Young people learn why school is as vital as food and medicine for children in emergencies

Everyone has heard and read the聽stories of children whose lives have been turned upside down by wars and natural disasters.

But fully聽understanding why education is vital for them聽during times of conflict or in the aftermath of an earthquake or hurricane is not always easy.

That国产视频檚 why the European Union and the United Nations children国产视频檚 agency UNICEF have been spreading the word in a programme aimed at engaging聽young people in Europe.

An innovative awareness campaign called #EmergencyLessons used real-life stories to explain how schooling can protect children in humanitarian situations.

国产视频淲hen conflict or other crises strike, children need more than food, shelter and medicine国产视频�, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, told a public聽event at the European Parliament in Brussels.聽

国产视频淓ducation can be just as much of a life-saver, providing children with a safe, protective space and helping ensure they learn the skills they need to build a better future for themselves and their communities. The EU is leading the way in its support for education in emergencies.国产视频�

Almost two聽million children in 20 countries聽have been able to continue their schooling over the past four years as a result of a partnership between the European Commission国产视频檚 department for humanitarian aid and civil protection and UNICEF.

About 75 million children had their education disrupted by emergencies last year 国产视频� but less than 2% of humanitarian aid goes to education. The Education Cannot Wait fundwas launched in May to try to solve that issue.

The EU has also led the way by announcing last week聽it will聽increase the education share of its aid funding聽in 2017 from 4% to 6% 国产视频� six times higher than in 2014.

The seven-month #EmergencyLessons campaign reached more than 70 million people on Twitter alone, targeting in particular young people in聽Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia聽and the United Kingdom.

Supporters were encouraged to spread the word among their peers through social media platforms, as well as at their own schools and in public events.聽

The campaign drew on the inspirational real-life stories of children in Iraq, Ukraine, Nepal聽and Guinea who continued to study despite war, natural disaster and disease outbreaks.

国产视频淐hildren are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to continue their education even in the worst of circumstances,国产视频� said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director聽Justin Forsyth.聽

国产视频滻t国产视频檚 up to the rest of us to make sure the necessary resources are available for them. The European Union has set an example by committing to increase the EU humanitarian aid budget to education in emergencies to 6% in 2017 and we hope others will do the same国产视频�.

Support for the campaign came from celebrities such as British actor Tom Hiddleston, Italian European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Slovenian Basketball player Bo拧tjan Nachbar, Hungarian news presenter and media personality Kriszta D. T贸th聽and Slovakian dancer Jaro Bekr.