According to UNESCO, around 1.5 billion boys and girls are currently severely affected by the closure of schools, nurseries and leisure facilities. Socially disadvantaged children are hit particularly hard by increasing educational inequality. “Education connects. Together everywhere.” is the motto with which ‘Save the Children’ – the world's largest independent children’s rights organisation – and the international adhesive tape group tesa have decided to form a partnership to give children a chance at a better future. With a donation of 1 million Euros, tesa is supporting selected projects in six countries on three continents: Vietnam, China, India, Mexico, Italy and Germany.
Sustainability
Due to Corona, many children are no longer able to go to nursery or school. Education therefore falls by the wayside – all over the world. That’s a no-go! Therefore, ‘Save the Children’ and tesa have decided on a partnership, thanks to which education projects are being funded in six countries.
Breaking the poverty cycle
“We are pleased to be able to make such an important contribution as a company, to open a protective umbrella over the emerging generation together with ‘Save the Children’,” says Dr Norman Goldberg, CEO of tesa SE. “Education can help significantly in overcoming the crisis and breaking the cycle of poverty – even beyond the Corona pandemic.” All funded projects are located in regions where the tesa group is already present with plants or affiliates or will be active in the future. Just recently, in spring 2020, tesa decided to build another production facility in Vietnam for around 55 million Euros.
Dr Norman Goldberg, CEO tesa SE
tesa SE
Education can help significantly in overcoming the crisis and breaking the cycle of poverty – even beyond the Corona pandemic.
Dr Norman Goldberg
CEO tesa SE
The interview with the child reporter:
To kick off the partnership, two tesa children’s reporters asked the two board members, Susanna Krüger and Dr Norman Goldberg, for an interview.
5
million Euros
are distributed via the tesa Donation Programme. tesa supports selected ‘Save the Children’ projects and the global Covid-19 crisis fund operated by the aid organisation ‘Doctors Without Borders’ with 1 million Euros each. Furthermore, tesa is donating 200,000 Euros each to local organisations in seven regions – from Asia to North and Latin America as well as Europe – which the local affiliates have selected.
No action plans on the drawing board
“From the very beginning our talks made clear that ‘Save the Children’ and tesa are pursuing the same goals and want to support disadvantaged children in their right to education. With our partnership, we combine local project work with global reach,” says Susanna Krüger, Board Chairwoman of ‘Save the Children Germany’. “We generally refrain from developing action plans on the drawing board, but always work together with local people. We use tried and tested models that can be adapted and scaled across national borders,” she adds.
Part of tesa’s donation to Save the Children is going to Vietnam. There, around 20,000 children in rural and urban poverty areas will be provided with various educational materials.
© Save the Children
Home schooling, teacher training and equipment
And this is what the educational partnership looks like in concrete terms: In Vietnam, around 20,000 children in rural and poor urban areas will be provided with various educational materials – starting with paper and writing utensils. Furthermore, courses are planned to promote reading and writing, for example with the help of mentors.
In China, financial support from tesa is helping more than 100,000 children between the ages of ten and twelve and their families to strengthen their socio-emotional development and resilience. Thanks to interactive methods, teachers are given the necessary tools to develop these important skills. Currently, the digitisation of such offers has priority.
In India, where 320 million school children are currently affected by school closings, “Save the Children” wants to ensure that children receive support in home schooling, for example with mobile libraries. There is also a focus on advising authorities on how to create concepts for the boys and girls to return to school. Because: Child labour, child trafficking and child abuse are currently increasing significantly.
In Latin America, the situation has deteriorated dramatically over the past few weeks; the region is considered the new epicentre of the pandemic. In Mexico alone, the health, well-being, and education of more than 40 million children are at stake. The comprehensive aid measures are particularly aimed at indigenous groups, immigrant families and people in rural areas. “Save the Children” works closely with the Ministry of Education to train teachers, develop teaching content and provide urgently needed technical equipment.
Susanna Krüger, Board Chairwoman Save the Children Germany
© Save the Children
We generally refrain from developing action plans on the drawing board, but always work together with local people.
Susanna Krüger
Board Chairwoman of “Save the Children Germany”
Extensive “educational poverty” also in Europe
However, a variety of aid measures are needed right on our doorstep, too. Around 100,000 children in 30 Italian cities will profit from our support with the motto “Rewrite the future”. The provision of internet access and tablets is intended to ensure that young people can continue learning online while schools are closed.
In Germany, “Save the Children” is piloting the “MakerSpace” – a digital learning workshop where children from so-called focus schools can openly and creatively strengthen their skills. The project is scientifically supported by the TU Berlin in order to gain further knowledge for digital educational formats.
Save the Children
In 1919, shortly after the end of the First World War, Eglantyne Jebb took to the streets of Great Britain to collect donations for starving children – especially in Germany. This was the hour of birth of the largest independent children’s rights organisation in the world. One century later, ‘Save the Children’ operates in 113 countries to give the most disadvantaged, marginalised or hard-to-reach boys and girls a healthy start to life, access to basic education and to protect them from wars and conflicts. ‘Save the Children’ strives to improve the lives of children in the long term – during crises and disasters, but also beyond.