Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FOR DEVELOPMENT
SOS Children's Villages Position Paper
Table of contents
Foreword......................................................................................................................3
Executive summary......................................................................................................4
Bibliography...............................................................................................................41
2
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
Foreword
SOS Children’s Villages supports and advocates child’s education. To truly succeed in sustaina-
for children without parental care or at risk of bly reducing social inequalities and poverty, we
losing it. We work in 134 countries and territo- have to focus on supporting children and young
ries, reaching over 1.5 million children, young people and addressing the root causes of child
people, families and caregivers each year. vulnerability and family separation.
Our experience around the world, as reflected At SOS Children’s Villages we have a vision:
in this paper, shows that the children and young Every child belongs to a family and grows with
people we work with are highly disadvantaged love, respect and security. Our holistic approach
when it comes to education and do not achieve to learning and education embraces all dimen-
as well as their peers in school. Many interrelat- sions of child wellbeing. It accompanies chil-
ed factors make it difficult for them to receive dren individually from birth onwards to develop
adequate early childhood care, complete primary their own potential and strengths. Each individ-
school, continue their education at secondary and ual’s educational path then contributes to the
tertiary levels, access quality vocational training sustainable development of society as a whole.
and successfully enter the labour market.
We work through alternative care, family
These children are confronted with a number strengthening, and various educational activ-
of constraints in their family at psychosocial, ities, including in preschools and schools, all
cultural and economic levels. Can a hungry, over the world to support parents and commu-
working or traumatised child be successful at nities in providing a caring family environment,
school? Can deprived, overburdened or mar- improving their socio-economic living condi-
ginalised parents afford the costs of education, tions and promoting the active participation of
claim education rights and convey a sense of children and young people. It is through em-
self-confidence? Can young people who have powerment and knowledge that children, young
dropped out of school successfully integrate people and parents successfully claim their
into the labour market? right to a quality education.
3
Executive summary
and recommendations
Education is a fundamental and enabling human ment, primary and secondary schooling, pro-
right, and it must be realised for all children in fessional integration of young care leavers, and
order to disrupt the intergenerational transmis- education for parents:
sion of exclusion, poverty, violence, inequality • Children without parental care or at risk of
and family breakdown. Education is key for a losing it often lack the stable, nurturing and
life of dignity and respect and for advancing stimulating environment essential for their
inclusive and fair human development. More- development. Early childhood development
over, education has an important accelerating programmes can lessen these deficits, essen-
role for areas such as health, gender equality, tially supporting healthy child-caregiver rela-
peace and democracy, and decent employment. tionships and promoting children’s physical,
socio-emotional and cognitive development.
This paper sheds light on the complex social, cul- Evidence shows that children from poorer,
tural and financial barriers that hinder learning less less educated and rural areas have less
and access to quality education for millions of access to these services than their peers.
children without parental care or at risk of losing • Children without parental care or at risk of
it. Poverty, conflict or natural disaster, violence losing it are disproportionately excluded from
and exclusion, HIV/AIDS, child labour and oth- the formal education system. About 124 mil-
er hardships experienced during developmentally lion children and adolescents were not able to
sensitive childhood and adolescence affect young enter or complete school in 2013. Selective,
people’s ability to learn. The trauma they suffer underfinanced and deficit-focused education
harms their resilience and coping skills and can undermines equitable access and reinforces
lead to developmental delays for which the educa- inequalities for these children, leading to low
tion system does not effectively compensate. basic skills levels and high drop-out rates.
• Young people without parental care or at
A holistic, inclusive, child-centred and relation- risk of losing it, including care leavers and
ship-based approach to quality education and young people not in education, employment
learning can support children in overcoming or training, are often politically, socially and
deficiencies and delays and encourage them to economically excluded and even more mar-
develop their individual strengths and build cop- ginalised from the labour market than their
ing skills, self-esteem and resilience. Targeted peers. They are forced to become independ-
and trauma-sensitive mentoring and coaching ent too early, often with low qualifications,
from a lifelong learning perspective encourag- few life skills, and a lack of support and
es children’s life skills and personal capabilities guidance. Early support measures, trust and
relevant to local social, cultural and economic personal mentoring and coaching towards
contexts. It empowers them to promote their in- employability further their social inclusion
dependence and equal participation in social and and professional integration.
economic life. • Positive parental attachment, care, protec-
tion, stimulation and support set the founda-
This paper highlights concerns in essential ed- tion for children’s learning success. Where
ucation areas such as early childhood develop- parents lack the resources to promote their
4
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
children’s education adequately, holistic SOS Children’s Villages outlines possible in-
adult education and training helps them to formal, non-formal and formal education in-
develop their psychosocial and economic ca- terventions in each area based on our practical
pacities, increase their knowledge and skills experience of accompanying children and their
for caring and supportive child-caregiver re- families on their lifelong educational journey to
lationships and encourages them to success- successfully navigate the education system and
fully support their children’s education. overcome the obstacles and barriers that disad-
vantage them.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For education to truly reach the most disad- should be supported through holistic and
vantaged children, including children without cross-sectorial policies and measures.
parental care or at risk of losing it, SOS Chil- 4. Safe and child-friendly trauma-sensitive
dren’s Villages calls upon all stakeholders in spaces and learning environments, on-going
the field of education, development, human- trauma support and counselling should be put
itarian aid and social services. In particular, in place to promote the education of children
it calls on national governments as primary without parental care or at risk of losing it. Ed-
duty-bearers for education, on policy-mak- ucation systems should recognise the needs
ers, international institutions, NGOs and civil and situation of traumatised children and ad-
society groups, donors, schools and other equate rights-based training and supervision
relevant service providers, educators and of involved staff and educators assured.
media, to consider, support and implement 5. The quality, coverage and equal access to
the following recommendations: holistic early childhood care and education
for children without parental care or at risk of
1. The Sustainable Development Goals losing it and their families should be assured
(SDGs) should be implemented to achieve ac- and substantially and continually improved.
