Save the Children and Ministry of Education Launch New Television Campaign to Mend Ethnic Tensions and Make Children Feel Safe Returning to School in Southern Kyrgyzstan Uzbek and Kyrgyz Parents and Adults Urged to Line the Streets in a Corridor of Peace and Welcome Children to School

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Save the Children and the Ministry of Education in Kyrgyzstan today launched a major television campaign to help mend ethnic tensions and help children feel safe and protected when they return to school on September 1.  The campaign is encouraging Kyrgyz and Uzbek parents and adults to line the streets in a corridor of peace and welcome children as they walk to and from school.

“After the ethnic unrest, many children are afraid to return to school. They fear violent attacks from the opposing ethnic group,” said Will Lynch, country director of Save the Children’s Kyrgyzstan office. “With the entire community showing support, we hope to calm children’s anxiety and make going back to school enjoyable.”

Ethnic violence broke out between minority Uzbeks and ethnic Kyrgyz in southern Kyrgyzstan in June.  The fighting destroyed parts of the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad, and estimated 400,000 people, including 100,000 children, were displaced from their homes.  Almost all of the people have since returned to their communities.

“Welcome to School” TV Spot to Air on National and Regional Television Stations

The new television spot called “Welcome to School” shows similarities between Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs as their children prepare for their first day of school, and encourages them to reconcile their differences and come together to help allay children’s fears of returning to school. The television ad spot will air 12 times a night from August 27 to September 3 on major Kyrgyzstani national and regional television stations, including KTR, ELTR and Channel 5. 

“Children are very observant, and they reflect their parents’ attitudes and actions. Through the television campaign, we are encouraging Uzbek and Kyrgz parents to show tolerance toward each other and to set an example for their children,” said Lynch.

The 85-second spot opens with a young Uzbek girl and a young Kyrgyz boy with their parents getting ready for their first day of school at home in the morning. When the families depart for school, the fathers confront each other in a tense moment on the street but then break the tension for the sake of their children by greeting each other and standing in line in the street to welcome their children to school. You can view the television spot on YouTube here.  

The television campaign is the first of three phases of activities planned by the UN global education cluster groups to engage Uzbeks and Krygyz in welcoming children to school over the next few weeks. The other two phases include conducting a media tour and engaging well-known public figures such as government officials and celebrities in the campaign.   

Education as a Solution to Conflict

“Save the Children’s experience has shown that quality education can be a solution to conflict,” said Lynch. “Education provides a safe, stable and protective learning environment, lets children begin to resume their routine and rebuild their lives, and gives them hope for the future.”

The United Nations will hold a Summit in New York City this September to review progress in meeting a set of eight global goals, including universal primary education, by 2015.  Save the Children will call on global leaders to take several steps to meet the education goal, including increasing resources for education in conflict-affected countries and prioritizing education in global humanitarian emergencies like the ethnic conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Background on Save the Children’s Humanitarian Response in Kyrgyzstan

More than two months after ethnic fighting broke out in southern Kyrgyzstan, Save the Children has reached more than 250,000 children and adults with lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance. Save the Children has supplied families with food and non-food items, such as tents, cooking kits, mattresses, blankets, jerry cans, plastic sheeting and diapers.  The agency also established 24 child-friendly spaces, providing more than 2,600 children with a safe and protected area to play.

With winter approaching, Save the Children, in partnership with UNHCR, is clearing and removing rubble from areas where winterized transitional shelters will be built.  The agency also is providing assistance to 100 entrepreneurs trying to resume their livelihoods.