#Education Cannot Wait #Ethiopia #Nicolai Wammen #Tigray #Yasmine Sherif

Innovative Financing Needed for Education in Ethiopia

A Call to Action

The current educational crisis in Ethiopia has reached alarming levels, affecting approximately nine million children who have been forced out of school. This situation stems from various crises, including ongoing violence, climate-induced disasters, and widespread displacements that have become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

During a recent high-level mission to Ethiopia, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Global Champion Nicolai Wammen, also Denmark’s Minister of Finance, along with ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif, emphasized the urgent need for innovative and daring funding solutions to provide a quality education for these children. They issued a clarion call to donors for increased support to bridge the financial gap necessary to address this dire educational need.

Despite ongoing efforts, the crisis in Ethiopia has seen a staggering increase in the number of out-of-school children, which has tripled since 2022. Nearly 18% of the country’s schools are reported to be destroyed or damaged. Furthermore, Ethiopia is currently home to the third-largest population of refugees in Africa, with over 200,000 new arrivals from neighboring countries such as Sudan and Somalia, intensifying the demand on already limited educational resources.

ECW's Commitment

The high-level delegation from ECW visited the Tigray region, one of the hardest-hit areas from a three-year conflict that disrupted education entirely. They toured various schools financed by ECW and its strategic partners, interacting with children, parents, and teachers, witnessing firsthand the profound impact that these initiatives have had. With the backing of ECW, various UN and non-governmental organizations, such as UNICEF and Save the Children, have implemented programs that are fostering educational opportunities, even amidst adversity. For instance, one school reported a remarkable 20% increase in enrollments last year due to comprehensive interventions supported by ECW.

Yasmine Sherif pointed out that “the education crisis in Ethiopia is one of the largest silent crises of our time.” She noted how crucial investments have been transforming lives, boosting the desire to learn among children, especially girls and boys amidst challenging conditions.

During the mission, a new emergency response grant of $5 million was unveiled, raising the total investment by ECW in Ethiopia to over $93 million since 2017. This recent funding, managed by UNICEF and the local organization Imagine1Day, aims to address urgent educational needs in the Oromia and Afar regions, where conflicts and climatic issues have recently disrupted education services.

A Broader Crisis

The challenges posed by conflicts and climate change continue to push millions of children away from schools every year, particularly in Ethiopia. Wammen urged private sector partners to join the ECW’s efforts, highlighting the need for innovative financing strategies to close the growing funding gap.

To date, ECW’s combined multi-year and emergency investments have supported over 550,000 children and adolescents through a wide range of initiatives, demonstrating how education can transform lives, even amid the most complex crises.

Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, a UNICEF representative in Ethiopia, expressed gratitude for ECW’s ongoing support, emphasizing the importance of creating safe learning environments where children can flourish. Meanwhile, Dr. Seid Aman from Imagine1Day stressed the necessity of this emergency response funding for providing safe learning opportunities for the 13,000 uneducated children in the Afar region, where a significant proportion are girls or have disabilities.

In light of the the $64 million funding deficit within the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024, ECW continues to advocate for additional resources to ensure that the pressing educational needs of affected children are adequately met.

In conclusion, while the challenges are significant, the determination shown by children and the support from organizations like ECW illustrate the potential for progress. However, without innovative and sustained financial commitments, Ethiopia’s educational crisis may continue to deepen, jeopardizing the futures of millions of children.