Promoting quality education for all.

COVID-19 Response: Important Updates from GCE-US

COVID-19 Response: Important Updates from GCE-US

COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Response
Global Campaign for Education - US Update
Education for all, collaborative advocacy & partnership are more important now than ever

Dear GCE-US friends, partners, supporters, advocates, and colleagues,
 
Our thoughts are with you as you adapt to new circumstances in the midst of the new coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19. Although we are facing challenging times with unprecedented numbers of children now out of school around the world, we are also looking for opportunities to continue to collaborate and achieve our mission to ensure that all children and youth access quality, inclusive education, especially those who need us most. Our success in creating avenues for children to receive education in emergencies – natural disasters, crises and conflicts – poises GCE-US to scale those successes in response, minimizing the gap in education left by the current global crisis. In the message below, please find an outline about how the Global Campaign for Education-US (GCE-US) is responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
Our goal is to prioritize health and safety and to ensure that children, youth, teachers, education support professionals, and all other educators are supported during this pandemic. Simultaneously, we will continue to focus on maximizing every contribution to our organization so that we remain resilient. As an organization and network, we stand with everyone who has been affected by this crisis. Our main concerns lie with the serious impact of this outbreak on education around the world. Our partnerships, engagement, and collaborative advocacy to ensure education for all are even more important now than ever.
 
More children and adolescents have had to suspend their schooling for an indefinite period around the world than ever before. This subsequently cuts them off from learning, vital services, school health and nutrition, and protection that their education systems would normally provide. (For more information and the latest data, visit UNESCO). 
 
In early March, the U.S. government announced a commitment of $37 million to help the Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide assistance to countries impacted by COVID-19 or at a high risk of its spread. Additionally, funding will be provided to the World Health Organization (WHO), other multilateral institutions, as well as international programs led by USAID's partners.inclusive classroom

GCE-US and our partners are currently working to provide support to children, youth, educators, schools, education advocates, and communities, especially focusing on those who are most marginalized. We will continue to share information online and via social media while prioritizing our focus on children who are already or will be impacted the hardest by school closures, and on ensuring that policymakers consider inclusive education as they react to this virus.
 
GCE-US Actions: 

  • Sharing information: We have joined with other education partners to share expert guidance (prepared by UNICEF, WHO, and IFRC) on what schools can do to help prevent COVID-19 and ensure inclusive environments for students even in the midst of crisis.
  • Promoting new efforts: We are closely monitoring new resources to strengthen education systems in spite of this challenge, and we will add new resources at our COVID-19 web resource page.
  • Partnership platform: We will continue the now more important than ever work of our Education in Emergencies Advocacy Group, Inclusive Education and Early Childhood Development Community of Practice, coalition meetings and joint advocacy. Would you like to join? Please contact us at info@gce-us.org.
  • Online access: In all our programs, work, and gatherings, we are deploying online technology tools to meet remotely rather than in person. All GCE-US personnel continue to serve our mission while safely working virtually. We are actively mobilizing to advocate digitally. During the time our team in Washington, DC, is working remotely, we may be delayed in opening and responding to postal mail sent to our office. Electronic messages can quickly reach us at info@gce-us.org.

Ways you can help:

  1. Donate: GCE-US has been a global partner championing quality, inclusive education in emergencies for many years. We invite supporters, advocates, and anyone who wants to help to join us by donating today! Your contributions help us advocate for mission-critical work and the greatest needs in the midst of crisis.
  2. Take action: we make it easy to look up and contact your policymakers here. Please join our global GCE network to advocate for urgent action to curb learning disruption and #ProtectEducation.
  3. Share your experiences and ideas: we want to hear from you! Please let us know about your advocacy, actions, lessons learned in this unprecedented time and other ideas for social media and the GCE-US action blog at info@gce-us.org.

Students learning handwashingThe Global Campaign for Education-US was created with the goal of making sure that children and youth do not face barriers to quality, inclusive education. When we face challenges, we work together to ensure that we build even stronger, more resilient education for all.
 
In partnership, wishing you and those close to you the very best,
 
Jennifer Rigg
Executive Director
Global Campaign for Education-US

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