Educational access for 258 million children threatened by global crises

The report, Breaking Barriers: Understanding Educational Exclusion in Crises, highlights a rapid deterioration in global education access. Over the last 18 months, the number of children affected by crises has surged by 21 million. While millions remain enrolled, they often struggle in environments that undermine their progress, creating a cycle where early learning deficits lead to complete exclusion by adolescence.

Conflict remains the most damaging factor for academic development. By Grade 6, reading proficiency in conflict-affected regions drops to 30%, compared to 63% in areas impacted primarily by natural disasters. Displacement further exacerbates these gaps, with children in countries like Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo facing significantly lower promotion rates than their peers. ECW Director Maysa Jalbout characterized the situation as a massive emergency, noting that conflict and climate change are actively dismantling hard-won educational gains.

Despite these systemic failures, families remain committed to schooling, with financial barriers and conflict-related closures accounting for the vast majority of school withdrawals. To address these inequities, the fund is launching the Hope Starts Here campaign ahead of a November 5 financing conference in Geneva. The organization aims to raise 600 million dollars in new resources to support 10 million additional children under its 2027–2030 strategic plan.