Oxfam Canada and War Child Canada and recognize World Refugee Day with the launch of Geared for Success
Toronto – On this World Refugee Day, War Child Canada and Oxfam Canada stand in support of the 110 million displaced people around the world – a devastating new record high. An estimated 43.3 million are children under the age of 18.
“War and climate change are displacing unprecedented numbers of people from their homes. More than 100 million, the highest since World War II, are grappling with the aftermath as refugees and internally displaced living in extreme hardship and poverty. As one of the largest global providers of refugee education, we see firsthand the extraordinary impact that the generosity of individuals can have on the lives of these vulnerable children and youth,” says Dr. Samantha Nutt, Founder and President, War Child Canada. “World Refugee Day asks us to consider not just the scale of the problem, but the opportunities to address it. We are fortunate to bear witness to the success of such efforts every single day and ask you to join us.”
That is why today, War Child Canada and Oxfam Canada are proud to announce the launch of Geared for Success, a new joint initiative funded by the Government of Canada and designed to improve equitable and inclusive learning opportunities for refugee and internally displaced children living in South Sudan and Uganda, as well as those living in their supporting host communities.
Geared for Success focuses on working directly with community-based organizations that are led by refugees and displaced people, partnering with them to implement programming and providing them with both the technical and financial support needed to build their capacity.
The project also intends to raise critical awareness and understanding amongst Canadians of the important role that organizations such as War Child and Oxfam Canada have in providing displaced children with opportunities to continue their education and build better futures for themselves.
“This project provides some of the most disadvantaged children with an opportunity to shape their future, especially adolescent girls and young women. Girls who receive an education have more opportunities to reach their full potential. They live healthier lives, have greater control over when to start a family and how many children to have, and their children are more likely to attend school. On World Refugee Day, we are proud to support our partners in Uganda and South Sudan to realize this potential,” says Lauren Ravon, Executive Director, Oxfam Canada.
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Notes to editors:
Oxfam Canada is an affiliate of the international Oxfam Confederation networked in 87 countries as part of a movement for change. Our mission is to fight patriarchy and inequality to build lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. Over the last 15 years, Oxfam Canada has taken deliberate action to put women’s rights at the heart of everything we do supporting programs in dozens of countries focused on gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women’s economic justice, gender in emergencies, women in climate action and women’s transformative leadership.
War Child Canada is an internationally acclaimed humanitarian organization that works in war-torn regions to accelerate peace and disrupt the cycle of violence by investing in and empowering local communities to build brighter futures. War Child is globally recognized for its grassroots, community-driven model of humanitarian action supporting children and families in areas of conflict that’s rooted in collaboration and entirely locally led.