cessible and quality lifelong education for all. 6. Education systems and practices should
The necessary investments should be made be reformed and sufficiently resourced for
and indicators set to measure progress. equitable, effective and relevant quality edu-
2. The existing cultural, social and financial cation, empowering and trusting children and
barriers and rights violations that exclude young people, promoting human rights, em-
children and young people from education ployability and sustainable development.
should be tackled. The inclusion of accessi- 7. Political, social and economic frameworks
ble and reliable disaggregated data on these are required to reduce youth unemployment
children in national and international monitor- and end insecure, low paid, precarious and
ing systems would close existing data gaps, exploitative working conditions. Employment
including monitoring of school drop-outs and and formal and non-formal education oppor-
young people not in education, employment tunities for young people, including those
or training. without parental care or at risk of losing it,
3. Measures should be set to ensure edu- need to be prioritised.
cation is inclusive and holistic, child-centred, 8. Parents need to be supported in their chil-
relationship-based, and fosters the develop- dren’s education through adult education and
ment of individual talent and resilience of each training, including social and economic sup-
child. The inclusion of children and young port services, literacy classes, employment
people without parental care or at risk of los- opportunities and legal frameworks for ap-
ing it, including children in alternative care, propriate social and labour market conditions.
5
Education for a life of
dignity, respect and
independence
SOS Children’s Villages recognises that educa- all,” recognising that this is a foundation for a
tion is the foundation for healthy development healthy developed society.4
and wellbeing, and is key for a life of dignity,
respect and independence. With a focus on chil- Quality education provides young people with
dren who have lost or are at risk of losing pa- the skills to make sound decisions, participate
rental care, we want to ensure that every child in political and social life, stand up for their
has the opportunity to develop to their full po- rights, and take advantage of opportunities for
tential and become self-supporting active mem- decent employment.5 By empowering individ-
bers of society.1 uals, education has a broader impact on soci-
ety, promoting social, economic and political
Education is a fundamental and enabling hu- progress, stability and welfare, and advancing
man right, supported by the UN Convention on inclusive and fair human development.
the Rights of the Child,2 and as such it is each
government’s duty under the Convention to en- Education is an important tool for combatting
sure that it is realised for every child. The Sus- poverty,6 as it has the potential to uplift the most
tainable Development Goals (SDGs)3 call on disadvantaged children and disrupt the inter-
governments and education providers to “en- generational transmission of exclusion, pover-
sure inclusive and equitable quality education ty, violence, inequality and family breakdown.7
and promote lifelong learning opportunities for Global research suggests that education has a
1 SOS Children’s Villages International (2009a) the environment by 2030. United Nations (2016)
2 Art. 28 and 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of 4 UNESCO et al. (2015)
the Child and Art. 26 of the Universal Declaration 5 SOS-Kinderdörfer Weltweit Hermann-Gmeiner-Fonds
of Human Rights. United Nations (1948), (1989) Deutschland e.V. (2013)
3 The SDGs were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations’ 6 SOS Children’s Villages International (2013a)
Member States. They formulate 17 global goals to end 7 SOS Children’s Villages International (2008)
poverty in all its forms, reduce inequalities and protect
6
Informal, non-formal and formal
education
© Suzanne Lee
Lifelong learning, understood as “all learn-
ing activities undertaken throughout life for
the development of competencies and qual-
ifications,”12 defines education as a compre-
strong positive association with increasing eco- hensive continuum of informal, non-formal,
nomic development. The knowledge and skills and formal education.13
acquired through a quality education correlate
positively with economic growth for society,8 Each individual learns informally and
as does improvement in equity through better often unintentionally in continuous interac-
access to education for poor and marginalised tions with their environment, through daily
groups.9 Education has an important accelerat- social experience, work and play, in relation
ing role for areas such as health, gender equali- with family, neighbours, peers and through
ty, peace and democracy, to decent employment. educational resources such as new media.
Across the world’s least developed countries,
about 47% of the population is under the age of Formal education refers to the structured,
18;10 so a focus on child and youth education is systematic, monitored and evaluated
imperative for sustainable development. teaching and learning processes provided
by public and private institutions, based on
Our approach formalised curricula.14
SOS Children’s Villages supports families, chil-
dren and young people to participate in formal, Non-formal learning refers to organised
non-formal and informal education activities. educational activities with set learning ob-
We provide services only when we are best jectives and leadership outside the estab-
placed to do so,11 and we assist partners such as lished formal system.
community organisations, schools and local au-
7
I Education for a life of dignity, respect and independence
RECOMMENDATION
The Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), which adopt a lifelong learn-
ing approach, should be implemented
to achieve accessible and quality early
childhood development, care and pre-
primary education; free, equitable and
quality primary and secondary education;
and affordable quality technical, voca-
tional and tertiary education for all. The
necessary investments should be made
and indicators set to measure progress
© Robert Fleischanderl
15 17
SOS Children’s Villages International (2009a); (2013a) Data was taken from LUCY, SOS Controlling System
16
SOS Children’s Villages (2016a) database, in August 2016. SOS Children's Villages
International (2016b)
8
Barriers to access
quality education
© SOS Archives
SOS Children’s Villages is committed to prevent- Child poverty
ing the loss of parental care for disadvantaged Many children at risk of losing parental care
children and providing quality alternatives are among the estimated 569 million children in
where necessary.18 Approximately 140 million developing countries who live in extreme pover-
children across the globe have lost one or both ty with less than $1.25 a day.22 Many more live
parents;19 of them at least 13 million have lost without their basic developmental needs being
both parents,20 and most of these children live in fulfilled; 30 million children grow up in poverty
Sub-Saharan Africa. Their rights should be pro- in the most industrialised countries alone.23
moted and safeguarded, including but not limited
to, access to education, as the Guidelines for the Poverty is a stress factor which can contribute
Alternative Care of Children reiterate.21 to instability and family breakdown. It also af-
fects the resources and support available to par-
Without a stable and caring family upbringing, ents and caregivers, who often also have low
children are deprived of their first and most levels of education, and their ability to provide
important learning environment; weakening educational support to their children.
their educational potential right from the start.
