Education Cannot Wait Announces US$5 Million First Emergency Response Grant in Yemen, Total ECW Funding Tops US$25 Million

Yemen continues to be one of the most severe – and underserved – humanitarian crises in the world today. To address the compounding challenges of conflict, climate change and forced displacement which have left 4.5 million Yemeni children out of school, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners announced today a US$5 million First Emergency Response.

The fast-acting 18-month grant will be delivered by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Tamdeen Youth Foundation (TYF) in coordination with national and international partners including CARE International, Nahda Makers Organization and Vision Hope International. In all, the investment will reach 140,000 students with quality, holistic learning supports.

Since 2019, total ECW funding in Yemen now tops US$25 million. The grant will work in the most impoverished and underdeveloped areas of the country – Al Hodeida, Taiz, Aldale and Marib – where intermittent fighting, flooding, insecurity, and banditry are putting children at grave risk. This grant will fill 25% of the current funding needs for the humanitarian education response in the four targeted governorates.

A decade of conflict has taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s future generation. Only six out of 10 Yemeni children are in school; and even when they are able to access education, schools are often overcrowded and under-resourced.

“Too many children in Yemen have known the harsh realities of armed conflict and forced displacement throughout their young lives. They are also among those most at risk of climate change worldwide. This new ECW grant will provide much-needed learning opportunities in safe and inclusive environments, helping to restore hope despite the challenges faced,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations.

The challenges are immense. The war in Yemen, which began in September 2014, continues to put millions of people at risk. Economic collapse, natural disaster, disease outbreaks and hunger are impacting the lives and futures of 11 million children. Heavy rains and floods in August 2024 wiped out vital infrastructure including schools, displaced families and destroyed homes in multiple regions.

“The investment will improve equitable access to quality and protective education and envisions a holistic approach that considers a spectrum of protection-sensitive education interventions purposefully designed to achieve a quality, conducive learning environment for children. There is a strong focus on girls and children with disabilities. The grant will also rehabilitate school infrastructure including WASH facilities and promote child protection and mental health and psychosocial support activities,” said Mr. Jameel Abdo, Executive Director of TYF.