ECW Announces $22 Million Education Lifeline for Crisis-Affected Children in Sudan

Credit: Education Cannot Wait

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in crises, has announced a three-year, $22 million investment to help nearly 200,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents in Sudan return to safe, inclusive and quality learning environments.

The programme will focus on West Darfur, South Kordofan and Gedaref, as Sudan continues to face a severe humanitarian and displacement crisis following more than three years of armed conflict.

ECW said about 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict began in April 2023, while 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance. At least 8 million children — nearly half of Sudan’s 17 million school-age children — remain out of school.

Many schools across the country remain closed or non-operational, leaving millions of children with prolonged disruptions to their education.

“Education in Sudan has been interrupted by conflict, displacement and unimaginable hardship. Yet it remains one of the most powerful tools we have to protect millions of children, restore hope and support recovery,” said Maysa Jalbout, director of 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,” she added.

The programme will prioritize internally displaced children, refugees and vulnerable host communities. At least 60% of beneficiaries will be girls and 10% will be children with disabilities.

The initiative will establish safe formal and non-formal learning spaces, provide mental health and psychosocial support, strengthen teacher capacity, improve access to learning materials and address barriers to education faced by girls and children with disabilities.

A $5 million crisis modifier will also allow partners to respond quickly to emerging emergencies and climate-related shocks.

Implementation will be led by Save the Children in partnership with Plan International, Lakarmissionen International (LM International), and local organizations including the Alsalam Organisation for Relief and Development (AORD) and Sadagaat.

Save the Children said the programme would provide children with education, protection and psychosocial support while helping communities recover from the effects of conflict and displacement.

“For millions of children in Sudan, conflict and displacement have disrupted not only their education, but also their sense of safety, routine and hope for the future,” said Francesco Lanino, deputy country director for Save the Children.

ECW said localization is central to the programme, with nearly 48% of its budget allocated to national and local partners.

Local organizations will work with organizations representing people with disabilities, women-led groups and community structures to ensure the response reflects local priorities and strengthens community capacity.

Rudwan Elfaki, general director of AORD, said locally rooted solutions were essential to achieving lasting results.

“Communities in Sudan have shown extraordinary resilience despite the immense challenges they continue to face,” Elfaki said. “Through this programme, we will work alongside families, teachers and local partners to help children return to safe, inclusive learning environments where they can recover, regain hope and build the skills they need for the future.”

The $22 million ECW investment is seed funding toward a total programme requirement of $39 million. Partners will continue mobilizing additional resources to expand support as needs evolve.

The Sudan investment comes shortly after ECW launched Hope Starts Here, a global campaign seeking to mobilize $600 million over the next four years to provide education to 10 million children affected by crises.

ECW estimates that 258 million school-age children and adolescents across 87 countries currently have their education disrupted by conflict, displacement and other crises.

The campaign builds on a decade of ECW-supported action that has reached more than 14 million crisis-affected children and adolescents with education, protection and other essential support.

ECW is calling on governments, foundations, philanthropies and private-sector partners to increase funding ahead of its High-Level Replenishment Conference, scheduled for Nov. 5, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland.