TIDMVOD
Vodafone Group Plc
17 June 2021
17 June 2021
VODAFONE FOUNDATION AND UNHCR EXPAND CONNECTED EDUCATION
PROGRAMME FOR REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITIES INTO MOZAMBIQUE
-- Instant Network Schools launches in Mozambique to provide
nearly 9,000 asylum seekers, refugees and local students with
access to quality, connected education.
-- One school will serve the Maratane Refugee Settlement, a camp
hosting a third of the country's refugees, and another is the
biggest secondary public school in Nampula city.
-- The programme will support asylum seekers, refugees and Mozambican students who have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19. An estimated 50% of primary age and 60% of secondary age children in the Maratane Refugee Settlement are now outside of the education system.
Ahead of World Refugee Day (June 20), Vodafone Foundation and
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have expanded their Instant Network
Schools (INS) programme - which supports over 94,000 refugee
students and communities in four African countries - into
Mozambique. Two new INS, in the Maratane Refugee Settlement and the
city of Nampula, will benefit nearly 9,000 students in the 7th-12th
grades, 25,000 family members and over 200 teachers.
INS transforms existing classrooms into multimedia hubs for
learning, complete with internet connectivity, sustainable solar
power and a robust teacher training programme. The content is
localised and aligned to national curriculums, which supports
disadvantaged learners to study core subjects in the classroom, and
crucially, increases access to opportunities for both study and
future work opportunities.
The Maratane Refugee Settlement is located in Nampula Province
and hosts one third of Mozambique's 28,000 refugees. As of March
2021, more than 50% of the refugee primary school-aged children in
the settlement were outside the primary education system, and more
than 60% outside the secondary education system. UNHCR supports a
primary and a secondary school run by the Ministry of Education in
Maratane Refugee Settlement for both refugee and host community
children to promote social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR have also established an INS in a
public school in the provincial capital city, Nampula - 35km from
the camp. It is the first time that the programme will be situated
within an urban public school environment, maximising benefits to
refugee and young learners.
Andrew Dunnett, Director SDGs, Sustainable Business and
Foundations, Vodafone Group, said: "Prior to 2020, refugee children
were twice as likely to be out of school as a non-refugee child.
COVID-19's onslaught of school closures, health needs, and loss of
family livelihoods has exacerbated the risks of refugee children -
and secondary school-age refugee girls in particular - not
returning to school. Refugee students in Mozambique - where
Maratane used to be called the forgotten camp - have faced
particularly dire conditions and consequences to their continued
safety, wellbeing, and learning."
Samuel Chakwera, UNHCR's representative in Mozambique, said:
"Fostering quality learning in refugee settlements and camps
remains a constant challenge as most of the time educational
resources are not available in those settings. Through the Instant
Network Schools programme in secondary schools in Maratane and
Nampula, an innovation hub will be created in the classroom,
bringing together education, innovation and protection. I am
incredibly proud to see the programme expand into Mozambique where
I hope it will have the same success that we've experienced in
other countries."
At the heart of an INS is a 'school in a box' that includes
tablets for students, a laptop for the teacher, a projector,
speaker, internet connectivity, solar charging and a library of
digital educational resources. The programme was established by
Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR in 2013 to give young refugees, host
community members and their teachers access to digital devices,
resources and tools, including the internet which assist in
improving the quality of education in some of the most marginalised
communities in Africa.
The launch in Mozambique brings the total number of INS centres
to 38, with schools already rolled out across the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan. Vodafone
Foundation and UNHCR are committed to expand the programme to
benefit 500,000 young refugees and their communities by 2025.
An evaluation of existing INS programmes showed a significant
positive impact including an increase in ICT literacy of 61% for
students and 125% for teachers, and improved confidence, motivation
and academic performance by students.
Longevity, self-sufficiency and scalability are central to the
success of the INS programme. Post-launch, Vodafone Foundation and
UNHCR will work closely with the Mozambique Ministry of Education
to ensure the long-term sustainability of the programme to 2025,
and beyond.
- ends -
Fo r further information:
Vodafone Group
Media Relations
www.vodafone.com/media/contact
Notes to Editors
Videos and images of people whose lives have been improved as a
result of the INS programme can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vodafonegroup/sets/72157719466187485/
About Mozambique
As of March 2021, Mozambique was host to 27,722 refugees and
asylum seekers, the majority of whom are from the DRC (36.8%) and
Burundi (32.2%). Mozambique is also host to 668,000 internally
displaced persons (IDPs), who are predominantly located in the
northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa. Internal
displacement has risen in Mozambique since October 2017, when Cabo
Delgado began facing an ongoing conflict with extreme violence by
non-state armed groups. The needs are growing rapidly: in March
2021 these provinces had almost five times more IDPs as than the
number registered in March 2020.
About Vodafone Foundation
Vodafone Foundation's strategy of 'Connecting for Good' combines
Vodafone's charitable giving and technology to address some of the
world's most pressing problems. Established in 1991, Vodafone
Foundation is at the centre of a network of global and local social
investment programmes. Vodafone Foundation is an independent UK
registered charity, registered charity number 1089625. For more
information, visit: www.vodafonefoundation.org
About Instant Network Schools
Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR's Instant Network Schools (INS)
programme aims to connect refugee students in a quality digital
education and improve ICT literacy and digital skills. Vodafone
Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have worked together
since 2013 to enhance the quality of education in refugee contexts.
The INS programme was co-designed by the Vodafone Foundation
Instant Network team and UNHCR's Innovation and Education teams
leveraging Vodafone's technical expertise and core capabilities.
Vodafone Foundation's Instant Classroom - the equipment used for
INS - is a digital 'school in a box' that can be set up in a matter
of minutes. It includes 25 tablets, a laptop for the teacher, a
projector, speakers, 3G modem and a library of digital educational
resources. The INS programme has had a significant impact within
the schools in refugee contexts by ensuring that refugees, and the
communities that host them, have access to accredited, quality, and
relevant learning opportunities.
About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated
to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for
people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and
persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food
and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop
solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home. We
work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care
for millions of people.
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