Education Cannot Wait (ECW) has announced an additional U.S.$2 million in new funding for the provision of educational support to refugees and host communities in the Nord Ubangi province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It is understood that the additional funding will support both refugee and host community girls and boys in getting back to a safe and protective learning environment.

This move is consistent with the aspiration of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four.

SDG Four: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

The DRC currently has about five million internally displaced persons, 700,000 of whom were displaced in 2022 alone. The country also has as many as 3.2 million children (aged six to 11) out of school.

‘I witnessed first-hand the refugees crossing after a harrowing journey from CAR and the generosity of the government and local communities hosting them’, ECW’s Director of Education, Yasmine Sherif, said in a statement.

‘For vulnerable children, particularly girls, education offers protection and hope. Many girls and boys who had never been to school in their home country now benefit from an opportunity to learn and thrive.

‘With this new grant allocation, we can ensure to sustain and expand the response and build on this successful programme’.

The new funding builds on the positive result of EWC’s first emergency response launched in 2021 and implemented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Through the programme, over 8,000 children and adolescents have already been enroled in school, and 56 classrooms built or rehabilitated.

Photo source: Education Cannot Wait