After school, Neda attends non-formal education classes at the camp. Here, she has a teacher that can assist her with Greek, English, math and science, among other subjects. It’s her chance to catch up after a lifetime of missed opportunities.

“My favorite subject is English, but I like art and drawing more.”

Today, there are 222 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents requiring urgent educational support. The Education Cannot Wait (ECW) #222MillionDreams✨📚 campaign encourages supporters to call on leaders to address this global education crisis for children like Neda, who are being denied their human right to an education.

Through a program delivered by UNICEF and UNHCR in Greece with funding from Education Cannot Wait, Neda is closer to realizing her dream.

In 2019, after violence in the Middle East caused refugee numbers to surge in the region, ECW stepped in to mobilize a First Emergency Response (FER) funds as expediently as possible. FER funds respond to the most immediate and urgent education needs in sudden-onset and escalating crises. They restore educational resources and provide continuity of learning.

Through ECW investments in Greece in 2019 — and with continued support from donors such as the EU Commission and UNICEF’s implementing partners like ARSIS, DRC, ELIX, METAdrasi, SolidarityNow — Neda has been able to attend non-formal education classes, where she and other refugees are given the space to express themselves creatively and recover from the stress of their forced displacement.

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