Policy Seed Grant | 2004-2005
Protecting Children from War and Ensuring their Prospects for the Future: Educating in the Context of Crisis and Transition
by Dana Burde (Institute of War and Peace Studies), Jack Snyder (Political Science), and Neil Boothby (Population and Family Health)
This project will explore and assess efforts to deliver education services to civilian populations affected by war in Afghanistan. "Education in emergencies" is a burgeoning intervention in the field of humanitarian assistance both during and after conflict, endorsed by most international aid agencies. Education in these circumstances is promoted for two crucial reasons. First, in the short term it is considered critical for protecting war-affected children from further trauma by stabilizing and normalizing societies, and insulating potential child-soldier from army recruitment. Second, in the longer term, continuing to educate children during conflict is an essential investment in a society's future human resources, ensuring that these societies do not fall behind on their development goals, promoting tolerance, and helping them to emerge more quickly from the devastation created by conflict. There are scores of international nongovernmental organizations, bilateral, and multilateral agencies engaged in such projects around the world, spending hundreds of millions of dollars and calling for more funds; however, the progress of these programs and of the students enrolled in them remains uncharted. Information about the impact of these programs should be made available. The project will draw on the resources of Columbia University and on international scholars and practitioners to develop a focused and nuanced understanding of education in emergencies.
See Also
- Research grant: Protecting Children from War and Ensuring their Prospects for the Future: Educating in the Context of Crisis and Transition
- Newsletter article: Spotlight on Seed Grants
