Leo Messi Foundation helps UNICEF get Syrian children back into the classroom

2 May 2017 – UNICEF has installed 20 new prefabricated classrooms in Tartus, Syria, and rural areas of Damascus, thanks to a generous donation from the Leo Messi Foundation.

The donation has enabled more than 1,600 Syrian children affected by the conflict to attend school with fully furnished classrooms.

“More than 60 per cent of children attending these schools have been displaced from their homes due to the fighting,” said UNICEF. “School provides children affected by war with a routine, structure, and a sense of normality in a situation that is far from normal. We are grateful to the generous support of the Leo Messi Foundation to help hundreds of children access education.”

After more than six years of conflict, 1.75 million children in Syria are out of school and millions more are at risk of dropping out. One in three schools cannot be used as they have either been destroyed or are being used as shelters or for military purposes.

The functioning schools are overcrowded, and some have had to add shifts to accommodate more children, reducing study time and affecting the quality of education.

Over seven years, the Leo Messi Foundation has supported UNICEF’s work for children in countries including Haiti and Nepal, among others.

—ENDS—

For more information please contact:

Unicef UK Media Team, 0207 375 6030, [email protected]

For photos, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n2id896ffmd3xln/AACVhYNCKt4hwExMppPKbfiNa?dl=0

Photo credit: ©UNICEF/ Syria 2016/ Ranim Al- Malek
Location: Al- Ghizlaniya, Rural Damascus, Syria
Date: 28/12/2016

Epigraph: In Tartus and rural areas of Damascus, Syria, more than 1,600 children of all ages attend daily classes in the 20 prefabricated classrooms that were built with the donation from the Messi Foundation.

About Unicef

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Unicef UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children. As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. Unicef UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK. For more information please visit unicef.org.uk