16-year-old Emmanuel from Rwanda, who suffers from cerebral palsy;
Credit: HI
Handicap International has relaunched its "School4All" inclusivity campaign ahead of the start of the new academic year in Luxembourg.
Globally, 32 million children with disabilities are deprived of an education. Largely excluded from the school system, especially in developing countries, these children are ten times less likely to attend school than others and are also more likely to drop out of school quickly. The NGO stressed that, without primary education and training, these children are more exposed to social exclusion, violence and discrimination, and thus become more vulnerable.
It is for these children that Handicap International annually relaunches its School4All campaign in favour of inclusive education. The campaign promotes inclusivity in four areas: the purchase of essential school materials; training teachers and making them aware of the specific needs of these students; funding accessible schools; and the provision of prostheses and rehabilitation care to enable children with disabilities to walk to school alongside their friends.
In the 52 education projects carried out by the association in 2020 across 27 countries worldwide, all children are gathered together in the same school or class, regardless of their gender or skin colour, religion or specific needs. In 2018, the campaign enabled 127,000 children with disabilities to attend school.
To further this cause, Handicap International has called on the Luxembourg government to place children with disabilities at the heart of their development aid and to redouble their efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all by 2030. The NGO specifically called for effective measures to be taken to strengthen development aid in the education sector and support low-income countries to move towards an inclusive education system. Those wishing to sign the petition against the exclusion of children with disabilities from school can do so at: https://bit.ly/petition-school4all.
