The United Nations global fund for education in crises, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), recently released a report revealing the escalating need for educational support among crisis-impacted school-aged children. As per the analysis, the number of such children has risen steeply from 75 million in 2016 to a concerning 222 million. This article dissects the crucial findings of the report and provides an overview of ECW’s response, including the launch of their #222MillionDreams campaign.
Key Findings of the Report
The ECW report divulges that out of the total 222 million crisis-impacted children, a disturbing 78.2 million are out of school. On the other hand, approximately 120 million children are reported to be attending school, but they are unable to achieve minimum proficiency levels in fundamental subjects such as mathematics and reading. A startling statistic shows that a mere one in ten students from these crisis-affected regions who are receiving primary or secondary education meets these proficiency standards.
The study further elaborates that a massive 84% of crisis-impacted children deprived of schooling are residents of protracted crisis zones. These children predominantly inhabit countries like Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, which are under the focus of ECW’s multi-year investments. The ongoing war in Ukraine has further worsened the situation by pushing an increasing number of children out of school and impacting an estimated 5.7 million school-aged children.
Furthermore, around 119.6 million children residing in crisis-susceptible regions are enrolled in school. However, despite their attendance, they fail to reach the minimum proficiency criteria in elementary subjects such as maths and reading.
The #222 Million Dreams Initiative
In response to this growing global education crisis, ECW, in coalition with its strategic partners, introduced the #222MillionDreams resource mobilization campaign in Geneva. The campaign is a call-to-action for donors, private sector organizations, philanthropic foundations and high-net-worth individuals to urgently magnify resources to enhance ECW’s investments. These investments are currently extending quality education to over 5 million children across more than 40 countries affected by crisis.
About Education Cannot Wait (ECW)
ECW serves as the UN’s worldwide, multi-billion-dollar funding provision for education in emergencies and long-standing crises. It operates under UNICEF’s financial, human resources, and administrative rules and regulations, though it has its own independent governance structure to manage operations.
The mission of ECW is to stimulate a greater unified political, operational, and financial commitment towards addressing the educational requisites of millions of children and adolescents influenced by crises. Their approach emphasizes an agile, connected, and rapid response to bridge the gap between humanitarian aid and development assistance. This lays the foundation for robust and sustainable education systems.