The pressures on families increase through risk Yet, research indicates that parents living in
factors such deprivation, unemployment, mi- poverty can have strong resilience and cop-
gration, parental or child illness or delinquen- ing skills,24 so being poor does not necessarily
cy, exclusion and discrimination. These social mean that children are at an increased risk of
challenges compromise children’s learning and losing parental care. Rather than poverty itself,
access to quality education. it is the lack of secure attachment and positive
family role models which detrimentally affects
their learning abilities.25
9
I Barriers to access quality education
10
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
HIV/AIDS
In families and communities ravaged by HIV/
AIDS or affected by other severe sickness-
es, some children, especially girls, take on the
household responsibilities such as caring for
sick parents and raising younger siblings at the
expense of their own education, or become in-
volved in child labour to contribute to the house-
© Rasha Muhrez
hold income or fend for their own survival.
Child labour
Child labourers often suffer from stress and trau-
ma when risking their lives, health and education.
For child labourers attending school, work may
result in lower attendance rates and difficulties We provide children with the psychosocial sup-
concentrating in class, or lead to school-drop- port, stability and routine needed to strengthen
out: In 32 mostly sub-Saharan African countries, their resilience, with a focus on children’s rights
at least 20% of school children are not expected and protection management in emergencies. We
to finish school.36 offer income generating initiatives such as sav-
ing clubs and small business development to
While girls are more likely to become victims prevent child labour, support HIV/AIDS affected
of trafficking, boys might be forced to become families, and help children without parental care
child soldiers or pushed into other hazardous and teenage mothers to continue their education.
forms of child labour.37 Some children may
work because education is simply seen as unaf-
fordable, inaccessible, or irrelevant.
RECOMMENDATION
The existing cultural, social and financial
Our approach barriers and rights violations that exclude
There are multiple and complex barriers pre- children and young people from edu-
venting children from developing, learning and cation should be tackled. This includes
attending school. In cooperation with partners, creating more responsive and effective
SOS Children’s Villages’ programmes aim at social protection and welfare services for
strengthening the capacities and resources of children and families at risk, supporting
children and caregivers, focusing on preven- their economic empowerment, setting ad-
tion, awareness-raising and early intervention equate social and legal frameworks and
services for high-risk families and communi- awareness-raising measures, combating
ties. This includes parental counselling and the any form of discrimination, building in-
provision of social, emotional and trauma sup- clusive teaching and school facilities, and
port to prevent the long-term consequences of furthering sexual and reproductive health
violence, abandonment and neglect. education. The inclusion of accessible
and reliable disaggregated data on these
children in national and international
monitoring systems would close existing
36 UNESCO (2015a)
37 SOS Children’s Villages International (2014a) data gaps, including monitoring of school
drop-outs and young people not in edu-
cation, employment or training.
11
Our approach to education:
Build positive relationships
for child-centred learning
and development
The family is a child’s first and most influential Building resilience through
learning environment. SOS Children’s Villages is child-centred education
convinced that children develop best in a loving Children without parental care or at risk of
and caring family.38 Development is a lifelong losing it often have particular cognitive, so-
process, from birth to adulthood, encompassing cial, emotional, and physical learning needs
all areas of life; physical, intellectual, emotional, and delays.40 Through child-centred learning,
social, cultural and spiritual.39 they are motivated to define their own learning
goals, explore their autonomy, voice their views
Children without parental care or at risk of los- and needs, make choices and reflect on values
ing it are often deprived of the stable attach- and attitudes. They build and strengthen their
ments, protective experiences and coping skills resilience and self-esteem through developing
they need to counterbalance chronic stress and personal capacities such as trust, cooperation
family instability. They need support in their lo- and self-reliance, positive attitudes, regulating
cal context to overcome the obstacles and bar- emotions and welcoming change.
riers that prevent their access to education and
hamper their ability to learn. Children are empowered to trust in their own
personality and strength, develop a positive
This requires a holistic approach to learning sense of self and take adequate and informed
and education. Collaborative and participatory decisions. These are key skills for children and
child-centred learning is based on reciprocal families who have experienced powerlessness
relations that allow children with prior experi- to become active agents, and have the right and
ences of unstable relations, neglect and vulner- the ability to participate actively, independently
ability to gain confidence and build resilience. and responsibly in the social, political and eco-
nomic life of their societies.
38 SOS Children’s Villages International (2008) 40 SOS Children’s Villages International (2013b)
39 SOS Children’s Villages International (2009a)
12
Definitions
© Annelise Levasseur
LEARNING
happens naturally in any activity and inter-
action in which children reflect on their ex-
periences and values, gain new knowledge
and skills and develop their personality; be
it through play, practice, family discussions,
teaching or simply having new experiences.
A stimulating environment promotes resilience
through social support, role models, stability EDUCATION
is the process of facilitating learning; it
and safety. Coping skills can be learned through
structures the acquisition and application
supportive relationships, adaptive and self-
of new knowledge, skills, competencies
regulatory skill-building, mobilising sources of and values. It introduces children to society
faith, hope and culture and creating positive and culture and profoundly shapes their
and stimulating experiences. capacity, identity and life chances.
41 Davidson, C. (2013) in: World Economic Forum (2016) 43 National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and
42 World Economic Forum (2016) Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2015)
13
I Our approach to education
y,
lt E
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ym
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Our approach
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14
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
© Michela Morosini
op and strengthen programmes that holistically
connect informal, non-formal and formal learn-
RECOMMENDATION
ing activities. We are witness to their mutually Measures should be set to ensure educa-
inspiring influence in the acquisition of knowl- tion is inclusive and holistic, child-centred,
edge, competencies and comprehensive cogni- relationship-based, and fosters the devel-
tive and psychosocial life skills. opment of individual talent and resilience
in each child. The inclusion of children
By accompanying children and their families in and young people without parental care
their lifelong educational path, we embrace all or at risk of losing it, including children in
dimensions of human development. We facili- alternative care, in the education system
tate a close link and smooth transition between should be supported through holistic and
parental capacity-building, early childhood cross-sectorial policies and measures,
care and pre-primary school programmes to pri- such as accessible community-based
mary, secondary and tertiary education or voca- learning practices, play-based non-formal
tional training. We support mentoring, coaching activities, community networks and ongoing
and other measures to develop life skills and mentoring to empower them for integration
entrepreneurial abilities to foster employabili- in society and the labour market.
ty and promote children’s and young people’s
independence and equal participation in social
and economic life.
