Nuremberg - The new school year is here - and with it the run on the stationery shops. According to research by the "Tagesspiegel", families spend an average of 65 euros per child and school year on paper, pens and notebooks alone. An alternative to the assortment in the specialty store and supermarket are the exercise books and college blocks of "Mercy in Motion": as an eye-catcher, as a message - and for a good cause!

In Germany, around 11 million pupils are just starting the new school year. According to UNICEF, almost 50 million children and young people are fleeing the world; at least 3.5 million of them have no chance of attending school. The action Mercy in Motion of the Jesuit mission helps to bring these contrasting realities of life closer together. Mercy in Motion helps children and adolescents in crisis areas in the Middle East, Africa and Asia to enjoy their right to education. Schools give stability, provide a piece of normality and open up perspectives for the future.

Each picture tells its own story

With the sale of exercise books, college blocks and through donations, refugee children are able to provide school education. The covers of the booklets and notepads were painted and designed by refugee children in the Middle East and Africa. Each picture tells its own story. Mercy in Motion intends to use the proceeds to create a further 100,000 school and training places for refugees worldwide by 2020. The money goes directly into the school education of children and the education and training of young people and teachers in refugee camps. The place in an educational program of the Jesuit Refugee Service costs about 100 euros per year and child. Per month this is 8,33 Euro - 28 Cent per day. A small sum that can change everything in a child's life!

Education is a key to breaking the vicious circle of violence, to give people in desperate situations hope, to build peace and to rebuild destroyed countries. The offer ranges from elementary school to university qualification and also includes vocational and teacher training. Schools provide children with the support they need to cope with the loss, fear and violence they have experienced. Visiting a school can protect children from gender-based violence, recruitment as child soldiers, child labour and forced marriage.