SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 07th Oct, 2020) H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, and Chairperson of The Big Heart Foundation, TBHF, has called on the international community to make the education of refugee girls a top priority.
Sheikha Jawaher was addressing a private, all-women virtual panel session organised ahead of the unveiling of the overall winner of the 2020 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award recently by UNHCR, titled "Keeping refugee women and girls safe", to draw further attention to the challenges facing forcibly displaced women and girls, and discuss how individuals and entities across the world can contribute to protecting their rights by offering to be part of the solution.
The high-level discussions attended by Gillian Triggs, Assistant Secretary-General, and Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR, preceded the announcement of the overall winner of the award.
This edition of the annual humanitarian prize, given to individuals, groups or organisations for outstanding work with refugees, displaced and stateless people, has for the first time in its history announced an all-women line-up of regional winners.
Thanking the UNHCR for taking the initiative to host such an important dialogue, Sheikha Jawaher said, "Educating girls and women changes the course of an entire society. Through our philanthropic and women’s support organisations, we have spared no effort to continue to offer support to refugee girls and women in every way possible. Let us continue to work on initiatives that raise awareness amongst refugee communities about the benefits of educating their girls."
"TBHF's projects have reached more than three million individuals in 24 host countries living in abject conditions due to escalating conflicts and crisis in their home countries," Sheikha Jawaher added while speaking about the Sharjah-based global humanitarian organisation’s work with refugees.
"TBHF has supported several development projects that have provided job opportunities for many young men and women. The Foundation has also worked to increase refugee education opportunities by establishing and restoring schools and educational institutions that serve more than 18,000 students living in the affected communities," she said.
Listing the effects of COVID-19 on refugee women and children, Triggs, noted that while terrible tragedies have surrounded the pandemic, there have also been some heartening highlights. "One is that women refugees have also become frontline healthcare workers. They have been the first to take care of their families and have also gone out into their communities to assist."
"Among the many challenges posed to women and girls during COVID-19 has been access to education. Around 1.6 billion children have not gained access to education from time to time over these last few months," Triggs said adding, "the great fear of UNHCR is that refugee children and children in families that are displaced will have dropped out and will not return to school."
Other speakers at the high-profile event included Zaheerah Bham-Ismail, Chairperson of the Caring Women's Forum, founding member of the Islamic Charity Network in South Africa, and a member of the Women's business Network of UNHCR, and Johannesburg-based UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Leanne Manas Menelaou.
The event also heard the voices of three refugee students based at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya who participated in an open session where they shared their views, ambitions, and aspirations for the future. A young female refugee student recited a poem.
Referring to these participants, Zaheerah Bham-Ismail, "When I look at these bright young women, I understand why we are doing what we do. These young girls talked about education and that is so close to my heart because if there is one way, we want to make an impact, change generations, change lives that is going to be through education."
Among the most prominent attendees and participants in the event included Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth ; HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud AlSaud, Secretary-General and member of the board of Trustees at Alwaleed Philanthropies; HRH Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, UNHCR Patron; Sheikha Azza Al Sabah, Founder of Al Sidra Association for Psychological Care of Cancer Patients; H.H. Sheikha Jawaher Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairperson, Sheikha Jawaher Al Khalifa Foundation for Youth Empowerment; Jacqueline Fuller, VP, Google and President of Google.org; Helena Helmersson, CEO, H&M Group; Reeta Roy, President & CEO of MasterCard Foundation; and Jin Song, President, Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, in addition to an elite group of leading businesswomen from the local and international arenas.
According to a United Nations report, the percentage of refugee girls receiving elementary education is below 23 per cent compared to 84 per cent globally while those receiving higher education are estimated to be around one percent compared to 34 percent worldwide.
