In 2013 the International Children’s Peace Prize was awarded to the 16-year-old Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai. She won the prize for standing up for girls  rights to an education worldwide. The prize is accompanied by an award of €100,000. This money is provided through AkzoNobel’s Peace Fund and is for projects that are closely connected to the Children’s Peace Prize winner’s area of dedication.

The four projects that the AkzoNobel 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 organization that focuses 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) puts the emphasis on education for girls and education for everyone, without discrimination. Teacher training is also at the core of several programs. The organization 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. This project aims to increase awareness about girls’ right to education, with 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. Aside from the scarcity of good schools, this is considered to be the most important reason why children do not go to school. 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.”

Marc Dullaert, chairman and founder of the Dutch KidsRights Foundation, says, “KidsRights is very pleased about AkzoNobel’s involvement with the Children’s Peace Prize. Thanks to this contribution KidsRights can support even more vulnerable children through local partners.”

Every year the KidsRights Foundation organizes the award of the International Children’s Peace Prize. The prize is presented to a child for his or her special dedication to children’s rights worldwide. This November the International Children’s Peace Prize will be awarded for the tenth time