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Taking Action in Darfur
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Cynthia B. Lloyd—who represented the Council at the Clinton
Global Initiative—joins Bill Clinton in announcing the
Council’s commitment to action. Lloyd has spearheaded much
of the Council’s extensive research on education in
developing countries and was editor of the seminal 2005
report Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to
Adulthood in Developing Countries for the National
Research Council and the Institute of Medicine of The
National Academies.
Photo credit: Clinton Global Initiative |
In September, at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative,
the Population Council made a commitment to help end educational
disparities for poor children worldwide. As part of this commitment, the
Council also accepted an invitation to join the Education Partnership
for Children of Conflict, cofounded by actress-activist Angelina Jolie
and economist Gene Sperling. Former President Bill Clinton launched the
partnership on the first day of the three-day conference, which brings
together heads of state, development professionals, humanitarians, and
celebrities to devise solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges,
including disparities in education.
The Council, in partnership with the Women’s Commission for Refugee
Women and Children, will conduct a study of schooling opportunities in
the refugee camps of Darfur, Sudan, to determine whether education
offers children protection in emergency situations. Researchers will
visit the camps to interview children, families, and teachers. The study
is being funded through a grant from The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation; additional funds are being sought to extend the
project from one year to five so that children’s individual progress can
be tracked over time.
The Population Council has worked with local organizations in Sudan for
more than 20 years, and opened a four-person office in Khartoum this
year to enhance cooperation with local professionals and institutions.
Other Council projects in Sudan focus on urban poverty and health and on
reproductive health issues.(Return to issue contents)
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