Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza and Lebanon denied an education as UK pupils enjoy half-term break

As children in the UK make the most of their October half-term break from school, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is warning that thousands of youngsters in Gaza and Lebanon are missing out on vital education.

Hundreds of schools have been turned into emergency shelters for people whose homes have been destroyed or conflict has meant they have had to leave their properties.

In Gaza, children are now unable to go to school for the second school year in a row, with 45,000 unable to start school for the first time.  

Only 15,000 children are being supported by temporary learning spaces that have been set up by humanitarian agencies but this is a small fraction of what is needed for the 625,000 pupils in Gaza who have already missed up to a full school year since the conflict began. It has been reported that 378 school buildings in Gaza have been directly hit over the past year.

Teachers are reporting that children are forgetting the alphabet they have started to learn due to the disruption. Raja, a primary school teacher in central Gaza, told DEC member charity ActionAid:

“I ask many children about letters [of the alphabet] and they do not know anything about letters or words. The simplest thing…they don’t know the alphabet! They have forgotten so much.”

In Lebanon, well over two thirds - 77% - of public schools have been converted to collective shelters or are otherwise disrupted. This has led to a delay in the start of the academic term from October 14 to November 4 for the lucky ones whose schools remain open.

The DEC’s warning follows the launch of the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal on 17 October. Funds raised by the appeal will help DEC member charities to provide psycho-social and mental health support, education opportunities and safe spaces and kits with exercise books, pens/pencils, rubbers and text books.

Christian Aid is providing psychosocial support in Gaza to children through play and art, with special ‘fun hour’ sessions.

ActionAid is supporting 5,500 children with access to education through Hope festivals in Rafah led by humanitarian youth groups in Gaza.

Save the Children is expanding its emergency education and child protection efforts inside and outside displacement shelters and is focusing on keeping children learning while supporting their well-being.  

Since October 2023, Save has helped over 2,100 displaced children by providing emergency education, mental health support, social and emotional learning activities, and distributing educational supplies.

Plan International is distributing student kits and learning materials as well as recreational kits for displaced students in Lebanon.

Erin Wall, Education Technical Advisor at Save the Children Lebanon, said:  

“Education during conflict plays a crucial role in providing a sense of normalcy and routine for children, but schools are now closed once again, and most non-formal education activities halted in the last two weeks.

“This only adds to the children’s distress as they lose access to the comfort of their friends and teachers, the structure of safe learning spaces and the routine support services they can find in schools.

“If schools stay closed, we expect compounded learning losses, with children unable to read and write, leading to a higher risk of drop-out and lower learning achievement overall, not to mention social isolation and disconnection. This will significantly affect children’s wellbeing, development, and ability to learn, limiting their opportunities for the future.”  

Emilia Sorrentino, Education in Emergencies Global Lead at DEC member charity Plan International, said:  

“For many children in Gaza and Lebanon education is a lifeline as well as a basic right – it is a form of resilience for children that gives them hope for a better future. This is why Plan International is committed to ensuring that safe access to education is restored. We are working tirelessly to help children learn and return to school while also providing other lifesaving assistance to those who have had to flee their homes.

“We will not let a generation of children lose their future to this crisis.”

Every pound donated by the British public to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal will be matched by the UK Government through its UK Aid Match scheme, up to the value of £10 million.  

£10 could provide blankets for two people   
£50 could provide emergency food for five families for one week 
£100 could provide emergency shelter for five families    

For more information on the appeal, please visit the DEC website.

Stay up to date with the appeal with the DEC on  X  or on Facebook.  

ENDS  

Notes to editors:  

Media enquiries please call 07930 999 014 or 07871 309253 (out of hours).  

Recent photos and footage from Gaza and Lebanon including of Raja.

Interview requests: For individual interviews with panellists or other spokespeople please contact: press1@dec.org.uk  

More information from Raja, with pictures, and quotes from parents are available from press1@dec.org.uk  

About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.      

All 15 of the DEC’s members are either responding or planning to respond in the Middle East and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.    

DEC member charities are committed to the principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence – it guides all of the lifesaving work we do. As humanitarian aid agencies, we have an obligation to give aid wherever it is needed, prioritising the most urgent needs of the most vulnerable people. 

The majority of funds from this appeal will be spent in Gaza and Lebanon, where millions of people are displaced and desperately need humanitarian support. Some of the funds will also be used to support people in the West Bank, where the recent escalation in violence has forced many more to flee their homes, and had a devastating economic impact.  

In Israel, families of those held hostage desperately await news of their loved ones, tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and many more are dealing with trauma caused by the ongoing conflict. We will continue to monitor the situation and needs in Israel. A number of DEC charities are in a position to expand their response to include Israel should the situation change. 

Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.  For this appeal, every pound donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government through its UK Aid Match scheme, up to the value of £10 million.      

UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal in 2023.  In 2022, the UK matched up to £25 million of public donations to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match.      

UK Aid Match enquiries should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Please call 020 7023 0600 (24-hour).  

How to donate:      

• Online: dec.org.uk    
• Phone: 0330 123 0333 [Standard network charges apply]    
• Text to give/SMS: for press releases: text SUPPORT to 70676 to donate £10. Other partners should use the specific text keywords they have been provided with by the DEC. [Texts cost £10 plus your standard network rate]    
• Send a cheque by post to: DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.