Hundreds of thousands Sudanese children go to school for first time thanks to UN aid

Hundreds of thousands of children will go to school for the first time in Southern Sudan this year in a massive United Nations-backed campaign.

Education is the key to future peace and prosperity in the region. About 8,600 teachers, the majority untrained volunteers, cover approximately 2,000 schools. The campaign aims to deliver over 3.8 million textbooks and teachers' guides and basic school supplies for up to 1.6 million children. From 6 million exercise books to 1.6 million pencil sharpeners, no child should go without the basics.

Over 1,500 new classrooms are being constructed and accelerated training is underway for teachers and classroom facilitators. The effort is led by the Government of Southern Sudan with the support of UN agencies, donors, non-governmental organizations and communities. Some $22 million has been received so far, with a similar amount still required to complete the targets for 2006. Full story UN News Service 3 April 2006.