Children in Niger are facing a worsening multidimensional crisis that threatens both their education and their future. Conflict, internal displacement, climate change, and poverty have combined to put immense pressure on the education system, leaving many children out of school and without protection.
In response, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic donor partners have announced a US$7 million investment to support 100,000 children with life-saving quality education. The program will be implemented by Save the Children in coordination with the Government of Niger, with 25% of the funding directed to national organizations. This First Emergency Response grant will focus on displaced, refugee, and host community children, prioritizing teacher training, social-emotional learning, child protection, and local capacity building to ensure sustainability.
Save the Children Niger’s Director, Anda Oumarou, emphasized that in emergencies education is not a luxury but a protective shield for children, providing safety, psychosocial stability, and opportunities for the future. The new investment will focus particularly on Tillabéri and Tahoua, where children face extreme risks due to school closures, insecurity, and limited access to alternative learning.
The challenges in Niger are severe. Internal displacement increased by 12% in 2024, with half a million people forced from their homes, and more than 1,000 schools have been shut down. Flooding linked to climate change damaged around 5,500 classrooms in the same year, compounding the crisis. In Tillabéri and Tahoua, more than half of households still lack access to distance learning.
Since its launch, ECW has invested nearly US$23 million in Niger through multi-year resilience and emergency programs, reaching over 440,000 children with holistic education. The new funding builds on this commitment, aiming to protect the right to education for vulnerable children and strengthen the resilience of communities amid overlapping crises.
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