© Nichole Sobecki/Sipa
KenyaKibera is one of the largest slums of the African continent, presenting a particularly threatening environment for children going to school. Every day, Elizabeth Atenio, 6, must cross through it, walking two hours to the Kibera School for Girls. Despite the introduction of free primary education in 2003, enrolment in the slums remains a major challenge.

UNESCO, VEOLIA TRANSDEV and SIPA PRESS have pooled their talents in partnership to create a photo exhibition dedicated to the children around the world to face real challenges in making their daily journey to school, sometimes at great personal risk, in the hope that their education will lead to a better life.

Between November and December 2012, 18 photographers traveled the world to capture this impressive and unprecedented collection of images, as they followed the footsteps of schoolchildren from Nigeria to Thailand and Australia to the United States. The result is an original series of photographs that portrays the difficulties many children still encounter today in receiving an education. “Journeys to School” is a tribute to children’s tenacity and delight in life.

A publication with the same photos will shortly be available in English and French.