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Conexión CP and the importance of education

What is “Conexión CP” and why do we believe so much in education?

Conexión Creando Puentes is a non-profit association which aims to respond to the current international migration crisis which is forcing millions of people every year to leave their homes against their wishes.

Conexión Creando Puentes provides academic support in developing skills in areas as diverse as languages (especially Spanish and English, as they are in the greatest demand), mathematics, music, handicrafts, art and painting workshops. We often work in collaboration with other charities or foundations.

Our primary responsibility is to help empower socially disadvantaged people, by making a contribution through education to support the creation of a caring, diverse and cohesive society which is characterised by support and mutual respect.

According to the UNHCR data (2018), some 3.7 million refugee children are not receiving a school education, and this represents more than half of the 7.1 million refugee children of school age. Only 63% of refugee children receive a primary education, 24% of refugee teenagers have access to secondary education and only 3% to higher education. 48% of all refugee children do not attend school at all.

Regions with few or no resources are often host to millions of refugees where there are very few schools, and those that do exist are overcrowded and they lack teachers as well as basic services such as water, sanitation and hygiene.

2.9 million of school-age refugee children live in 5 countries alone (Turkey, Pakistan, Sudan, Lebanon and Uganda).

It is through education that we nourish our minds and learn how to take care of ourselves. It is through education that we grow and advance, how we learn to face problems and confront challenges, how we may flourish in a work environment and even how to plan our lives for the future.

Refugee children and young people have the right to receive a quality education which is essential in ensuring that they can reach their full potential, enjoy a different future and not be left behind in the race to participate fully in life’s experiences. It is also through education that refugees are less likely to be exploited in child labour or criminal activities. Girls and young women are also less likely to be coerced into early marriage or pregnancy.

For us, equal access to a quality education, including access to distance learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, is not just an aim, it is an imperative.

Prior to the onset of this pandemic situation around the world, there were already consistent problems affecting refugee, migrant and displaced communities. Problems such as poor-quality education, lack of infrastructure and access to technological devices, limited resources, unequal access to education, lack of preparedness in the education systems and inadequate teachers’ trainings.

These problems, like the unequal access to education, are still very much present today and, in some cases, have been greatly exacerbated. In the past, students were at least able to attend classes in person, but due to COVID-19 these classes have had to be carried out online. Such solution has revealed other limitations within the refugee communities, such as absence of electricity and internet connections and, in many cases, lack of necessary devices. For this reason, we at Conexión CP try to strengthen the use of technology by finding viable solutions to provide as many refugees as possible with the opportunity to learn.

At Conexión CP we would deeply appreciate to count on your help and collaboration, thus we invite you to support such a noble cause by “doing your bit”, which can mean a lot to underprivileged people. Together we can grant hope to those who need it and help them to build the future they deserve.

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