Education is the key to sustainable development. The MDGs had a very special focus on achieving universal primary education and as we move into the post2015 era, we must ensure that civil society and policy makers continue to invest and build on the making education a fundamental cornerstone of our global developmental agenda.

Disasters, war and strife have severe impacts on schools , children and on the educational infrastructure. Education is amongst the first casualties of war or disasters and this has a hugely detrimental effect on young people whose future and progress get drastically affected in the process. Our children need ?safe schools? and a protected ?educational system?.

With this objective, scores of Green Hope UAE members , took part in a laudable initiative of Dubai Cares which targeted  to pack 50,000 school kits for the school children of Gaza as part of their "Rebuild Palestine. Start with Education" initiative. More than 50 members of Green Hope UAE worked with zeal and passion at the venue the Al Boom Tourist Village.

We spent a full day , assembling school kits that will provide the conflict-affected children the basic educational supplies required for school. The contents of the kit, sourced by Dubai Cares in accordance with UNRWA guidelines, include a backpack, notebooks, sketch books, geometry kit, calculator, pencil case for stationery including pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, crayons, rulers etc.

It was a hugely fulfilling experience and we hope that this great initiative will help address the shortage in basic educational supplies in Gaza and provide the affected children a new hope and a better future.