Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies, announced on 24 August a US$22 million investment to help restore safe and inclusive schooling for nearly 200,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents across West Darfur, South Kordofan and Gedaref in Sudan.
The fund said the sum, which includes a US$5 million crisis modifier for emergencies, represents seed funding toward a total programme requirement of US$39 million, with partners continuing to mobilise additional resources. Implementation will be led by Save the Children alongside Plan International, Lakarmissionen International, AORD and Sadagaat, with nearly 48% of the budget directed to national and local organisations, according to Education Cannot Wait.
“This investment is about much more than reopening classrooms. It is about supporting children to regain a sense of safety and normalcy while strengthening education systems that can continue serving communities through crisis and into recovery,” Education Cannot Wait director Maysa Jalbout said, according to the fund. Save the Children deputy country director Francesco Lanino said the programme would help children “return to safe, inclusive learning environments where they can recover, regain hope and build the skills they need for the future.”
A country with the world’s largest displacement crisis
Sudan faces what the fund describes as the world’s largest humanitarian displacement crisis, with 14 million people displaced since conflict erupted in April 2023. At least 8 million children, nearly half of Sudan’s 17 million school-age children, remain out of school, according to the announcement. The programme is designed to prioritise girls, who will make up at least 60% of beneficiaries, and children with disabilities, who will account for at least 10%, alongside internally displaced children, refugees and vulnerable host communities.
Why It Matters
Interrupted schooling during prolonged conflict tends to compound into longer-term setbacks in health, earnings and stability for an entire generation, making early, targeted investment in education during emergencies one of the more cost-effective forms of humanitarian response. With the bulk of the programme’s funding still to be raised, the initiative’s ultimate reach will depend on whether other donors follow this seed investment.
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