For over four decades, Afghans have been forced to flee their homes and seek safety in neighboring Pakistan. With Danish funding, young refugees can receive an education and the future opportunities that come with it.
Afghan refugee Abid, sits next to his best friend Muhammad at their school in Pakistan. © UNHCR/Saiyna Bashir
Abid is 13 years old, an avid cricket fan, and an Afghan refugee. He attends Chichana High School in Pakistan. Despite the difficulties Abid faced as a refugee, and despite the initial nervousness of going to school in a different country, in third grade he found a friend in a local boy named Muhammad.
“Our seats were together, and that’s how we became friends,” they explained.
Abid and Mohammad’s villages are far from each other. School is the only place they get to spend time together.
Abid is one of the 1.4 million Afghan refugees, living in Pakistan – a country, that for decades has provided shelters to the many refugees fleeing neighboring Afghanistan. Almost half of the Afghan refugee population in Pakistan is under the age of 18 and largely in need of access to education. With additional arrivals from Afghanistan following the developments last summer, the public school system is under increasing pressure, as growing numbers of refugee children require more space and resources in classrooms.
Denmark’s support has allowed UNHCR to rapidly scale up the response in and around Afghanistan. In addition to providing protection and support to vulnerable groups, such as survivors of gender-based violence, the Danish funding ensures that UNHCR can strengthen the access to educational opportunities for young Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
This includes improving access to school meals, benefitting also the children from the host communities, and increasing classroom resources in order to also accommodate the Afghan refugee children. UNHCR is working to facilitate that Afghan refugees can continue their education beyond the primary school level, develop their skills and receive vocational training. Furthermore, teachers are trained, also on promotion of health and hygiene to the students.
“Afghan refugees have been in Pakistan since 1979, and people still continue to flee Afghanistan and seek refuge there. With support from Denmark, UNHCR can ensure that the refugee children can have access to educational opportunities, which is essential for rebuilding their lives and strengthen their future opportunities,” says Henrik M. Nordentoft, UNHCR’s Representative to the Nordic and Baltic Countries.
For Afghan Abid and his best friend and Pakistani school-mate Mohammad, the support from countries like Denmark, strengthening UNHCR’s response, is felt clearly. UNHCR helped renovate their entire school, making it a safe and comfortable place for the two best friends to learn and spend time together.
Denmark as a donor
Denmark is a longstanding and significant donor to UNHCR. In 2021, Denmark provided USD 101 million to UNHCR, of which almost USD 13 million was earmarked for UNHCR’s response to the Afghanistan situation. Thus far into 2022, Denmark has provided UNHCR with USD 94 million, of which USD 35.6 million is unearmarked.
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