15
Coping with trauma
and disrupted education
The hardship faced by children without parental Recurring traumatic and adverse events can
care or at risk of losing it during their devel- lead to an over-reactive stress system that puts
opmentally sensitive childhood and adolescent children in a permanent state of emergency and
years can be traumatic and harmful to their so- directly affects the development of their brain
cial, emotional and cognitive development.47 and social functioning. Developmental delays
in terms of language, social and motor skills
When children are subjected to intense, fre- affect their ability to learn, comprehend and
quent or prolonged distressing environments or express themselves.48 They are likely to have
treatment as a result of among others disaster, greater gaps in basic literacy and numeracy
war, poverty, violence, abuse or discrimination, skills than their peers and are at a greater risk of
their resilience and capacity to cope can be se- repeating grades or dropping out of school alto-
verely hindered. The experiences leave traces gether. They are often weak in problem solving,
in children’s lives or in the family or communi- organising educational materials or attending to
ty history. When these events are coupled with classroom tasks; and parents, teachers and care
the profound trauma of losing their closest care- professionals might have lower educational ex-
givers, children from disadvantaged families pectations for them.50
also need to cope with the distress, shame and
grief that goes along with it, which can have Traumatised children often require support
long-term and negative effects on them. throughout life to strengthen their weakened re-
silience and coping skills. They need safe and
47 McInersey, M. and McKlindon, A. (n.d.) 49 Cole et al. (2005); UNICEF (2014b); Jackson, S. and
48 Dwyer, J. et al. (2012); Cole et al. (2005) Cameron, C. (2011)
50 Cole et al. (2005); Jackson, S. and Cameron, C. (2011)
16
© Katerina Ilievska
reliable relationships from which to take first
steps towards their recovery, learning and de-
RECOMMENDATION
velopment. Safe and child-friendly trauma-sensitive
learning environments, remedial educa-
Our approach tion opportunities and on-going trauma
SOS Children’s Villages creates informal safe support and counselling should be put in
and child-friendly spaces and trauma-sensitive place to promote the education of chil-
learning environments. We build the capacity dren without parental care or at risk of
of social and education professionals to incor- losing it and their caregivers. Education
porate rights-based trauma and resilience sensi- systems should recognise and be sensi-
tive approaches into their work with children, tive to the needs and situation of trauma-
families and communities. We work closely tised children; specialised training ma-
with partners and community schools to ensure terial and courses should be developed
equitable, safe and trauma-sensitive quality ed- and adequate rights-based training and
ucation for all children. We support remedial supervision of involved staff and educa-
education services and extra-curricular activities tors assured.
to children whose education has been disrupted
by traumatic events. Addressing their specific
learning needs and skill-building allows them
to close their educational gaps and to catch up “We have to see a child as a whole and differentiate
with their peers. learning problems from psychological problems, which
may occur simultaneously or separately and influence
each other.”
17
I Coping with trauma and dirsupted education
© SOS Archives
OUR EXPERIENCE
18
Traumatic experiences and
their consequences
What effect can traumatic experiences have
on a child's development and learning ability?
An interview with child
Melinda Varga (MV): Risk factors such as the psychiatrist Melinda Varga
neglect of parents, malnutrition, lack of mo-
tivation, and different types of stressors faced
before and after birth have a serious negative
impact on the emotional development of a child
which results in lack of self-esteem, lack of moti- address his/her environment through sensitisa-
vation, mistrust and inability to mobilise internal tion, training, consultation and therapies. Chil-
strengths. These factors also influence cognitive dren who are in need of curative care require
development and can cause learning difficulties, a complex problem diagnosis and adequate
including attention deficit, working memory im- interventions in individual and/or group ther-
pairment, decreased logical and analytical think- apies, re-education, and that all obstacles for
ing and decreased creative capacity, which may the child’s healthy development are removed.
be the origin of school failure. Preventive care includes sport and developing
creativity through tales, music, drawing, arts,
A child may face trauma effects even where a and dance.
child watches and is exposed to parents' trau-
ma symptoms, faces the consequences of un- How did your work with SOS Children's
told stories, or where parents expect too much Villages look?
from a child to cover their failures, which makes MV: My work was based on interrelated compo-
a child feel guilty. nents, starting with trauma diagnosis through
to psychological and learning tests for children,
Research and our experiences show the sig- followed by individual and group therapy, in-
nificance of early preventive and therapeutic cluding psychodrama. We consulted with SOS
interventions on children in need and their envi- Children’s Villages’ caregivers and collaborated
ronment. During our work at SOS Children's Vil- with teachers. We initiated a re-education51 pro-
lages in Rwanda, Burundi and Djibouti, school ject in partnership with the University of Turin and
failure was the main cause of consultation. Test individual re-education with a speech therapist.
results showed that among 180 pupils, 95% We partnered with Creative Planet, a Hungarian
were facing learning problems with or without NGO, to include creativity in preventive care.
psychological problems (psychosomatic symp- We trained psychologists who worked with
toms, anxiety, behaviour disorders, complicat- children and staff.
ed grief, not knowing or accepting his/her past).
During my work in SOS Children’s Villages, I
What kind of support do children with met children with serious psychological prob-
traumatic experiences need to balance the lems such as lack of self-esteem, mistrust,
drawback caused by these experiences? hopelessness towards the future, inability to
MV: We have to see a child as a whole and dif- express feelings and show emotions, lack of
ferentiate learning problems from pyschological capacity to solve problems and overcome ob-
problems, which may occur simultaneously or stacles. There are many who have learning dif-
separately and influence each other. Focusing ficulties, although they have potential, non-mo-
on a child's own needs means we also have to bilised capacity and obvious internal values.
