Education Cannot Wait and Strategic Donor Partners Announce New US$7 Million Investment to Provide Life-Saving Education for Children in Niger

Delivered by Save the Children and local partners in coordination with the Government of Niger, the programme will reach 100,000 children impacted by conflict, climate change and forced displacement. Total ECW funding in Niger tops US$22 million.

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The children of Niger are facing a rapidly evolving multidimensional crisis that is putting their education – and their future – at risk.

To respond to the compounding challenges of internal displacement, climate change, violence and poverty, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners announced today a US$7 million investment that will provide 100,000 students with life-saving quality education.

The new investment will be delivered by Save the Children, in coordination with the Government of Niger. In all, 25% of funding is going to national organizations. The First Emergency Response grant seeks to reach displaced, refugee and host community children with holistic education opportunities. There is a strong focus on strengthening teacher capacity and social-emotional skills, ensuring protection to enable access to education, and building local capacities to ensure the impact and sustainability of the investment.

"In an emergency situation, education is not a luxury: it is a shield that protects girls and boys, and a driving force that transforms communities. Thanks to the First Emergency Response, thousands of children in Tillabéri and Tahoua will have access to quality education, which is essential for their physical, psychosocial and cognitive protection," said Anda Oumarou, Director of Save the Children Niger.

The challenges facing the people of Niger are immense. Internal displacement rose by 12% in 2024 with approximately half a million people being forced from their homes. The Education Cluster estimates that over 1,000 schools have closed their doors.

Climate change has also impacted the education system, with around 5,500 classrooms impacted by flooding in 2024. In the Tahoua and Tillabéri regions – where the programme will focus its efforts – more than half of households still have no access to distance learning.

Since its inception, ECW has invested US$22.9 million in Niger through Multi-Year Resilience Programme and First Emergency Response investments. These investments have already reached more than 440,000 children with quality holistic education. 

Note to Editors 

About Education Cannot Wait (ECW): 
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth.

On X/Twitter, please follow: @EduCannotWait  @KentPage

Additional information available at: www.educationcannotwait.org

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