{"id":314873,"date":"2026-01-27T12:01:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=314873"},"modified":"2026-01-31T12:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T17:13:03","slug":"rebuilding-hope-unicef-expands-back-to-learning-for-hundreds-of-thousands-of-children-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/rebuilding-hope-unicef-expands-back-to-learning-for-hundreds-of-thousands-of-children-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebuilding hope: ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF expands \u2018Back to Learning\u2019 for hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a summary of what was said by ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF Spokesperson, James Elder, to whom quoted text may be attributed \u2013 at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva<\/em><\/p>\n

27 January 2026<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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GENEVA, 27 Jan 2026 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cToday ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF is scaling up learning in Gaza in one of the largest emergency learning efforts anywhere in the world. Our Back to Learning programme will expand to include 336,000 children.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a \u2018nice to have\u2019. It is an emergency.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost two and a half years of\u00a0attacks on Gaza\u2019s schooling have left an entire generation at risk. Sixty per cent of school-aged children in Gaza currently have no access to in-person learning. More than 90 per cent of schools have been damaged or destroyed. And more than 335,000 children under five are now at risk of severe developmental delays because early childhood services have collapsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore this war, Palestinians in Gaza had some of the highest literacy rates in the world. Education was a source of pride, resilience and progress for generations. Today that legacy is under attack: schools, universities, and libraries have been destroyed, and years of progress erased.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just physical destruction – it\u2019s an assault on the future itself, because every child denied learning is a future engineer, doctor, teacher, or thinker taken from us before they\u2019ve had a chance to shape their world. In the aftermath of this brutal war,\u00a0rebuilding Gaza\u2019s schools, educational facilities and universities must sit at the top of Gaza\u2019s recovery agenda. Restoring education restores possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF, together with education partners in Gaza and the Palestinian Ministry of Education, is launching Back to Learning to restore access to education for hundreds of thousands of children. Our approach is simple:<\/p>\n

“We expand a network of multi-service, non-formal learning centres.<\/p>\n

“We deliver education alongside mental health and psychosocial support.<\/p>\n

“And we embed strong governance and due diligence in one of the most complex environments on earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0are working with the Palestinian Authority\u2019s Ministry of Education, ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA and all partners to ensure that all children return to a safe learning environment as soon as possible.\u00a0±¬ÁÏÍøICEF currently supports more than 100 learning spaces across Gaza. They give children a place to read, write and build basic maths skills – but just as importantly, a place to play, breathe, and feel human again, with activities and mental health support woven in.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome ask: why focus on education when families still struggle for food, water and shelter? Firstly, this is not either\/or. ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF has, for instance, delivered one million thermal blankets, hundreds of thousands of winter clothing kits, opened more than 70 nutrition facilities across Gaza, whilst our work to get water and waste-water treatment plants back up and running remains a flagship intervention.<\/p>\n

“And secondly because in Gaza, learning\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0lifesaving. These centres provide safe spaces in a territory that is often inaccessible and dangerous. They deliver vital information. They restore routine. They connect children to health, nutrition and protection services. These ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF learning spaces also have proper toilets and places to wash hands – something too many children in shelters simply don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd make no mistake: the demand is overwhelming. Every existing learning centre has long waiting lists. Communities are creating their own makeshift classrooms in tents and damaged buildings. Parents are pleading for places. Children are showing up anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the world talks about how Gaza will recover and rebuild, ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF is clear: children have to be at the heart of every plan. Nearly half of Gaza\u2019s population is under 18. Getting one child into a ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF Learning Centre costs about US $280 for a year, including mental health support. To reach 336,000 school-age children for the rest of this year, ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF urgently needs US$86million. (US$86 million is roughly what the world spends on coffee in an hour or two).<\/p>\n

\u201cGaza has one of the strongest literacy traditions in the world. The engineers who will rebuild water systems, the doctors who will save lives, the teachers who will steady the next generation – they all come from a proud culture of learning. Back to Learning isn\u2019t then just about survival. It\u2019s about protecting the engine of Gaza\u2019s future. And it is a bridge – not a substitute – to the full restoration of Gaza\u2019s schools, so every child can return to formal education and a real classroom future.\u00a0 Right now, Back to Learning is about keeping that flame alive – giving children routine, dignity and direction again. It\u2019s how hope becomes practical. It\u2019s how a future gets rebuilt.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a summary of what was said by ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF Spokesperson, James Elder, to whom quoted text may be attributed \u2013 at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva 27 January 2026 GENEVA, 27 Jan 2026 \u2013\u00a0\u201cToday ±¬ÁÏÍøICEF is scaling up learning in Gaza in one of the largest emergency learning efforts […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2637,1338],"document-source":[2105],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,2033,2441,2005,2533,5200],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-314873","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-remarks","document-category-statement","document-source-united-nations-childrens-fund-unicef","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-children","document-subject-education-and-culture","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","entity-united-nations-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314943,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314873\/revisions\/314943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=314873"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=314873"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=314873"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=314873"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=314873"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=314873"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=314873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}