51 Children with learning disabilities need special occupational therapy provided by a special needs teacher. In contrast to
tutoring which helps acquire the missing knowledge, re-education helps to improve the learning abilities. Irwin, L., Siddiqi,
A. and Hertzman, C. (2007)
19
I Coping with trauma and dirsupted education
© Katerina Ilievska
OUR EXPERIENCE
A touch of normality:
Educational activities for
young refugees in the Balkans
20
Early childhood:
The foundation
of lifelong learning
© SOS Archives
The early years of childhood can lay the foun- this can affect their relationships with others
dation for a child’s entire life.52 As children in their communities such as teachers, siblings
undergo rapid growth during these years, from and peers. Their development is often restricted
before birth until the start of school, it is impor- by an environment that does not provide ade-
tant to support their physical, socio-emotional, quate nutrition or health care, does not value or
cognitive and language development.53 Children encourage play-based early learning and explo-
who have lost parental care or are at risk of ration56 and applies inappropriate violent disci-
losing it are highly vulnerable to developmen- pline.57 In many countries, a substantial number
tal delays. They are often also excluded from of children under five are left with inadequate
adequate early childhood care and education. care, for example alone at home, in the care of
Evidence shows that the most disadvantaged another child under ten or are taken to work and
children are less likely to attended preschool exposed to unsafe working conditions.58
than their peers, especially those from poorer
or rural areas and with less educated parents.54 The quality of care that young children receive
The Sustainable Development Goals call for all substantially influences their brain develop-
children to have access to quality early child- ment. Positive experiences cause new sections
hood development, care and pre-primary edu- of the brain to connect and new abilities to de-
cation.55 velop, such as walking, talking, and eventual-
ly doing more complex things like arithmetic,
Neglect and inadequate stimulation planning and reasoning. Delays in the devel-
affects early development opment of cognitive, language, fine motor and
Young children without parental care or at risk socio-emotional skills can manifest themselves
of losing it often do not have stable, respon- later as difficulties with learning, emotional de-
sive and nurturing relationships with parents velopment and the management of anxieties.59
or primary caregivers and as they grow older Investing in early childhood is essential for
52 Irwin, L., Siddiqi, A. and Hertzmann, C. (2007) 56 Irwin, L., Siddiqi, A. and Hertzman, C. (2007)
53 Tanner, J., Candland, T and Odden, W. (2015) 57 UNICEF (2014c)
54 Siraj-Blatchford, I., Woodhead, M. (Eds.) (2009); 58 UNICEF (2014c), p. 6; Irwin, L., Siddiqi, A. and Hertzman,
UNICEF (2016) C. (2007)
55 United Nations (2016) 59 Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2016)
21
I Early childhood
© SOS Archives
OUR EXPERIENCE
22
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
23
I Early childhood
© SOS Archives
After leaving the programme families are
evaluated on observed changes in their
behaviour and the emotional state of the
OUR EXPERIENCE parents and children. The programme has
found that in most cases after three months
Improving parent-child children’s development improves and par-
relationships: Parents’ Clubs ents have a better understanding of their
in Russia thoughts and emotions and so interact bet-
More structured sessions with children are ter and spend more time with their children.
offered as well, including game and art Most significantly, none of the families that
therapy, family therapy and professional have attended the programme have subse-
observations of family dynamics and re- quently suffered a family breakdown and
lationships. Since 2013 innovative work with support have been able to maintain the
has included the “Theatre with my mum” care of their children.
24
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
© Mats Hvalsengen
OUR EXPERIENCE
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) The programme aimed to train teachers to
Programme was a pilot project facilitated by empower children to be self-directed learn-
SOS Children’s Villages Denmark and sup- ers, with the ability to develop curiosity,
ported by the LEGO Foundation. It ran from define and set goals, evaluate progress,
September 2012 to March 2014 and used negotiate in groups, show confidence and
LEGO to promote age appropriate develop- share results. It also aimed to facilitate and
ment in early childhood in the East Africa adapt this approach to local practices and
region. raise awareness of the importance of holis-
tic child-centred education.
The programme focused on preschool ed-
ucation for vulnerable children in Kenya, The participating kindergartens introduced
Rwanda and Somaliland. In each of these a new playful learning approach into daily
countries, despite acknowledging the im- routines and curriculum using LEGO, initiat-
portance of early childhood development ing a process of change from a teacher-cen-
it had not been prioritised by national gov- tred classroom tradition to a child-centred
ernments. Most preschool care is provided approach with a perception of children as
by NGOs, community-based and religious self-directed learners. The teachers’ role
organisations and individual entrepreneurs. has become more facilitative and in the
All SOS Kindergartens in the three countries words of one of the trained teachers: “I
participated in the programme, along with have been surprised to see how much the
a number of informal day care settings and children can actually do by themselves and
other kindergartens: 66 kindergarten teach- how smart they are.”
25
Formal education:
Schools empower children
© Jens Honoré
Formal primary education is both free and com- The Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Chil-
pulsory in most countries and the Millennium dren call for access to formal, non-formal and
Development Goals pledged universal primary vocational education in local communities.70
education.65 However, approximately 124 mil- The Sustainable Development Goals call for
lion children and adolescents were not able to free and equitable access not only for primary
enter or complete school in 2013, including but also secondary education as well as afforda-
around 59 million primary school age children ble and equal access to technical, vocational
and 65 million of lower secondary school age.66 and tertiary education.71
Children without parental care or at risk of los- Child rights violations weaken
ing it are disproportionately excluded from the educational outcomes
formal education system. In the least developed Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are
countries, the number of children attending often exposed to environments that do not en-
school aged 10 to 14 who have lost both parents courage their learning and inhibit their school
is 12% lower than for their peers living with at attendance and educational outcomes. They
least one parent.67 Children in the poorest house- might not be able to learn free from distractions
holds are four times more likely not to go to at home, or receive inadequate support from
school than children in the richest households.68 parents or caregivers, who may not be able pay
Research in five European countries has shown for school uniforms, equipment, fees, transpor-
that children who have been in public care are tation or regular, nutritious meals.72
less likely than others to progress to upper sec-
ondary level and complete their education, for Damaging experiences and developmental defi-
example they attend higher education five times cits occurring in early childhood, such as abuse
less than young people overall.69 and neglect, can resurface as learning weakness-
65 Considerable progress was made, however. The primary United Nations (2015)
school net enrolment increased from 83% in 2000 to 91% 69 Jackson, S. and Cameron, C. (2011)
in 2015. United Nations (2015) 70 Art. 85 of Guidelines for the Alternative Care of
