Education Cannot Wait Launches US$1.9 Million Groundbreaking Grants to Advance Gender Equality in Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises

NEW YORK, Nov. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations, announces two new grants, totalling $1.9 million. The grants will be delivered in partnership with the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) and Plan International Canada to propel efforts in transforming gender norms and supporting women and girls in crisis settings.

"Girls living in emergencies and protracted crisis settings face complex barriers to realising their right to education – simply because of their gender. Without access to safe and protective learning environments, the aspirations and dreams of young girls are too often cut short by child marriage, gender-based violence, unwanted pregnancies, and exploitation. These new ECW partnerships with UNGEI and Plan International Canada will further strengthen our collective efforts to empower girls to reclaim their rights," said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait.

"Four of the five countries with the largest gender gaps in education are conflict-affected. This grant enables the UNGEI partnership to step into this gap and work with our partners on the ground to close it. We look forward to working with ECW to support girls in emergencies and protracted crises to learn, grow and thrive. Investing in girls' education is the most powerful way to build resilient communities and a more peaceful and just world," said Antara Ganguli, Director of UNGEI.

"As an organization dedicated to advancing children's rights and gender justice, particularly focused on girls in all their diversity, we emphasize the importance of systematically measuring intersectional gender equality outcomes in education during emergencies and prolonged crises. This approach is essential to drive meaningful, gender-transformative and inclusive change, ultimately strengthening the broader community of practice," said Tanjina Mirza, Chief Programs Officer, Plan International Canada.

The first grant ($1 million) will be implemented by UNGEI to address systemic gender inequalities in education by integrating gender-transformative approaches in education in emergencies programming.

The second grant ($900,000) will be implemented by Plan International Canada, focusing on the effective measurement of gender transformative change in education in emergencies and protracted crises.

Background:

• By 2030 only 1-in-3 girls in crisis-affected countries will have completed secondary school.
• Today, 53% of the 72 million crisis-affected, out-of-school children are girls.
• An estimated 70% of women experience gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts compared with 35% worldwide.

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Note to Editors
About Education Cannot Wait (ECW): 
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within 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 adolescents.

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Additional information available at: www.educationcannotwait.org