Commercial / Industrial
Case Study: Unicef School-in-a-box
The Lions Club in the US
In 1994, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) assembled school supplies in a large box for use by teachers in Rwandan refugee camps.
Since then, UNICEF’s School-in-a-Box program has provided educational supplies to teachers in areas affected by civil unrest, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis.
© UNICEF/HQ05-0160/Shehzad Noorani - SRI LANKA: Children gather around as sports and other games from a UNICEF Recreation Kit are distributed at a relief camp for people displaced by the tsunami, in Rahula College in the southern city of Matara
Each UNICEF School-in-a-Box includes teacher supplies and materials for up to 80 students when classes are taught twice each day to 40 students each. Teachers can use the inside cover of the box as a chalkboard.
In 1996, Lions Clubs International signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF to support the School-in-a-Box program.
In 2005, Lions helped to distribute UNICEF School-in-a-Box kits to victims of Hurricane Katrina in the US Gulf Coast states.
Each UNICEF School-in-a-Box costs US $198.27. Donations can be sent to Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF); 300 W. 22nd Street; Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-8842; USA.
One of UNICEF’s top priorities in any emergency is to get students back to school—after natural disasters strike or in conflict situations. In school, children can learn to understand what is happening around them. The familiar routines of daily education also help children recover a sense of normalcy and safety.
But what if the children’s school itself has been damaged? UNICEF sends a "school-in-a-box."
Originally designed to provide basic education for children living in refugee camps following the Rwanda crisis in 1994, UNICEF’s school-in-a-box is now used in other emergencies worldwide.
The purpose of the kit is to ensure the continuation of children’s education in the first 72 hours of an emergency. Every country affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami received school-in-a-box kits, as did communities in the U.S. Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
In addition to basic school supplies, such as exercise books, pencils, erasers and scissors, the kit also includes a wooden teaching clock, plastic cubes for counting and a set of three laminated posters (alphabet, multiplication and number tables). The kit is supplied in a locked aluminum box, the lid of which can double as a blackboard when coated with a special paint included in the kit. Some components of UNICEF’s school-ina- box have been adapted so that they can be used anywhere in the world. For example, exercise books are printed without margins so that children who write from left to right, or from right to left, can use them.
The kit’s poster set was created to meet UNICEF’s special requirement of adaptability, as well. The three posters are printed with spaces, in which the teacher can either draw or write numbers and letters in the local language.
The school-in-a-box kit contains supplies and materials for a teacher and up to 80 students, if taught in double-shift classes of 40. The contents of the kit are not culturally specific and should be supplemented by locally purchased products, such as books in local languages, toys, games and musical instruments.
School-in-a-box Contents
| Non-consumables | Consumables | |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher | Lockable storage box Nylon bag Set of 3 posters Set of 100 colored cubes Wooden teaching clock Paint brush Measuring tape Ruler 30-60-90 degrees triangle 45-90 degrees triangle Compass Scissors Duster/wiper |
Chalkboard paint Register book Exercise books Felt-tip pens Pens Chalk Adhesive tape |
| Student | Carrier bag Slate Ruler Safety scissors |
Exercise books Wax crayons Pencils Pencil sharpener Pencil for slate Eraser |
