Funding cuts threaten education in crisis contexts, with nearly one quarter of a billion school-aged children needing support

Humanitarian and development funding is under unprecedented strain, with donor cuts reshaping global aid and putting millions of vulnerable children, youth, and their families at risk. Essential services including education are being halted or pushed to the brink in fragile and crisis-affected contexts such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere.

A staggering 234 million children in crisis need urgent support to access quality education—35 million more than just three years ago—and over 85 million children are out of school.[i] With growing needs, the urgency to sustain existing, and mobilise greater financial resources, has never been more critical.

Education in emergencies was already chronically under-funded and the sector is now at crisis point. Funding shortfalls are directly impacting country-level operations, forcing the delay or suspension of critical education support for hundreds of thousands of children and youth affected by armed conflict, violence, disaster, and displacement.

In this critical time of shrinking aid budgets and escalating crises, the global community cannot afford delays or inaction.