There are different barriers that prevent children and young adults access to education. First, it is important to consider the high degree of civil war and gang violence that take place in these children’s home countries. In these unsustainable situations, families are forced to flee their homes, and children, to abandon their studies. In fact, one of the main signs of safety and stability is children’s school attendance. Another factor that limits the quality and access to education is poverty. Sometimes poverty is linked to inadequate education financing policies, an excessive ratio of students to teachers, or inadequate training. This results in a lack of proper student preparation which later affects their professional and personal development. Furthermore, family disintegration also has serious effects on the education of children and young people. This usually causes emotional and psychological problems which affect performance in the teaching and learning processes. Low self-esteem, low academic performance, high dropout rates, and alterations in socal behavior both inside and outside the classroom are just a few issues seen. Finally, in many occasions, intellectual and physical disabilities impose significant barriers due to the lack of inclusive education. This can even be seen in developed countries; in Spain, there are a total of 217,416 students that need access to special education, according to data from the ONCE Foundation and Ilunion. 

Aware of the education-related issues, The United Nations has included “Guaranteeing inclusive and equitable, quality education, and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all” as one of the 17 objectives set forth by the U.N. 2030 Agenda. In order to achieve this objective, Océano Solidario works on the educational development of children and young people at risk of social exclusion, promoting projects and actions aimed at providing sufficient means and capacities for their training to school-age people suffering from situations of helplessness, inequality, poverty or disability.