*EAC promised to educate10mn out of school children six years ago
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, has affirmed that the foundation's Educate A Child programme, is one month away from reaching the goal set six years ago to enable 10mn children around the world to basic education.
In an interview with Paris Match magazine, Sheikha Moza stressed that the Educate A Child (EAC) programme which was launched in 2012, now has more than 82 partners, through which all the goals set for it have been achieved. "Today, we have 82 partners in this project. On our part, we have achieved our goals. But what we are building, other people are destroying. This means that if we fail to impose strict rules, the problem is likely to be endless.
"Unesco is really working with us a lot, providing us with the technical help and support. I would like it, of course, if there were more," Sheikha Moza said.
Unesco has just revealed that 63mn children do not receive any form of education. Asked what does this figure tell us about the state of the world, she said : "This figure is deplorable. And unfortunately, it is increasing each year. Before coming to Paris, I had been informed that the figure was 61mn. Now, it reached 63mn. As a personal goal, I pledged to educate 10mn out of school children in six years. And in a month, we'll be there. But the problem is that, in general, education is not the priority for many leaders. Two thirds of these children live in conflict zones. As long as we do not take drastic measures to protect education, to protect schools, this number will be increasing. This is my fight, which I have begun long ago. I want schools to be considered as sanctuaries, places that cannot, in any way, be targeted by warring parties.
"At our scale, we work in numerous countries. I'll give you two examples. First in Bangladesh, in areas hit by natural disasters like floods, children are unable go to school. We have, therefore, put into place a boat system to bring school to them. I was struck by the strength of these children and their determination to pursue their studies. For instance, you see children sitting on the floors using straws as pencils with charcoal, done at home by their mothers. In Yemen, we have a programme for education and another for employment. We train young entrepreneurs and seek to place them in the labour market. Unfortunately, the coalition has started an offensive that is supposed to help the country, but, in reality, it is preventing it from going forward. Those who commit such acts must be held accountable. It is necessary that, as an international community, we take the issue of education seriously."
Asked in Yemen or in Syria, is it possible to aid children on both sides of a conflict, Sheikha Moza said: "Our programmes help all Yemenis, but today they are undermined by this conflict. We were working in Yemen before the change of regime and it worked quite well. When the regime changed, we kept supporting the country. Yemen is a civilised country, which, in the end, must be capable of managing itself. The Yemenis could have settled their affairs by themselves, but because of foreign intervention, the country is divided. It is chaos."
Asked if it was realistic to achieve her announcement at the Unesco of plans to help 335,000 children across 11 countries by 2021, Sheikha Moza said: "This concerns our partnerships with French NGOs and government. We will succeed. Trust me. It is a realistic objective. In Africa, development can be achieved through education. President Macron knows that. He has granted 200mn euros. It is enormous. I would like to see others get involved as much as him."
During her visit to Paris, Sheikha Moza said she had met with Brigitte Macron and said: "We spent an hour and a half together at the Elysée Palace. We share a lot in common, especially in our vision for education."
Asked , who in the world supports her the most, she said: "I have 82 partners. Unesco is really working with us a lot, providing us with the technical help and support. I would like it, of course, if there were more."
Asked at first glance, the place of women in the world has declined particularly with the emergence of radical Islam, Sheikha Moza said : "I'm not sure. I have no statistics in this regard. I travel a lot and I meet women everywhere and in Qatar as well. It seems to me that, on the contrary, they are more present. I think they've never had so much power as they do today. They are more aware of their rights and they have more confidence in themselves. Yesterday at the Unesco, I met a young Qatari volunteer who was speaking about her experience. Ten years ago, it was unimaginable to see a young 18-year old girl, like her, expressing herself before an audience with such confidence. Women are no longer silent. Now, if you are talking about people under the control of gangs, cartels or radical ideologues, it is, of course, not the same thing. But again, it is the lack of education that is partly responsible for these phenomena. Women in these situations have no other choices. So, we must develop their critical sense and give them the means to protect themselves."
Asked whether humanity therefore functions at two rates, she said:
"It is not just women. Children and all vulnerable people are affected. We need to completely rethink our humanity and go back to our shared principles and values. It is not enough to talk. The world is tired of all this rhetoric. We need something concrete. People have to see results. They want to be able to go home without fearing that their children will be kidnapped on their way to school."
Asked about Saudi Arabia cutting off relations, imposing a blockade and accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser said : "They are baseless. They are just recycling lies. This is enough. When my children were young, I would tell them, and they still remember it: 'Never lie, because a lie never lasts long'. One day or another, the truth will come out".
As with Saudi Arabia, Sheikha Moza said Qatar has a long, shared history together. "There have been many marriages between us. Our region is based on tribes that are often nomadic. At some point, we did not even have borders. Members of our families live in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain and in the Emirates. You cannot get rid of these relations overnight. Even if they impose a blockade on us, they cannot erase our genes. I know many people in these countries who are infuriated by what happened. Yesterday, I saw a study done by Qatar University saying 78% of Qataris felt that their families have been affected as a result of this blockade, and the same figures, more or less, for the Emiratis.They tried to separate us, but they have not succeeded. This crisis has made us stronger. It has made us look inwards and question who we are. Qatar is more united than ever under the leadership of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, whose popularity has doubled," she noted.
"This crisis has brought out the best qualities from our leaders. And people are grateful to them. Today opens a new chapter in our history. The Emir is at a big juncture now in his political life," Sheikha Moza added.
