UN Goodwill Ambassador: Millions of refugee children missing school

Mary Maker, who escaped conflict in South Sudan as a child and spent her formative years in a Kenyan refugee camp, is using her platform as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to press for greater investment in refugee education and employment. Maker says that access to schooling was pivotal in changing the trajectory of her life and argues similar opportunities are needed for displaced children globally.

Her public appeal highlights a persistent shortfall: millions of refugee children remain out of school. Maker urged world leaders to prioritize funding and programs that expand educational access and create job pathways for refugees, linking individual outcomes to broader social and economic inclusion.

Maker's message frames education and employment as complementary needs for refugee populations. By emphasizing both schooling and job creation, she called attention to the need for sustained policy and financial commitments from governments and international organizations to address gaps in services for displaced people.

Speaking from her experience in a refugee camp in Kenya, Maker presented a personal account to underline the human stakes behind the statistics. Her remarks aim to put pressure on national and international decision-makers to translate awareness of the education shortfall into concrete investments for refugee communities.