Catalina Sierra, SDC Colombia Office
Project: “Equitable STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for girls and boys in rural schools of the Boyacá Department”

​"Our programme in Colombia is mainly humanitarian, so the Education Fund seemed like an opportunity to strengthen the education components in our programme not only in humanitarian settings, but also in development initiatives. Through the project that we submitted, we will have the chance to improve our response and better address the situation in Colombia. The main innovation proposed lies in the link between gender and education. The project promotes the participation of girls in careers that are usually performed by men. We are very excited to start this project because linking gender to STEM education is not only an innovation for the Swiss cooperation in Colombia but also innovative for Colombia in general and to many other contexts.”

Jaser Abu Mousa and Saad Halawani, SDC Gaza and West Bank Office
Project “Improve Access to Basic Educational and Vocational Training Services for Children with Down syndrome and Autism in the Gaza Strip” from OPT

​“To join forces with our Safe Spaces programme, we were examining an education intervention under the local governance domain that would address Leaving No One Behind.  As we read through the conditions, documents, and strategy, we realised that the SDC Education Fund would offer our office an opportunity to address the needs of the most vulnerable. In this sense, we had this idea of applying to the Education Fund to partner with the Right to Live Society in their work with children with Autism and Down syndrome, a group that is in a very difficult condition in Gaza. The innovation in this project is present in the training package that focuses not only on the education process but also on the preparedness for the labour market and the integration process. By qualifying individuals with disabilities and giving them the right skills to join the labour market, you are empowering them to transform their roles from recipients of care to creators of income. In our view, what we are doing now is a pioneer pilot project that has the potential to expand beyond the limits of the Gaza strip. We have agreed with our partner - the Right to Live Society - to document all the stages of the project aiming to throw lessons that not only our office can benefit from, but also our region and SDC in general.” For further information about the Education Fund and how to apply for funding click here.