Education and psychological care: KfW supports Syrian refugee children and young people in Turkey

• Financial contribution of EUR 25 million granted to UNICEF Turkey
• Educational measures for approx. 160,000 children and adolescents – employment of Syrian teachers
• Psychological support and protection measures for 40,000 children and young people

KfW, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has provided a financial contribution totalling EUR 25 million for educational measures, expanding and modernising schools, psychological support for children and youth, child protection measures and employing Syrian teachers who have also fled their country. UNICEF Turkey is the recipient of the funds destined for measures in various provinces with a high concentration of refugees in the South East of Turkey, as well as in cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.

"Supporting Syrian refugee children and youth who have fled to Turkey, through education and with coming to terms with traumatic war experiences, is of paramount importance to prevent the establishment of a "lost generation". It's important to provide this help as quickly as possible, to ensure these children do not endure even greater suffering and because of the dynamics of the large-scale migration," explained Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, Member of the Executive Board of KfW.

In Turkey the number of refugees has risen to more than 2.5 million – over half of whom are under the age of eighteen. Children and youth suffer particularly from the consequences of displacement and frequently fall victim to violence and sexual abuse. Young females are especially affected by the latter, and are also subject to forced marriage, abduction and enslavement. The number of refugee camps has risen to 25, yet around 90% of the refugees live in towns and villages beyond these camps.

Further information on KfW Development Bank is available at: www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de.