Welcome to Action Education Switzerland
Defending the right to education for all and all
Despite being enshrined in fundamental texts such as the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as in numerous national laws, the right to education is struggling to be respected. Even today, more than 250 million children and adolescents are not in school, 200 million young people are unemployed or untrained and more than 700 million adults are illiterate.
Against this backdrop, Action Education's mission is to help the most vulnerable sections of the population, particularly children, young girls and women, on their way to education.
The right to education
The right to education is a fundamental, non-negotiable and compulsory right that guarantees all individuals the opportunity to learn the skills and attitudes that will enable them to develop as citizens, defend their rights, hold a job and support their families.
The right to education is detailed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted by the United Nations in 1989. The CRC is the first binding text to make children under 18 subjects of fundamental, obligatory and non-negotiable rights (civil, economic, social, etc.). These include the child's right to free, quality and inclusive primary education.
Many countries, including Switzerland, have also enshrined the right to free, compulsory education accessible to all in their constitutions.
The right of everyone to a quality education was also reaffirmed in 2015 when the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular through SDG 4, which sets out to "achieve universal primary education by 2030".That all girls and boys receive a full course of free, quality primary and secondary education on an equal footing, leading to genuinely useful learning".
Despite this commitment, it is clear today that the goal of quality education for all will not be achieved by 2030, not least because of chronic underfunding of education by both governments and donor countries.
The 197 States that have ratified the CRC undertake to :
- To foster the development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential.
- Teach children to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter
- To instil in children respect for their parents, their identity, their language and their cultural values, as well as respect for the national values of the country in which they live.
- They are committed to improving education around the world as part of their policy of solidarity and international development.
The right to education denied
30 years after the adoption of the CRC, the right to education for all is far from being respected.
More than 250 million children and young people are not in school: 59 million of primary school age, 62 million of lower secondary school age and 138 million of upper secondary school age. 200 million young people are without training or employment, and over 700 million adults are illiterate.
This is due to the increasing number of economic, political, security and environmental crises, which are leading to a decline in human rights, particularly children's rights. Today, more than 465 million children live in conflict situations, 181 million children under the age of 5 are food insecure and 160 million are forced to work. All these crises make it more difficult, if not impossible, to apply the right to education. (UNICEF, ILO)
As well as many children not being able to go to school, the world is facing a learning crisis, which has been exacerbated by the closure of schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, it is estimated that 7 out of 10 children in middle-income countries cannot read a simple sentence by the age of 10. (World Bank, 2022)
Action Education's mission: to defend and promote the right to education
Action Education believes that every individual, whatever their age or living conditions, should have access to a high-quality, public, safe and inclusive education.
For over 40 years, the Action Education network has been providing implements projects on the ground to facilitate access to quality education for the most vulnerable, and calls on public decision-makers to make the right to education a reality for everyone.
We are focusing our actions on the most vulnerable populations, in particular children, girls and women, in order to remove all the obstacles that currently prevent their education.
We are carrying out projects in Asia, Africa and Europe to guarantee lifelong access for all to quality educationthrough actions such as :
- infrastructure construction and development
- improving school environments (building wells, sanitation systems, latrines, etc.)
- Training teachers, administrative staff and communities to improve school management
- Raising awareness among children and adults of the importance of education
- lobbying local authorities and governments to ensure that the right to education is more effectively enforced in all the countries in which we operate
Our ambitions
Educating future citizens
In several of the countries where we operate, we are setting up school governments in primary schools. This initiative is fully in line with the right to participation enshrined in the CRC.
A group of pupils, democratically elected by the others, divides up the various aspects of school life by "department": environment, cleanliness, school grounds, canteen, etc.
This encourages children to take part in issues that concern them directly, and gives them a sense of responsibility. It fosters a sense of social awareness and civic responsibility, and gives them the opportunity to work on their command of language, both oral and written, and their ability to make themselves heard and express their ideas.
Protecting children's health
Action Education believes it is necessary to ensure the well-being and respect for the rights of all children in order to guarantee their access to quality education.
One of our priorities is therefore to provide children with a healthy environment. This means installing gender-specific latrines so that young girls can go to the toilet and avoid harassment. As well as giving importance to nutrition, it is necessary to ensure that children are neither deprived nor malnourished. Poor sanitary conditions have a considerable impact on children's education. Repeated illness leads to absenteeism and discourages parents from sending their children to school.
We also attach particular importance to the nutrition of the children we support.
Combating child labour
Children are also exposed to the dangers of trafficking and forced labour. In the world today, 160 million children are still forced to work, half of them in dangerous jobs.
Our priority is to ensure that no child is at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation such as early marriage, rape, prostitution, child labour, abandonment, trafficking or drug abuse.
To do this, we are raising awareness in communities and developing preventive measures to provide effective support to families so that their children are in school and not at work.
