Desmond Tutu helps #UpForSchool Petition reach six million signatures
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He started his adult life as a high school teacher. So it was fitting that Desmond Tutu 国产视频 legendary anti-apartheid activist, social rights campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize winner 国产视频 should help the #UpForSchool Petition break through the six million signatures mark.
He added his name to the growing list of people across the globe who are demanding that world leaders keep their promise to get every child into school.
Desmond Tutu with A World at School国产视频檚 Ben Hewitt
Archbishop Tutu signed the petition today in Cape Town, South Africa, as he attended the World Economic Forum on Africa. He wrote: 国产视频淕od bless you, Desmond Tutu, 5.6.2015, Cape Town.国产视频
He is the third Nobel Peace Prize winner to sign #UpForSchool 国产视频 the others are last year国产视频檚 joint winners Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi.
Desmond Tutu国产视频檚 signed #UpForSchool poster
A World at School国产视频檚 Campaigns Director Ben Hewitt said: 国产视频淕etting a hugely influential figure like Desmond Tutu to sign the petition gives a massive boost to all the people around the world who are calling for urgent action to get every boy and girl into school.
国产视频淲ith the support of people like him, we are able to take the #UpForSchool message even further 国产视频 from village to town to city and from country to country, everyone coming behind this children国产视频檚 rights movement and transforming the futures of millions of young people.国产视频
A student sits at a Tutudesk, with Thandi Tutu-Gxashe
Archbishop Tutu is a passionate supporter of education. He once said: 国产视频淯niversal education is not only a moral imperative but an economic necessity, to pave the way toward making many more nations self-sufficient and self-sustaining.国产视频
He launched the Desmond Tutu Tutudesk Campaign, which aims to provide 20 million mobile desks to children in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. The region has a shortage of 95 million school desks.
Thandi Tutu-Gxashe signs the #UpForSchool Petition
Archbishop Tutu signed the #UpForSchool Petition after conducting Friday morning service at St George国产视频檚 Cathedral in Cape Town. It was a fitting setting 国产视频 as millions of signatures have been collected by faith networks such as World Vision, Muslim Aid and the Salvation Army.
His daughter Thandi Tutu-Gxashe also added her name and talked about the need for children to have a quality education.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka with UN education envoy Gordon Brown
Ben said: 国产视频淪he kindly offered to share the petition through their network of schools and other groups in South Africa.聽#UpForSchool is now being recognised as a global movement of people calling for education for every child 国产视频 and world leaders are starting to take note.国产视频
Another prominent South African activist who signed the #UpForSchool Petition today was Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. The country国产视频檚 deputy president from 2005 to 2008, she is now United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.
Global Youth Ambassadors are spreading #UpForSchool message
At the World Economic Forum on Africa, she聽emphasised the need for education and skills if African growth is to be led by industry. She said聽more needs to be done to advance issues such as girls国产视频 education, unwanted pregnancy and early marriages to get significant numbers of women into the mainstream economy.
The #UpForSchool Petition is a youth-led drive to ensure world leaders hear the voices of ordinary people in every country. A World at School国产视频檚 Global Youth Ambassadors are working tirelessly in their communities to get signatures and our GYAs in South Africa will be holding an #UpForSchool event in the coming weeks.
You can make your voice heard too 国产视频 sign the #UpForSchool Petition.
Read Ben Hewitt国产视频檚 blog on the #UpForSchool message being delivered to the World Economic Forum on Africa.
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