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Learning Without Limits

ECW celebrates International Day of Education by highlighting the inspiring stories of children who have been empowered through quality education.

By Education Cannot Wait

January 24^th, 2025

Every leader, advocate and changemaker began as a child with a vision for the future. Yet, for millions of children living in crisis-affected regions of the world, that right remains out of reach, depriving them of the chance to fulfill their full potential.

A new report from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), released today, reveals that an alarming 234 million school-aged girls and boys impacted by crises require urgent support to access quality education – an increase of 35 million over the past three years. Of these, 37% are out of school.

Compounding conflicts, along with more frequent and severe extreme weather and climate events, are putting the present and future of these children at risk. Refugees, internally displaced children, girls and children with disabilities remain among those most impacted. Without the protection and empowerment of education, these children are at higher risk of child marriage, child labor, sexual violence and forced recruitment into armed groups.

Yet, even in the face of these challenges, the transformative power of education remains a beacon of hope.

Education is a human right — one that can transform lives, create opportunities and lay the foundation for a more peaceful and just world. As the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations, ECW, and strategic partners around the world, are working tirelessly to ensure that every child, no matter who or where they are, can access a safe, inclusive quality education.

This International Day of Education, as we celebrate the power of education to ignite change, build resilience and create lasting peace, hear from the girls and boys who are learning and dreaming again, thanks to support from ECW and partners.

Shaimaa, 14, Sudan

Shaimaa in the Makanna during the day's e-learning session. © UNICEF Sudan/Mohamdeen

“My name is Shaimaa and this is my Makanna.”

Fourteen-year-old Shaimaa smiles at the entrance of one of the large, sturdy tents that make up the Makanna – Arabic for our space. Forced to flee from Khartoum when the war broke out in Sudan, she and her family sought safety in the El Goz gathering point in Kosti, a journey of over 300 kilometers.

Shaimaa yearns to return home to her old life, friends and school. But with no end to this conflict in sight, she is grateful for the protection and learning opportunities that she finds in her Makanna. The ECW-supported children's safe space consists of tents which each offer a unique, crucial service for the hundreds of crisis-affected girls and boys that visit the Makanna each day.

Cheers and laughter fill the air as Shaimaa walks through the camp. In these moments, she is able to recapture some semblance of the childhood she knew a year ago. From e-learning and psychosocial services to water, sanitation and hygiene, art, sports and girls' clubs to health/nutrition services, ECW and partners are working together to ensure a whole-of-child response reaches the children left furthest behind in one of the world's forgotten crises.

Shaimaa's Story

Muqadas, 12, Pakistan

Holding her workbook and a marker, Muqadas smiles at the camera in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. © UNICEF Pakistan/Aliraza Khatri

In a lively classroom in Punjab, Pakistan, Salma and Muqadas sit side-by-side, ready to learn. The walls around them are filled with colorful posters and student artwork. Salma and Muqadas are more than just classmates. They are mother and daughter, on a shared educational journey.

With funding from ECW, Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) elementary centres have been established in the Pakistan to address education barriers faced by girls, which have only worsened following the recent devastating floods in the country. Here, they study subjects like math, Urdu and English in a safe and supportive environment. For 12-year-old Muqadas, it’s not just about academics — it's a place to make friends and experience the joy of learning again. For her mother, Salma, it’s a chance to break societal norms and pursue the education she had always longed for.

Together, they are not only overcoming the barriers that once held them back, but also setting a powerful example for future generations of girls, showing that education is the key to a brighter, more equal future.

“I am so excited to be back in school. I am in grade 6 and hope to go to college and become a doctor one day.” ~Muqadas

Muqadas and Salma's Story

Milena and Varia, 3, Ukraine

Teacher Samira Neimatova works on a crafts project with twins Milena and Varia in the makeshift kindergarten in Ukraine. © UNICEF Ukraine/Mala

At three years old, Milena and Varia’s entire lives, to date, have been set against the backdrop of war. As a result, caution and fear are all too familiar feelings for the young sisters. Sitting in a bright makeshift kindergarten in Dnipro, Ukraine – nearly 370 km from their home in Kherson – they are able to forget the outside world for two hours and simply color, do crafts and learn about animals with children their own age.

“It's crucial that they can come to such a safe and friendly space. It is an opportunity to preserve their childhood.” ~Samira, Kindergarten Teacher

The newly established classes for young children, located in a basement room, are supported by funding from ECW. These biweekly two-hour classes, which prioritize socio-emotional learning, and mental health and psychosocial support for children, are facilitated by trained educators and psychologists, guiding children to develop essential skills.