Our projects
for the right to education
Innovative actions for children and young people in Madagascar (ANJARA)
The ANJARA project aims to bring about a lasting improvement in the living conditions of children and young people in the Analamanga and Vakinankaratra regions of Madagascar, through innovative actions for children and young people, and by strengthening access to quality education, child protection and the commitment of local communities.
Facilitating access and educational opportunities for children in Laos (FORCE)
The FORCE project (Facilitating Opportunities and...
Building a school kitchen for the pre-school centre at the Mo Ne satellite school in Vietnam
Building a modern, well-equipped school kitchen that meets national standards and enables healthy, nutritious meals to be prepared every day for the children at the school In Hoa Binh province, the very high poverty rate (35.3 %) means that many children...
Laos: innovative approach to literacy and maths from an early age
The aim of this project is to improve the quality of teaching in the basic subjects (Lao language and mathematics) and the learning environment for children from ethnic minorities, by means of targeted interventions both in the school and in...
Benin: Ecole Eclairée, Centre de Ressources pour une Education de Qualité (EECREQ)
This project aims to improve access to quality education in Benin by electrifying schools with solar power and improving learning conditions. The vast...
India: access to healthcare and education for migrant children
The aim of this project is to improve the living conditions of migrant children in India and give them access to their fundamental rights.Every season in India, many families are forced to migrate in search of work to support their families.
Improving the quality of education and nutritional status of ethnic minority children aged 3 to 15 in Vietnam
The aim of this project is to promote quality early childhood care and education for marginalised children from ethnic minorities and to support them in improving their performance at school.The project aims to improve the quality of education and the quality of...
Togo: Projet d'Appui à la Réforme des Collèges, phase 2 (PAREC 2)
The project aims to improve the completion rate at secondary level, particularly in secondary schools in three educational regions: Maritime, Grand Lomé and Savanes.
Laos: improving access to quality education for disadvantaged children in rural areas
This project aims to use an integrated approach to improve school readiness, children's health and the development of pre-school and primary school children.
Support for Governance and Relay Initiatives for Quality Education in Benin (AGIR)
The aim of this project is to help improve educational provision in response to the needs of disabled and/or vulnerable girls and boys.
Our news
on the right to education
Education in conflict zones: safeguarding the right to learn in times of crisis
In response to the rise in attacks on schools, Action Education is taking action in Cambodia, Benin and Togo to protect the right to learn.
Everyone to school: 46,000 children supported to ensure sustainable education in Togo and Benin
In Benin and Togo, 46,000 children are being supported to stay in school long-term. Find out more about the «Tous à l’école» project, supported by Action Education Suisse.
In Cambodia, schools are embracing indigenous languages: a pioneering model for inclusive education worldwide
To mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, celebrated on 9 August, Action Education Switzerland reaffirms its commitment to equitable and inclusive access to quality education. In Cambodia, a historic breakthrough illustrates the power...
The ENLIGHT Project: Ten years of action to ensure education for the most marginalised girls
Run on the ground by Action Education in India, the ENLIGHT programme has transformed the daily lives of more than 2,400 young girls from the most vulnerable backgrounds in 13 major cities. What do they have in common? They grew up in places where going to school seemed like a pipe dream....
World Bicycle Day: when two wheels redesign the future and equality
On 3 June, the world celebrates World Bicycle Day. While in Switzerland we often associate cycling with health, leisure or eco-mobility, on a global scale, the bicycle is much more than an ecological alternative: it is a powerful vector for social justice, a tool for political emancipation and, for millions of children, the missing link to education.
Climate emergency: when education becomes our best environmental weapon
With record heatwaves, forest fires and extreme rainfall, the upsurge in weather disturbances is validating the global climate emergency. In the face of this environmental crisis, Action Education is taking concrete action in the field. We are convinced that access to knowledge is the most effective way of protecting our planet.
Menstrual insecurity and dropping out of school: breaking the taboo
On 28 May, World Menstrual Hygiene Day reminds us of a reality that is all too often ignored: menstrual precariousness is a major obstacle to the right to education. For Action Education Switzerland, this mobilisation is an opportunity to emphasise that managing menstruation is not just a health issue, but a sine qua non for keeping girls in school.
2025: A year of resilience and mobilisation
During 2025, the international solidarity system went through a period of great tension, marked by the disappearance of USAID and increased pressure on official development assistance budgets in several partner countries. In...
Action Education's Mag N°174: Vietnam, between hope and resilience
Contents Editorial: «Vietnam: Land of minorities, land of solidarity», by Gilles Delecourt, International Managing Director of Action Education and Tu Nguyen, Vietnam Country Director Focus Projects - The education system in Vietnam...
From family weaving to women's entrepreneurship: promoting gender equality in Laos and Vietnam
There's only one step between ancestral know-how and female entrepreneurship! Find out how the making of woven baskets and silk weaving have gone from family traditions to real sources of income for Laotian women entrepreneurs and...
