Save the Children - You are not alone

Save the Children has issued a warning that, in Italy, the number of children and adolescents in absolute poverty is likely to increase by one million. With insufficient financial resources and no education, many will be forced to leave school. And a world without education is a world without a future.

Iris Ceramica Group Foundation has once again responded to Save the Children’s appeal by teaming up with the association, as it did previously for the Points of Light project, to safeguard vital opportunities for education which at this particular time require dedicated effort and organization.

Iris Ceramica Group Foundation believes the timely investigation You’re not alone - What families say, during the Covid-19 crisis, is highly relevant and beneficial. Giving a voice to the most vulnerable families has enabled a comprehensive program to be developed in close cooperation with a network of 41 partner associations in Italy.

The study immediately confirmed the current situation is critical and encouraged immediate intervention which cannot be delayed to ensure quality, fair and inclusive education for all children.

In line with the goals of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Iris Ceramica Group Foundation’s mission promotes and supports civil society organizations with targeted welfare measures and aid. Within these, the right to education offers us a unique chance to eliminate inequality and ensure a better future, due also to technology which is a vital to reach more outlying locations.

Via the You’re not alone program, Save the Children is meeting tangible needs which cannot be deferred, such as distributing tablets, and free connection to the Internet, indispensable for ongoing education, providing materials for play and study, alongside teaching activities and distance learning support, by creating seminars for teachers, in addition to ensuring psychological and legal support and distributing food.

According to the report, 77% of the representative sample have seen a reduction in their available income and 63% have purchased less food due to the crisis. Financial inequality is also linked to the digital divide. National Statistics Institute analysis cited in the report finds that 27% of families do not have access to the Internet either because it is too costly or due to a lack of devices, and one child in eight between the ages of 11 and 14 has not used the Internet in the last three months. 14% of young people do not have a PC or tablet.

With schools closed, these obstacles are insurmountable and deprive children of the ability to continue lessons. For each class of twenty-four students in lower-secondary school, distance learning risks losing three. From the early days of the crisis up to 8 April, the Save the Children network has managed to directly support 22,692 beneficiaries, and this number is continually increasing.

Iris Ceramica Group Foundation was founded with a strong commitment to architecture, design and art. We support education as a vital opportunity for growth and interaction with various educational institutes, from primary and secondary schools, as in this case, to diverse partnerships with universities, and training and research institutes, to mutually develop the values of a sustainable future.