New York – Geneva: Europe and the Arabs

Coinciding with World Humanitarian Day, Education Cannot Wait launched a new global campaign to raise $600 million to provide safe, high-quality education over the next four years for 10 million children and adolescents whose education has been disrupted by crises.

Under the slogan "Hope Starts Here," the organization launched its campaign at a time when its latest estimates show that 258 million school-aged children and adolescents in 87 countries have had their education disrupted by crises.

It is also expected that total international support for education will decrease by $3.2 billion, potentially pushing an additional six million children out of school, as conflicts, displacement, and climate shocks escalate.

"Through our new global campaign, we are calling on the world to rise to the level of the children's unwavering determination to pursue their dreams of education despite all odds," said Education Cannot Wait Director Maysa Jalbout. "Education is more than just learning; it is protection, it is opportunity, and it is where hope begins." The organization said that at least half of the children benefiting from the campaign will be girls, and it aims to reach one million children with disabilities. This builds on the work it has undertaken with its partners over the past decade, providing education, protection, and support services to more than 14 million children and adolescents affected by crises.

The campaign comes ahead of the organization's high-level replenishment conference, hosted by Switzerland in Geneva on November 5, and aims to mobilize governments, donor foundations, philanthropic organizations, and private sector partners.

It has already secured early pledges, including from Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, covering nearly 40% of its funding target.

Conflict, displacement, and climate shocks are disrupting the education of an estimated 258 million school-aged children and adolescents worldwide, raising concerns that millions of children are at risk of losing not just years of schooling, but their entire future prospects. This comes from a new report released a few weeks ago by the Education Cannot Wait fund, which presents the clearest picture yet of the worsening education emergency in some of the world's most vulnerable and fragile communities.

The report confirms that 93 million children are completely out of school, while millions more remain enrolled but are unable to learn effectively under conditions that undermine their progress and increase the likelihood of them eventually dropping out.

Needs are concentrated in emergencies.

The report concludes that educational needs are increasingly concentrated in the world's most severe emergencies.

Of the 182 million children living in the 20 most severe crises, 74 million are out of school—nearly 80% of all crisis-affected and out-of-school children included in the study.

Researchers warn that educational exclusion goes beyond simply access to school. In many crisis zones, children fall behind in acquiring essential skills at an early age and are never able to catch up. In some contexts, fewer than one in ten children demonstrate basic reading proficiency in the early grades, and learning gaps widen over time, eventually hindering their continued education.

Disproportionate Burdens
Children forced to flee their homes face some of the most difficult challenges. Data analysis in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Somalia shows that displaced children have lower grade progression rates, experience slower educational advancement, and are significantly more likely to be past the typical grade level compared to their non-displaced peers.

Furthermore, girls, refugees, and children with disabilities face significant and disproportionate barriers to continuing their education, while conflict appears to exacerbate and prolong learning losses.

By the sixth grade, reading proficiency is only 30% in conflict-affected countries, compared to 47% in countries primarily affected by socioeconomic crises, and 63% in countries affected by natural disasters.

Prioritizing Education
The report also highlighted the resilience of families, who continue to prioritize education despite insecurity and financial hardship. Nearly 80% of school dropouts are attributed to financial constraints and school closures due to conflict, indicating that circumstances, rather than a lack of appreciation for education by families, are the primary drivers of children's absence from the classroom.

Maysa Jalbout, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, stated that supporting education in crises "is the insurance policy that families, governments, and donors need to protect their long-term investments in education and economic opportunities."

Jalbout warned that conflict and climate change are eroding years of progress and called for urgent investments to prevent educational losses from becoming permanent. The fund said it has reached more than 14 million children affected by crises since its inception and aims to reach another 10 million by 2030.

It should be noted that the Education Cannot Wait Fund is a global fund established by the United Nations to support education in emergencies and protracted crises.