Formula 1 and UNICEF Partner to Help Vulnerable Children Access Education

March 3, 2023 

Premier car racing series, Formula One (F1), is joining forces with global agency UNICEF to help the world’s most vulnerable children access quality education. The partnership will also bolster UNICEF’s humanitarian response around the world so it can help protect children in emergency situations.

UNICEF estimates that in 2022 70% of the world’s 10-year-olds lacked basic literacy skills and two-thirds of children from disadvantaged backgrounds did not have access to the internet to continue their learning. Limited access to the internet and digital devices, an issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has widened inequalities and the digital divide globally. 

“The world is facing a growing learning crisis, with millions of children continuing to miss out on school and access to the technology they need to learn and flourish. Investment in education is fundamental to the development of children and young people and to building the societies and economies they need for the future, so we must act now to prevent this learning crisis,” said Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of UNICEF UK. 

The agency predicts that F1’s support over the next three years could help an estimated 6.5 million children from vulnerable and marginalized communities access quality education, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Additionally, it could aid UNICEF in providing temporary learning places for children in emergencies, such as those affected by the recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria which damaged and destroyed more than 350,000 buildings including homes, hospitals and schools. 

UNICEF believes that sports play a unique role in bringing people together and addressing the biggest issues affecting children, including those impacted by humanitarian crises and emergencies. The alliance aims to ensure that more children have access to quality learning and the skills training they need to succeed in school, work and life. 

The collaboration will primarily focus on expanding UNICEF’s Learning Passport – a portable digital platform that allows children to continue learning online and offline. Originally launched as a digital remote learning platform for displaced youth in 2018, the Learning Platform was designed to close the learning poverty gap. It was later expanded to provide out-of-school children with continued access to education as school closures became prevalent during the pandemic. 

Currently operating in 26 countries, F1’s support will allow expansion of the program to an additional 19 countries and facilitate the launch of an offline version in Mexico and Brazil. “In a sport where research, technology and innovation play a vital role in a driver and team’s success, education is at the core of Formula 1," said F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. "The partnership with UNICEF will enable us to effectively use our sport’s global platform to help bridge the educational divide experienced by the world’s most vulnerable children.

The collaboration builds on F1’s history of educational support, including a scholarship program for underrepresented groups, along with various STEM and employment outreach programs. F1 will support UNICEF’s emergency response effort by donating to the agency’s Emergency Fund, which specifically helps children affected by disasters and conflict wherever they are.