A recent initiative by Education Cannot Wait and the Global Survivors Fund introduces a $325,000 grant aimed at supporting the education and overall well-being of survivors of Boko Haram’s sexual violence in Nigeria. This 12-month program focuses on providing holistic educational opportunities, psychological support, and social reintegration for affected individuals, particularly women and children.
Education Cannot Wait and the Global Survivors Fund have joined forces to launch a vital initiative: a 12-month, $325,000 grant aimed at delivering essential educational resources to survivors of sexual violence associated with Boko Haram, as well as to children born amid these conflicts in Nigeria. This strategic investment represents a crucial step in offering reparative aid and support to those deeply impacted by these challenging circumstances.
Addressing the scars of conflict
The northeastern region of Nigeria has been deeply scarred by over a decade of Boko Haram’s insurgency. This prolonged conflict has significantly impacted the lives of many young girls and women, disrupting their education and compromising their safety due to frequent school attacks and mass abductions.
This Acceleration Facility grant aims to support the educational and overall well-being of those affected by Boko Haram’s atrocities, particularly survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and their children. The program targets states in Nigeria that have been heavily impacted by this violence, offering comprehensive educational opportunities.
Yasmine Sherif, the executive director of ECW, emphasized the critical nature of protecting children from sexual violence in conflict zones. She reiterated ECW’s commitment to providing safe, inclusive, and gender-responsive education, developed in conjunction with survivors of these heinous acts. This effort is not just about delivering education; it’s about healing, skill development, and empowering survivors to envision and build a future free from terror and stigma.
Collaborative effort for healing, learning
GSF, co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Dr. Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, focuses on ensuring that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence worldwide have access to reparations. The collaboration with ECW allows GSF to engage survivors in the co-creation process, ensuring that the educational reparations meet their specific needs and preferences. This initiative also seeks to raise global awareness about the critical role of education as a form of reparation in such contexts.
Nadia Murad, a Co-Founder of GSF, highlighted the challenges faced by children impacted by conflict-related sexual violence. These children often experience profound physical, psychological, and socio-economic consequences, leading to disrupted family and community relationships and difficulties in accessing education. The ECW-GSF partnership aims to address these challenges, helping these children return to school and begin the healing process.
Climate and other disruptions
ECW released the report titled “The Climate Crisis is an Education Crisis” during the COP28 Climate Talks in Dubai. It emphasizes the grave impact of climate change on global education and highlights how 40 million children annually face educational disruptions due to climate-related issues. This situation is exacerbated in Africa, where children already face challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts, hindering their education and future employment opportunities.
The report focuses on weather-related hazards like storms and floods, which destroy educational infrastructure and disrupt schooling. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the education crisis is so severe that 89 percent of 10-year-olds cannot understand simple written text, affecting their future earning potential and job opportunities. The report also notes that 222 million vulnerable children globally are affected by both conflict and climate-induced disasters, further complicating their access to education.
Additionally, the report discusses the situation in Tanzania, where despite high primary school enrollment, educational quality is poor, and early marriage of girls limits their educational opportunities. Education Cannot Wait’s appeal at COP28 calls for urgent donor intervention and increased funding to address this crisis, with France and Ireland announcing significant contributions. However, there remains a substantial funding gap, with the required funding for education in emergencies increasing dramatically from $1.1 billion in 2019 to nearly $3 billion by the end of 2022, but only 30 percent of these needs are being met.
The report serves as a critical reminder of the need for concerted efforts to address the educational impact of climate change and ensure that children worldwide have access to quality education amidst these challenges.
Support beyond education
Survivors of Boko Haram often face stigmatization and revictimization within their communities, where they are unjustly associated with the ideologies of the insurgent group. This stigma extends to their children, who are frequently ostracized. ECW’s funding will provide not only educational support but also mental health and psychosocial assistance to aid in the holistic recovery of these individuals.
This grant exemplifies ECW’s dedication to reaching those most affected by crises and aligns with their gender-transformative strategy in emergency education contexts. GSF will lead the implementation in Nigeria, collaborating with local partners such as the Centre for Girl Child Education and the Youth Initiative Against Terrorism.
The Acceleration Facility funding by ECW is part of its broader strategy to develop global resources for education in emergency situations. With this grant, ECW’s total investment through the Acceleration Facility surpasses $26 million. This is a crucial component of their strategic plan to mobilize $1.5 billion over the next three years, aiming to benefit 20 million children affected by crises.
