HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Visits Education Projects in Gaza

Gaza, October 23 (QNA) - Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, visited on Tuesday a series of pioneering education projects in the Gaza Strip that are opening up learning opportunities to children and students in some of the world s most challenging political and economic circumstances. Accompanying His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on an historic visit to the blockaded Palestinian territory, Sheikha Moza, who is also UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon s MDG Global Advocate for Education, said she had been inspired and moved by the value that the children and teaching staff placed on education: "Today I have witnessed for myself some of the inspirational steps being taken to enable young people to benefit from the basic human right of a full, high-quality education", Her Highness said. "Education is under attack wherever we look. There are some 61 million children across the world who do not have access to basic primary education, 28 million of whom live in conflict zones. In Gaza alone, some NNN children cannot attend primary school for various reasons. Projects such as those supported by Al Fakhoora here in Gaza give young people hope, opportunity, and the chance to break out of the vicious cycle of disadvantage." Her Highness visited three projects supported by Al Fakhoora, a campaign she launched in 2009 to support education in the wake of the war on Gaza. The visit was the second stop on a trip by Her Highness to visit projects and schools that are taking measures to address threats to education. The other stops are in Africa and Asia. During her trip to Gaza, Her Highness visited: 1. Al Fakhoora s flagship programme, Dynamic Futures. The programme awards 100 scholarships a year to outstanding students from economically deprived families. It provides not only financial support, but also student advisory and counseling services, as well as leadership and communication skills training. Al Fakhoora recently opened its official headquarters in Gaza, providing the students with the creative space to organise local activities and engage in virtual dialogue, for instance through a weekly debate with students from Penn State University in the US. Her Highness met with the eight Al Fakhoora technical assistants who steer and coordinate the students activities in advocacy, communications and awareness-raising. 2. The science laboratories at the Islamic University of Gaza. In collaboration with Qatar Red Crescent, Al Fakhoora has restored and renovated the Teeba building, which was severely damaged during the 2008-2009 war. Her Highness toured the new facilities and spoke with students. 3. Atfaluna Society, which is dedicated to educating, integrating and empowering deaf children. In collaboration with Qatar Red Crescent, Al Fakhoora has provided hearing screening tests to 12,000 young children, and provided hearing aid devices and support services to 420 children with hearing problems and their families. HH Sheikha Moza recently returned from the UN General Assembly week in New York, where she took a prominent role in the launch of the UN Secretary General's new global education initiative Education First. Her Highness, who is a member of the Education First steering group, also launched, through her Education Above All initiative, a ground-breaking handbook that will be a powerful instrument of justice for those investigating and prosecuting violations against education in conflict zones. (QNA)