Schools as Zones of Peace Illustrations in English

Schools as Zones of Peace is a Save the Children led project that aims to secure boys and girls’ protection at school, and avoid that education is disrupted because of armed conflict. The project builds on the Schools as Zones of Peace-model that was successful in ensuring children’s access to education in Nepal during the civil war, and uses components from this while linking it to the Safe Schools Declaration. In the project, we work with boys and girls, school management and local communities (including male and female participants), and work to influence local, national and global policies. Locally, the project aims to secure protective learning environments in conflict and post-conflict situations, raise awareness among communities, school management and children, and build local and national level engagement to protect education. This includes using participatory tools and methods to engage children. This is a way to implement the Safe Schools Declaration through a bottom-up approach by engaging local schools and communities. Where the context allows, we work through partners to engage armed non-state actors (ANSAs) among others to not disrupt education. Globally, we aim to link experiences from these countries to the global advocacy and policy work.

The purpose of these illustrations and this guide is to support Save the Children offices and field staff (teachers, facilitators etc.), as well as other organisations, in how to make children, parents (fathers and mothers) and communities familiar with the Safe Schools Declaration and the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict and using the Schools as Zones of Peace illustrations. Save the Children has in collaboration with Schools as Zones of Peace project staff given input to an illustrator who has produced 14 illustrations. Seven of these depict a positive and safe educational environment, with active children and teachers, and community participation (hereafter called the positive illustrations). The other seven show the harmful practices related to military use and attacks on education (hereafter called the negative illustrations). These illustrations are intended to inspire the discussion on how to protect schools from military use and thereby how to protect children and teachers. The guidance is based on resources available in Save the Children and our experience from activities with children in conflicts. Reference to existing material is made throughout the guide. The first part of the guide focuses on overall approaches and gives general tools on working and talking with boys and girls about their experiences in conflicts and disaster situations. Boys and girls may have different experiences, and we must make sure to reach out to everybody, also the hardest to reach boys and girls. It is also important to note that the illustrations depict boys and girls in different situations at schools, and girls and boys might experience similar or different problems requiring different responses. The second part of the guide introduces specific activities that relate to each of the Schools as Zones of Peace illustrations.

Intended Use

The SZOP illustrations and guide are meant as a tool for Save the Children or any other organisation’s project staff and teachers/facilitators in the schools. It is intended as an overview of suggested activities. However, the Save the Children country office or organisations using the illustrations or this guide should only conduct activities that are suitable in their respective context. It is up to the country office and partners to determine whether an activity is appropriate in a given situation.