AkzoNobel supports International Peace Prize

The International Children’s Peace Prize is accompanied by an award of €100,000, provided through AkzoNobel’s Peace Fund, for projects connected to the winner’s area of dedication. In 2013, the prize was awarded to 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan. The four projects that the AzkoNobel Peace Fund and KidsRights will consequently be supporting are initiatives to foster education in four different parts of Pakistan – Khpal Kor Foundation, Roots for Equity/Sojhla for social change, the Primary Education Project, and Children First.

Khpal Kor Foundation is an organisation focusing on the education of vulnerable children and the promotion of children’s rights in the Swat District, where Malala grew up.

The Primary Education Project (PEP) emphasizes education for everyone, without discrimination. Teacher training is at the core of several programmes. The organisation concentrates wholly on the Sindh Province in Pakistan, where education falls short in many cases, particularly in the remote and poor areas.

Roots for Equity and Sojhla are jointly implementing the Ilm Mera Haql (Education is My Right) project, which aims to increase awareness about girls’ right to education. The project has a focus on the education of disadvantaged children in Pakistan’s three large religious communities (Hindu, Christian and Muslim).

Children First operates in the Layyah District and Punjab Province, where many children work in the cotton industry, which is thought to be one of the key reasons children do not go to school. It is thought that it is possible to break out of this vicious circle by providing education. Three education and development centers will be set up where girls can learn.

“Education for young people is essential, for their own development and for the development of society as a whole,” explains Marten Booisma, member of the executive committee with responsibility for AkzoNobel’s human resources and organizational development. “Without education there is no innovation and no progress. We are proud to support this initiative through the AkzoNobel Peace Fund together with our partner the KidsRights Foundation. Education is one of the most important pillars of our Human Cities initiative, through which we want to improve communities worldwide.”