The classes have become a safety net for families in the crisis-affected city where public kindergartens have been closed and private ones are not affordable.

Milena and Varia's Story

Ali, 18, Syria

Ali smiles in his classroom in Syria. © UNICEF/Abdallah Agha

When Ali’s grade 12 exam results came back, he was overjoyed to discover he had passed with flying colors. After years in and out of school, this achievement gave Ali the confidence to begin dreaming of his future as a lawyer.

Born with severe vision impairments, school had always posed a challenge for Ali – both academically and socially. Overcoming these challenges had become increasingly difficult when Ali’s family was forced to flee their hometown of Ar Rastan in rural Homs, Syria in 2015 due to persistent conflict in the area. In his new school, he contended with social exclusion, bullying and a lack of accommodation to support his learning. Ali found himself frequently in and out of school until a reprieve in fighting allowed him to return to his hometown at the age of fifteen.

Finally back home, Ali was eager to resume his education and enrolled back in the local school. Once more, he struggled to remain in school and dropped out to help his mother take care of their farm. This was until he received an invitation to enroll at the ECW-supported local education centre, Blind Care Association Centre. At the centre, Ali has discovered a supportive and accessible environment that has provided him with the tools necessary to not only stay in school, but to thrive there.

“I love the way they teach us at the centre, the use of braille is just perfect. It is amazing to have materials that are designed especially for my situation.” ~Ali

Ali's Story

Hafsat, Teacher, Nigeria

Hafsat smiles as she teachers her students the alphabet at the ECW-funded temporary learning centre in Hajj Camp. © UNICEF/Ahmad Mari

Twenty-seven-year-old Hafsat always felt the calling to become an educator, having grown up surrounded by passionate teachers in Nigeria. Today, at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri, Hafsat teaches children of repentant former members of armed groups.

“You see the children pick up chalk and draw guns all over the wall. They are special children who need time to adjust to their new reality. I believe that my line of work is important for peacebuilding."

Hajj Camp in Borno State, Nigeria serves as a temporary home for surrendered armed group members and their families – supporting them on their path to reintegrate into their communities. The camp also supports children who have never been to a school with integrated education services, mental health and psychosocial support, and health and nutrition support services.

With funding from ECW, temporary learning centres have been constructed in the camp to provide vulnerable children and youth with foundational literacy and numeracy skills. At this centre, Hafsat touches the lives of countless girls and boys. This work has only confirmed the young teacher’s belief that teaching is what she was born to do.

Hafsat's Story

Latifa – Burundi

Latifa and other environmental club members plant a tree in front of their school in Burundi. © World Vision Burundi

Eighteen-year-old Latifa uses her hands to carefully pat down the soil around a tree sapling. The sheer impact of her environmental club’s efforts surround her. Three hundred young trees now grow throughout the schoolyard and surrounding area in Nyanza-Lac Commune, Makamba Province, Burundi.

Latifa is a member of Kigembezi Basic School’s environmental club. She, along with 30 schoolmates, make up the club which was created to coordinate activities to raise awareness about environmental issues in Burundi and around the world. The club also works to help reduce environmental impact at school and in surrounding communities.

"I know that once we have trees here at school, we will have fresh air and set a conducive learning environment.” ~Latifa

The ECW-funded initiative is supporting the establishment of environmental clubs throughout the country and is part of ECW’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Burundi. The multi-year programme, titled “Komezawige'' – Kirundi for “Keep Studying” – aims to improve the continuity of education for crisis-affected children and youth in the country.

Latifa's Story

Teacher Imamaya Traoré works with a students at Mahamane Fondougoumo School in Timbuktu, Mali. © UNICEF/Keïta

To date, ECW and strategic partners has already reached 11.4 million crisis-affected children with holistic support – which includes the construction and rehabilitation of schools and WASH infrastructure, teacher training, distribution of teaching and learning materials, menstrual health and hygiene products, provision of cash support for education, inclusive education, school feeding, mental health and psychosocial support, and much more.

But millions more vulnerable children await our collective action. With US$600 million in additional funding, ECW and partners will reach at least 20 million crisis-affected girls and boys with the safety, opportunity and hope of a quality education by 2026, accelerating progress towards realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This International Day of Education, let us remember that the opportunity to learn is not just a matter of individual advancement, but a vital investment in the future of our shared humanity.

The futures on children and teachers like Shaimaa, Muqadas, Milena, Varia, Ali, Hafsat and Latifa depend on our actions today.

Preschool children in Behima Primary School in Ethiopia. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2024/Demissew Bizuwerk

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