Inside Sh39 billion new funding to boost refugees’ education in Africa
The funding seeks to support more than half a million refugees and displaced youth in completing their education by 2030.
Refugees across the continent are poised to benefit from a major boost in educational support, following a new funding announcement under a five-year joint initiative.
The partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will provide $300 million (Sh38.8 billion) towards the education of the ever-increasing refugee population.
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The funding seeks to support more than half a million refugees and displaced youth in completing their education by 2030.
It will also focus on helping about 200,000 young individuals transition into dignified work, offering them essential skills to ensure sustainable livelihoods and long-term employment opportunities.
Nevertheless, it also seeks to strengthen at least 100 local and refugee-led organisations to co-implement solutions and influence policy.
Generally, the initiative aims to address the challenges that many refugees face in accessing quality education and employment, offering a pathway to empowerment and stability.
Commenting on the initiative, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements said the commitment comes at a time of unprecedented displacement across Africa and globally.
“Its scale and long-term focus on education for refugee children and youth, and on livelihoods for adults, lay the foundation for meaningful recovery and lasting contributions to host communities,” Clements said.
“The stability and opportunities such support provides are exactly what displaced communities need to rebuild their lives and move forward amid all the challenges they face.”
On her part, Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, said the contributions refugees and displaced young people make to their communities are immense when they have the right support.
“As part of our Young Africa Works strategy, we are scaling high-impact partnerships that enable young people to access the education and skills needed to get a job or build their businesses,” Roy said.
With 45 million refugees and displaced people across Africa, countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo represent some of the largest displacement crises globally.
The funding will therefore mainly focus on these most affected regions while providing UNHCR the flexibility to respond to the cross-border nature of displacement.
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