An Idea Worth Shouting About

One of the great frustrations of diplomacy is that results are hard to quantify. If, for example, a new government is at last formed in Lebanon, we will be hard pressed to say to what extent our encouragement, the hours on the road, in planes and in meetings, contributed.

So when a project with direct, measurable, tangible impact comes along, we get excited. This week we got one that leaves me fist pumpingly, deliriously so.

During Secretary of State Justine Greening’s visit to Lebanon, she announced that the UK will pay for school books for all 300,000 children aged 6-15 in Lebanese public schools. Not just Syrian and Palestinian refugees, but the Lebanese communities hosting them.

Lebanon’s schools, like its many communities, have generously opened their doors to those fleeing the violence in Syria. Classes have grown and expenses have rocketed.  I’ve seen and heard for myself how this has put pressure on teachers, infrastructure and availability of books. Some schools now teach second shifts to allow all children access to education.

Through this new project, hard pressed parents, keen to prioritise education, will not face what can be a crippling expense. I hope we’ve shown that we’re on the side of families who have been hit by the Syria crisis next door. And on the side of the Lebanese people as they demonstrate such fortitude, generosity and resilience. I have no hesitation about wanting every parent to know about it.

You can read more about Britain’s wider education offer to Lebanon here: (‘English – Fire worth lighting’ and ‘Britain’s Education Offer to Lebanon’).

The Kuwait conference this week raised another 2.4 bn USD for the victims of the war in Syria. Britain is the second largest bilateral donor, having contributed almost a billion dollars in total. This Telegraph article gives the league table. Kuwait demonstrated the divide between countries fuelling the conflict, those helping the victims, and spectators. It was also great that UN Education Envoy Gordon Brown, who I know is driven by a ferocious passion for education for all, prioritised Lebanon with a 320m USD project to get education to every child in the country.

Some in the UK will ask why we are supporting education in Lebanon when facing austerity at home. Some will say that a project like this is sticking plaster while the war in Syria rages. Some stuck in crackpot narratives will look for evidence of a sinister imperialist/orientalist agenda. Some development experts will say that we should not be branding our aid, let alone telling people about it.

These are fair questions. But from where I sit, this is worth doing. Worth being proud of. And worth shouting about.