Lamegi drawing on a chalk board in DRC.
What we do

Educating children

When children’s lives are turned upside down by conflict, we know that safe spaces to continue learning are critical for a child's wellbeing and future opportunities to earn a living. 

All children have the right to an education, even in a conflict zone. 

In times of crisis, children are often separated from their homes, schools and services which support them to survive and thrive and are vital to their healthy development and future. Over 75 million school-aged children in crisis-affected countries are in desperate need of educational support and many are already missing out on their education. 

Not being able to go to school has a direct impact on a child’s development and wellbeing. Children who are not in education are at a much higher risk of abuse and exploitation such as being forced into dangerous work, child marriage, or being recruited into armed groups. 

We work in conflict-affected areas to ensure children have access to safe, quality education; whatever their circumstances. We set up temporary learning spaces as soon as children are displaced, provide learning materials, and train teachers on how to support children who have experienced trauma and been caught up in conflict.

We rehabilitate schools damaged by conflict, provide catch-up classes and support teachers to ensure they can continue to teach in difficult circumstances. As well as working with teachers, we also work with families and communities so they have the skills and knowledge to support their children’s education. Our approach is gender-sensitive, and inclusive of marginalised groups as well as children with special educational needs.  

Scale of the challenge

  • 75 M

    Children and young people in need of urgent educational support.

  • 2.5 X

    Girls more likely to be out of school in conflict-affected countries compared to girls in other places.

  • 535

    Verified attacks on schools in 2020.

What we do

Supporting early childhood care and development 

Supporting children’s education in their early years is critical to their development. A structured learning environment can both support their emotional and physical development as well as impacting their future success and happiness. Our early childhood care and development programmes focus on providing children with structured learning and play, and their caregivers with the skills and knowledge to better support and understand the importance of their children's education. We also work with young mothers supporting their own development and wellbeing in addition to their caregiving skills for their children. 

 

Supporting teachers operating in crisis 

Teachers working in emergencies and conflict zones face enormous pressures such as managing large classes, a lack of facilities and supplies and working with distressed children sometimes struggling to learn because of what they’ve been through. So, it is vital that we support teachers well if we want to help children. We work to build teachers knowledge and skills, strengthen peer support and motivation, and introduce mental health support strategies so they can teach more effectively and are able to support children who have experienced trauma. We work closely with governments to build their capacity to provide quality education, providing teachers with the skills to share best practice and address the challenges which they face. 

 

Providing catch-up classes

In emergencies, children can miss out on their education for many reasons including lack of access, bombed out schools, the cost of materials, and responsibilities at home or having to provide for their families. For this reason, our approach to education needs to be flexible and work around the needs of the child. Our catch-up classes allow age-appropriate education to be delivered outside of traditional school settings and in a shorter timeframe, such as through a condensed curriculum or intensified timetables. This allows us to reach children and young people who are out of school, disadvantaged or over usual schooling age, giving some of the most vulnerable children hope for the future.  

You might also be interested in

War Child staff member and child.

Protecting children

We work with children, families, communities, and governments in conflict zones to protect children from danger.

A family in Iraq.

Supporting communities

We provide immediate support to families in emergency situations, as well as providing long-term solutions to help communities thrive again and remain resilient for the future.

UN Security Council.

Campaigning

We work to ensure that challenges faced by children are widely understood and addressed by those in power. We boldly campaign to influence global leaders and empower young people to raise issues and campaign for change themselves.