of death.
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© UNICEF/Geogia2010/Matthew Emry
Young researchers during a team exercise in Georgia.
By Rudina Vojvoda
NEW YORK, USA, 11 August 2011 – This week marks the end of the International Year of Youth, a year dedicated to celebrating young people’s achievements as well as creating more opportunities for youth to engage fully in the development of their societies. Although people under 24 represent nearly half of the world’s population, in many countries they often lack freedom, equal opportunities and quality education that is their basic right.
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© UNICEF/PAKA2010-00441/Marta Ramoneda
A girl at a UNICEF-supported school in a relief camp for people affected by the floods in Sukkur, Pakistan.
By Rudina Vojvoda
NEW YORK, USA, 27 July 2011 – The floods that hit Pakistan one year ago are considered to be the worst in its history. Triggered by the annual monsoon rains, the water floods claimed hundreds of lives, destroyed 2 million homes and washed away more than 2 million hectares of crops. Among the thousands of buildings lost in the floods, 10,000 were schools, heavily impacting the education of children in Pakistan.
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© UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0862/Georgina Cranston
Children attending a class at the Muniki Center Basic School in the Muniki Payam, a north-western sub-district of Juba, capital of South Sudan.
By Rudina Vojvoda
NEW YORK, USA, 6 July 2011 – At the end of this week, Southern Sudan will become an independent nation. Citizens of the newest country in the world, the people of Southern Sudan face immense challenges and immediate threats.
They also stand before a unique opportunity to build a country that is free of war, respectful of human rights and prosperous. Education will play a pivotal role in the future stability and economic development of Southern Sudan.
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© Kosovo/2011/Milica Milovic
Kosovo's youth participating in Recycle smART, a project funded by UNICEF's Innovation Lab. Recycle smART aims to use art as a tool for raising awareness on environmental issues and education for sustainability.
By Rudina Vojvoda
New York, USA, 15 June 2011 – With an estimated 53 per cent of its population under the age of 25, Kosovo is considered to be the youngest area in Europe. Twelve years after the height of the devastating 1999 conflict, Kosovo’s young people have witnessed significant progress. Towns and villages have been rebuilt, most of the people who fled violence now have returned home, and local institutions are functioning. Yet, the youth of Kosovo is coming of age in a society that is still ethnically divided, with the worst socio-economic, health and education indicators of Europe. According to UNICEF, more than 70 per cent of young people are unemployed, the majority of them unskilled.
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