Ituri: $10 million rose for the education of children in emergency situations

Bunia, February 4^th, 2026 (CPA). – An investment of US$10 million was mobilized on Wednesday in Bunia, Ituri, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for the education of children in emergency situations, during a meeting between the military governor of the province and representatives of the Global Fund “Education Cannot Wait (ECW)”.  “We are in Ituri this week to launch a new US$10 million investment in education for children in crisis situations. This support is fully aligned with the Education and Training in Emergencies Strategy (Sefu) 2025-2029,” said Graham Lang, interim director of ECW. Mr. Lang said that this two-year investment aims to meet the urgent educational needs of children living in a context marked by insecurity and massive population displacement. It is fully aligned with national public policies. The ECW Acting Director also emphasized that this project will primarily target the provincial division of Ituri 1, where educational needs remain significant. Fatou Niang, program manager at Education Cannot Wait, said that 62,000 children will directly benefit from this funding. “This project will reach 62,000 children in Ituri Province. The interventions will enable displaced children living in different sites across the province to access quality education,” she said. According to her, special attention will be given to the schooling and empowerment of girls, who are often the most affected in crisis contexts. “The program includes specific interventions for girls who have been unable to attend school or who have been victims of various situations related to displacement, in order to enable them to access education and strengthen their autonomy,” she added. Ms. Niang specified that of the total amount of $10 million, $2.5 million will be directly implemented by national organizations, including the local NGO “Femmes dynamiques pour le progrès social” (Dynamic Women for Social Progress), alongside international partners such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Vision, and Save the Children. “Education Cannot Wait is strongly committed to strengthening the capacities of local organizations so that they can ultimately implement projects themselves, with a view to sustainability,” she added. Furthermore, ECW Global Fund officials reiterated that education remains the prerogative of the Congolese government, while calling for increased mobilization of technical and financial partners. “We call on other donors to support and finance the national education strategy so that all children in emergency situations in the DRC can exercise their fundamental right to education,” they urged. It should be noted that over the past seven years, Education Cannot Wait has already mobilized nearly US$50 million for the DRC, particularly in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.