Displaced children are rediscovering hope and opportunity through education following devastating floods in Somalia, with support from the Norwegian Refugee Council and Education Cannot Wait
JOWHAR DISTRICT, Somalia, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the front row of a sunny classroom sits a girl in a bright pink jilbab. Her eyes stay fixed on her teacher, soaking in every word.
For three years, returning to school had felt like a dream just out of Sundus's grasp.
When Sundus was seven, floodwaters swept through her village, swallowing her home and family farm. Her family fled to Towfiq Displacement Camp. Once proud farmers, they now struggled without land or livestock. Survival was their focus; school was out of reach.
That changed when Sundus was 10 and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), established temporary learning spaces at Towfiq Camp and across Jowhar District.
"Floods took away my home. But education is giving me a new life," says Sundus.
The initiative is part of an ECW-supported First Emergency Response to the 2023 'Super El Niño' event that caused widespread flooding across Somalia – leading to mass displacement and the destruction of homes and schools. The grant supports lifesaving access to education, with aims to enhance preparedness in response to sudden onset emergencies and create an anticipatory action framework to protect schoolchildren from future climate hazards. Through the programme, NRC, in collaboration with WARDI and SOS Children Villages, has constructed and rehabilitated classrooms, and trained teachers to provide safe and inclusive learning environments for Sundus and thousands of other crisis-affected children.
From Floodwaters to the Classroom
Born in Marerey Village, Sundus's childhood was filled with simple joys – school, friends and helping on her family farm – until the flood changed everything.
"I remember the water rushing into our house. My mother grabbed my hand, and we ran. We left everything. I also lost my books," she says.
At Towfiq Camp, Sundus joined 17,000 others displaced by floods and conflict. Food and water were scarce, and for three years there was no school.
Before the floods, she loved learning. "I liked going to school in the village. My teacher used to say, 'Sundus, you are clever.'"
Girls and boys in the camp received a second chance to learn when NRC, through an ECW-funded programme, established a temporary learning space in Towfiq. The programme has already supported the construction of new classrooms with latrines and rehabilitation of others in Jowhar District. It also provides teacher training, learning materials, and psychosocial support – ensuring displaced children can access safe, quality education.
Today, Sundus is proudly enrolled in first grade. "When I got my books and pencils, I felt so happy. I told my mother: Now I can be a student again," she says.
At school, Sundus has found more than lessons; she has found protection and hope. "School keeps us safe. When I'm in class, I don't worry about anything else. I just think about learning. If I study, I can be anything. If I stop, I will lose everything. I don't want to stop again."
Crisis in Somalia
Somalia is grappling with one of the world's most complex humanitarian crises, marked by conflict, poverty and the worsening impacts of climate change. Severe droughts and floods have displaced hundreds of thousands, destroying homes, schools and livelihoods.
An estimated 4.9 million children are out of school in the country, with attendance among newly displaced children as low as 21%, compared with 39% for non-displaced children.
To date, ECW has invested over US$64 million to help crisis-affected children across Somalia continue learning amid floods and conflict. After the 2023 'Super El Niño' floods, ECW and partners launched an emergency response which includes a groundbreaking pilot of an anticipatory action framework for humanitarian response in the country. Delivered by NRC, together with local and international partners, this initiative helps communities take proactive steps to reduce the impact of future climate hazards on children's education.
Yet, more support is needed to ensure that all crisis-affected children can access education – and that communities are better prepared to withstand the next climate shock.
Dreams That Endure
For Sundus, education is the bridge between the losses she has endured and the future she imagines. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up. If someone is sick, I want to help them."
Her ambition is shared by many children across Somalia who continue to learn in the face of crisis. Access to education gives them more than knowledge – it provides stability, protection and a pathway to recovery. As floods and droughts reshape the country, sustaining these opportunities will be critical to building resilience for the next generation.
"When I open my school bag, I see my future. I see a doctor, hope and peace."
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