66 UNICEF (2016) Children. SOS Children’s Villages International (2009b)
67 UNICEF (2013) 71 United Nations (2016)
68 According to UN survey data from 63 countries. 72 Jukes, M., Drake, L. and Bundy, D. (2008)
26
OUR EXPERIENCE
27
I Formal education
124 MILLION CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS worldwide are not able to enter or complete school.
59 MILLION primary school age children 65 MILLION lower secondary school age children
© SOS Archives
OUR EXPERIENCE
Education for disadvantaged lief that every child should have the same
children: Hermann Gmeiner opportunity has led her to the slums to
Award winner Maya Dhal from teach school drop-outs and help them re-
India turn to the classroom. As a college student
Maya Dhal (24) grew up in the SOS Children’s Maya used her own pocket money to buy
Village Bhubaneswar in Eastern India. “The books and other teaching material for 27
love and support of my SOS family motivated children living in a slum in Bhubaneswar.
and enabled me to excel academically and
get a good job,” she says. Maya studied hard Most children returned to school after Maya
to enter a Bachelor of Science programme in had worked with them in group lessons
hotel and hospitality management and with or individual tutorial classes. “A basic ed-
pride she describes her appointment as a ucation helps us in creating our identity”,
management trainee in a prestigious hotel Maya says. “The challenge was to convince
and convention centre; she was chosen out poor parents to make the children educat-
of 800 other students. ed but finally I succeeded in convincing
them.” Jayanti Dash a teacher in the school
She is convinced that giving a child an ed- is thankful for Maya’s commitment: “After
ucation does not necessarily require many Maya came, children became more motivat-
resources, but rather commitment. Her be- ed to study and also take extra lessons.”
28
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
Education systems are rarely designed to cope reintegration and extra learning support. We
with the complex interplay of social, cultural assist families to provide school uniforms and
and financial barriers that vulnerable families other supplies to help children back into formal
and children face and fail to provide adequate education.
education for many, especially those in alterna-
tive care.79 We promote child and youth participation in
school committees and boards and parents’ par-
Our approach ticipation in teacher/parent associations. We
SOS Children’s Villages works with disadvan- use information and communication technolo-
taged children, their parents, caregivers and gy for innovative, interactive and participatory
communities to help them navigate the educa- teaching to reinforce children’s digital, social
tion system and successfully complete an ed- and cognitive competencies. To foster a func-
ucation that meets their aspirations and needs. tioning public school system, we strengthen
This includes primary and secondary school, the existing education structures, systems, re-
technical and vocational training and a range sources and capacities of the communities with
of higher education options. We cooperate with which we work.
education authorities, schools and community
organisations to support them to ensure free and
equitable access to quality education that equips
RECOMMENDATION
children with values and skills that strengthen Education systems and practices need
their resilience. to be reformed and sufficiently resourced
for equitable, effective and relevant qual-
Our experience has shown that the most dis- ity education, empowering and trusting
advantaged children benefit substantially from children and young people, promoting
well-qualified and well-meaning teachers as human rights, employability and sus-
attachment figures who provide supportive tainable development. Priority measures
learning relationships, encouragement and ad- include investing in remedial education
vice, and who believe in them. We engage with for children, whose education has been
schools to improve the quality of teaching and disrupted, and the qualifications and
teachers’ qualifications encouraging child rights- rights-based training of teachers to foster
based training to better respond to the individual inclusive child-centred and participatory
learning needs and abilities of students.80 quality education.
79 Berridge (2007)
80 SOS Children’s Villages International (2008)
29
I Formal education
© SOS Archives
OUR EXPERIENCE
Parents started sending their children to A mobile library launched by SOS Chil-
school, and with the increasing intake build- dren’s Villages in 2014 supports children in
ing additional classrooms became a priority in their school performance. It consists of rel-
the community development plan. SOS Chil- evant books and a reading session of two
dren’s Villages supported this with construc- hours twice a month under the supervision
tion materials and by mid-2009 two class- of teachers. It helps pupils from vulnerable
rooms had been built with capacity for about families to master basic language and learn
120 more children. SOS Children’s Villages to read. It gives teachers the opportunity to
also provided reading and arithmetic books detect student difficulties in reading and de-
and other essential educational materials. velop strategies to provide better support.
30
Employability: Young
people on the path to
decent work and life
© Jens Honoré
The Sustainable Development Goals recognise The findings from a study of five European
decent work is a building block of development81– countries showed that care leavers have much
work that embraces dignity, equality, a fair in- lower qualifications than young people in gen-
come and safe conditions.82 Young people need eral.86 With low or insufficient skills and qual-
support to prepare for a competitive jobs market ifications, and little access to support services,
where the most disadvantaged are likely to be left they find transitioning from school to work and
behind. In 2015, the global youth unemployment independent life challenging. An assessment
rate stood at approximately 13%, accounting for in six SOS Children’s Villages programmes in
73 million unemployed young people.83 Sub-Saharan Africa and one in Asia revealed
the difficulties young care leavers experience
In particular, young people without parental care in getting jobs, as education often fails to meet
or at risk of losing it are often politically, socially labour market demands or they lack previous
and economically excluded and more marginal- work experience and personal contacts to se-
ised from the labour market than their peers.84 cure adequate formal employment.87
They often lack social support networks, encour-
agement and guidance. Irregular school attend- A holistic set of skills to support
ance, drop-out and few qualifications can result employability
in low self-confidence. These young people of- Acquiring the skills, competencies and qualifi-
ten lack resources and are forced to become eco- cations needed to find a decent job starts in the
nomically independent earlier than their peers, at early years of childhood, fostered by continu-
the expense of higher level training and educa- ous learning. Supporting young people from
tion that could lead to more satisfying careers.85 the beginning enhances their abilities to benefit
31
I Employability
© SOS Archives
OUR EXPERIENCE
Improving young people’s and train participants to apply for jobs and
employability: The GoTeach succeed in interviews.
partnership EXPOSURE: The programme enables
young people to experience a professional
The GoTeach programme began in 2011 as working environment through internships,
a pilot programme in four countries and has apprenticeships and other opportunities.
since expanded into an international partner-
ship of over 26 countries across Latin Ameri- The impact of GoTeach on young people and
ca, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe engaging volunteers was evaluated in 2013 and 2015.
