On Monday, January 24, 2022, the International Day for Education, Svenja Schulze, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, announced $228 million additional funding to ECW (Education Cannot Wait). This brings the nation’s contribution to the organization at US$ 362.7 million. This latest contribution makes Germany the leading donor of ECW’s multi-year funding and brings its trust fund to almost US$ 1.1 billion.
ECW trust fund reached almost US$ 1.1 billion with Germany’s generous gift.
ECW is a global education fund for children and adolescents in emergencies and crisis-ridden nations, launched in 2016 during the World Humanitarian Summit. It ensures that each child and youngster is learning in an extended crisis.
ECW works closely with various governments, United Nations agencies, private and public donors, civil society organizations and other humanitarian bodies to aid this goal.
Until now, ECW has aided over 5 million children, especially girls, in getting access to quality education. And since its launch, it has supported 42 countries through emergencies and crises. At present, Germany, Denmark and UK are the top three donors of ECW.
The Multi-Year Resilience Programmes (MYRP) plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between humanitarian interventions and long-term developmental aid in crisis-affected nations. The investments from this program support children, youth, refugees, marginalized communities, children with disabilities and internally displaced children. Multi-year financial commitment is crucial for gauging education’s progress and success in a prolonged crisis. Through ECW, there are 24 countries under this program.
ECW director Yasmine Sherif and the German minister Schulze announced the new funding in Geneva while pinpointing the immediate need to gain additional resources to support the millions of children in crisis worldwide who are “denied their inherent human right to an education because of armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate-induced disasters and protracted crisis.
The director of ECW expressed her gratitude to the German government and nationals for this generous contribution and said, “Education provides safety, hope and opportunity for the millions of children and adolescents worldwide impacted by conflicts, Covid-19 and nature’s calamities.”
Education Cannot Wait
Schools play an essential role in providing life-saving and life-sustaining services to children and youth in crisis-affected regions. They provide food, shelter, learning, sanitation, health services, water and social services. They give a sense of security to the children amidst the ongoing tension-filled environment they live in
German minister Schulze remarked that the pandemic resulted in many schools closing down and displaced children. She noted, “The pandemic is threatening to wipe out the success in the education sector in recent decades.” She also commented that the poor suffer the most from this, especially girls and disabled children. To play its part to save this generation, Germany decided to contribute an additional 200 million euros to ECW, revealed Schulze.
UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of ECW’s High-Level Steering Group, Gordon Brown, urged the other nations and private sectors to contribute to ECW’s mission with $1 billion in urgent funding.
The recent trust fund, along with over $1 billion leveraged through in-country programmes, makes ECW a $2 billion global fund in just a few years since its existence.
Sherif also said, “Together with our generous strategic donors like Germany, ECW is committed to ensuring no child is left behind as we race to deliver Sustainable Development Goal to inclusive, equitable, quality education and work to build a more peaceful, more prosperous world for generations to come.”
