UN launches $22m education initiative for Sudan's children

Sudan's prolonged conflict has kept millions of children out of school, disrupting their education and leaving many without a safe place to learn.

According to Education Cannot Wait, the UN's global fund for education, at least eight million children nearly half of Sudan's 17 million school-age children are still out of school. 

"Across the country, large numbers of schools remain non-operational, while millions of children have endured prolonged disruptions to their education, with some missing nearly 500 days of learning," the organization stressed.

In response, the UN's global fund for education in crises, has announced a $22 million program aimed at helping nearly 200,000 children and adolescents affected by the conflict resume their education.

The support will benefit children in three Sudanese states; West Darfur, South Kordofan and Gedaref with the aim of restoring "safe, quality and inclusive education" amid the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.

"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,”Maysa Jalbout, Director of Education Cannot Wait said.

The three-year program will target children most affected by the conflict, including internally displaced children, refugees and vulnerable host communities. At least 60% of beneficiaries will be girls and 10% children with disabilities.

The initiative will create safer learning environments, provide mental health and psychosocial support, strengthen teacher capacity and improve access to learning materials. It will also seek to remove barriers preventing girls and children with disabilities from attending school.

According to UNICEF's mid-year update on Sudan, 81% of schools in Darfur remain closed, while 70% of children in the region are not attending school. Another 5.8% of schools are being used as shelters.

The Sudan initiative comes as Education Cannot Wait launches its "Hope Starts Here" global campaign, seeking to raise $600 million to support 10 million children whose education has been disrupted by some of the world's most severe crises.