7,000 young people. Run by SOS Children’s
Villages and Deutsche Post DHL, its mission It is an outstanding mentoring system for
is to improve the employability of disadvan- young people, with corporate volunteers
taged young people and early school leavers and participants finding their job confi-
by connecting them to the world of work. dence, self-motivation and resilience en-
hanced.88 Young participants learn what it
DP-DHL Group employees at every level is like in a working environment, and what
volunteer their expertise and time to pro- is expected of employees. One young per-
vide support and guidance to young peo- son from Brazil described his experiences
ple, ranging from weekend workshops to as: “I used to be a reserved person, now I
serving as year-long youth mentors. All the love taking life head on. I have learned to
activities are based on the needs of the be a part of a group and be proud of my
young people in that specific country, which uniqueness. I have learned to focus and
gives space and flexibility to adapt the pro- have goals. I feel positive about my employ-
gramme. The activities can be roughly clus- ability – the hours I’ve put in are paying off.
tered into three categories: I feel confident that when I am done with
my studies I will be able to do my dream job
JOB ORIENTATION: Volunteers offer ca- successfully.”
reer guidance.
ACCESS: Volunteers provide information
on application and recruitment procedures 88 de Graaff, D. (2015)
32
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
from later education and training opportunities. Guidance to build talents and
This increases the likelihood of securing and re- life skills
taining suitable work, progressing within com- The provision of orientation on education and
panies, and coping with changing technology career options, as well as encouraging self-re-
and labour market conditions.89 flection and the development of individual in-
terests, talents and opportunities, is fundamental
Employability requires specific education, vo- to ensuring young people make positive choices
cational training, job experience or entrepre- about their futures. The awareness and capacity
neurial activity, as well as building less tangi- of parents, caregivers and care professionals is
ble but equally important life skills, including crucial to coaching and guiding young people
decision-making, problem-solving, critical and in their personal, educational and professional
creative thinking and effective communication, decision-making.
network building, empathy and coping with
stress. Early preparation and support for young On the journey to self-reliance and decent work,
people striving to engage in entrepreneurial ac- disadvantaged young people need to gain con-
tivities is especially important in countries that fidence in their potential and talents, build so-
have weak formal economies and few jobs for cial and life skills and fill gaps in their educa-
well educated young people. tion. It is crucial to equip them with both social
and market-related skills to find employment
Equipping disadvantaged young people with or become self-employed. This can be secured
the skills, competencies and qualifications to by ensuring their access to relevant vocational
increase their employability helps their social training, and by introducing entrepreneurship
inclusion and addresses some of the risk factors programmes into training curricula. Besides for-
associated with abandonment, exclusion, dis- mal education, a range of non-formal education
crimination, neglect and poverty. Employabili- opportunities (open learning forums, e-learning,
ty measures can help to overcome institutional community-based programmes, mentoring and
and personal barriers to education and address coaching, etc.) can strengthen young people’s
underemployment and insecure or exploitative lifelong learning, starting from their individual
employment conditions. A cross-sectorial policy needs and moving at their own pace.
approach is important to allow young people to
access different support or services from social,
health, education, employment and other sectors.
LIFE SKILLS
Employability depends not only on education, training
and job experiences. It is also about life skills.
problem-solving
empathy
creative thinking
decision-making
network-building
critical thinking
coping with stress
effective communication
33
I Employability
RECOMMENDATION
Political, social and economic frame-
works are required to reduce youth un-
employment and end insecure, low paid,
precarious and exploitative working
conditions. Employment and formal and
non-formal education opportunities for
young people, including young people
not in education, employment or training
and those without parental care or at risk
of losing it, need to be prioritised. Tar-
geted cross-sectorial support measures
should promote relevant skills-building,
mentoring, fairly paid internships and on-
the-job learning opportunities, vocational
training, social integration and equitable
access to tertiary education for young
care leavers and young people at risk.
© Tommy Standún
34
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
© Katerina Ilievska
OUR EXPERIENCE
35
I Employability for social inclusion
© Anne Kahura
OUR EXPERIENCE
*
Supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Shipowners‘
Association
36
Strengthening parental
© Fernando Espinoza
and caregiver education:
Support for children’s learning
Strong families make strong children.90 Chil- Parental resources, skills and
dren’s readiness to learn, their resilience and knowledge for children’s learning
their ability to reach their full potential is fos- Adult education refers to on-going learning
tered by secure attachment and adequate atten- processes where adults develop holistic abili-
tion to their developmental needs.91 Parents and ties, knowledge and professional qualifications
other primary caregivers are the first and most to meet their own needs, and those of their chil-
important educators of children, but where they dren and society.97
lack resources, knowledge and skills it is critical
to support them through adult education. The To provide good care and a positive learning
Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children environment for their children, parents and care-
remind states to help families in meeting their givers must make sound decisions about their
responsibilities towards the child, addressing children’s protection, stimulation, learning and
the root causes of child abandonment.92 development. This means acting as positive
role models, respecting and standing up for
There are at least 750 million adults, two thirds their children’s rights and fulfilling their indi-
of them women, who do not have even rudi- vidual needs, as well as having the capacity to
mentary literacy skills.93 The educational attain- help them overcome traumatic experiences and
ment of parents and children is closely correlat- protect them from abuse, harm and violence.
ed; and children whose parents attended school
are also more likely to do so.94 Parental educa- Findings from seven programme locations in
tion, particularly the education of mothers, has Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia show that a sub-
positive effects on other developmental areas; stantial number of parents and caregivers still
reducing early childhood mortality, improving struggle to generate enough income to adequate-
children’s health95 and helping provide children ly support their families.98 Informal employ-
with cognitive and language skills, which in ment, irregular, low or insecure income, loan
turn contribute to early success at school.96 repayment or lost stock can cause chronic stress
and affect parents coping and caring abilities.
37
I Parental and caregiver education
38
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development
Educated parents are likely to be more knowl- skills, and increase solidarity and peer-to-peer
edgeable of child rights and needs, and better support through exchange of group members.99
equipped to claim their rights and those of their Parents and caregivers are also supported to ac-
children. They have better opportunities to gen- cess relevant social grants and engage in food
erate a stable income and may be more equipped production for the family.
with the skills, knowledge, resources and confi-
dence to provide their children with a supportive We rely on a broad network of partners and
and stable family environment, as well as the encourage parents and caregivers, who in re-
protective and caring relationships that promote source-poor areas often lack adequate access and
their children’s learning and development. knowledge, to make use of existing systems of
community support, such as relevant health, so-
Our approach cial, education, child protection and development
Supporting the implementation of the Guide- services from governmental authorities, and kids
lines for the Alternative Care of Children, SOS clubs, self-help groups or peer support groups.100
Children’s Villages helps parents and caregivers
to develop their psychosocial and economic We actively support the formation of par-
capacities to ensure their children’s healthy de- ent-teacher associations or committees for par-
velopment. We provide parenting skills training ents to better accompany their children’s educa-
and psychosocial support in group sessions, tion and voice their concerns. Such associations
family home visits and individual counselling. are vital for parents to lobby for improvements
Social workers from SOS Children’s Villages and on access, school-drop-out, the use of funds al-
community partner organisations teach prac- located to the school, class size, teacher qualifi-
tical childcare strategies to parents and other cations, quality of learning materials, levels of
caregivers to strengthen their parenting skills, exam difficulty or access to adequate sanitary
foster nurturing and positive relationships free facilities for girls and boys.
from violence, and provide the space and en-
couragement for children to play, learn, do their
homework and read, especially in resource-poor
households. We ensure that parents, caregivers
RECOMMENDATION
and professional child care workers in our pro- Parents need to be supported in their chil-
grammes access on-going training and continu- dren’s education through adult education
ous support to improve their practices. and training including social and economic
support services, literacy classes, em-
We support parents and caregivers to acquire ployment opportunities and legal frame-
the skills and knowledge to secure employment works for appropriate social and labour
or run small businesses to generate and man- market conditions. The competencies of
age a stable, secure and meaningful income for care professionals should be strengthened
their household needs. This includes providing through on-going rights-based training
vocational, secondary or tertiary education, and counselling for supporting families’
and training for literacy and numeracy skills, economic, cultural and psychosocial ca-
“soft” job and entrepreneurial skills or house- pacities.
hold budget and business management skills.
The formation of savings and loan groups has
proven beneficial to improve and retain trained
39
I Parental and caregiver education
© Fernando Espinoza
OUR EXPERIENCE
Change the way we are: Workshops for the Family Action Centres’
A programme to reduce care co-workers and the children’s care-
violence against children in givers are based on SOS Children's Villages’
Argentina Child Protection Policy and comprise the
following areas:
Since early 2015, SOS Children’s Villag- • Raising awareness on child abuse and
es Argentina, in co-operation with the City its reflection in parental models.
of Buenos Aires, has been running a pro- • Supporting adults to recognise child
gramme called "For a protected childhood" rights violations, including violations of
in Family Action Centres run by the Minis- privacy and every-day practices that
try of Social Development in seven of the increase risk, such as sharing a bed
most vulnerable neighbourhoods in the city. with an adult, or having no access to
These neighbourhoods have poor infra- private spaces to change clothes or
structure; income is below the average per use bathrooms. The workshops sug-
capita income and more than 30% of the gest changes to better care for and
population have not finished high school. protect children at home and how to
raise difficult topics, such as sexuality.
The programme focuses on providing care-
givers with knowledge and training on child Through these workshops, questions, de-
protection and strengthening emotional bates and proposals emerged, and the con-
ties. It is a rights-based approach with a fo- tent was well received. Participants were
cus on a non-violent culture and promotes provided with new models for bringing up
the development of children from birth to 12 children and reflected on their own systems
years old. Within the first year, 372 adults and family situations. They were particular-
and 197 children and adolescents partici- ly interested in learning more about how to
pated in the programme. set effective, positive and protective limits
for children and how to communicate better
with their children.
40
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IMPRINT
Responsible for content: Stewart Wilms, Wilfried Vyslozil
Publishers:
SOS Children’s Villages International Editorial team: Coenraad de Beer, Claudia Berger-Schachinger,
Programme & Strategy Karin Demuth, Anna Rachlitz, Fae Wallner.
Hermann-Gmeiner-Straße 51, 6010 Innsbruck, Austria Editorial support: Rebecca Dobson, Linda Janning,
T +43/512/3310-0 Alan Kikuchi-White, Rajeev Kumar, Ronan Mangan,
E-Mail: karin.demuth@sos-kd.org Virginia Patterson, Douglas Reed, Barbara Schratz,
www.sos-childrensvillages.org Angelika Schwaiger, Stefan van der Swaluw,
Christine Tavernier-Gutleben, Stewart Wilms.
Hermann-Gmeiner-Fonds Deutschland e.V.
Ridlerstr. 55, 80339 München, Germany Proofreading: Rebecca Dobson
Tel +49/89/1 79 14-0 Cover photo: Nusrin Somchat
E-mail: angelika.schwaiger@sos-kd.org Graphic design: Conny Bolter
www.sos-kinderdoerfer.de
Partner der BildungsChancen GmbH und Gründungsmitglied Printing: Dialogwerkstatt GmbH (Brixen/IT)
vom Tag der Bildung e.V. Date of publication: December 2016.
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“A basic education helps us
in creating our identity.”
Maya Dhal, India
Hermann Gmeiner Award Winner
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A LOVING
HOME FOR
EVERY CHILD