MPs commit to support 222 million children's dreams of a better future

Education Cannot Wait’s Director Yasmine Sherif, Youth for EiE advocates and Send my Friend representatives met with UK members of parliament to discuss how the UK can best support children in crises.

Education Cannot Wait’s (ECW) campaign to highlight the urgent need for educational support of 222 million children affected by humanitarian crises around the world came to the UK parliament this week.

At a briefing for UK members of parliament hosted by IPNEd Co-Chair Harriett Baldwin MP Education Cannot Wait’s Executive Director Yasmine Sherif spoke about the growing number of children whose education is being denied as a result of conflict, climate and hunger.

“Millions of vulnerable girls and boys around the world await our collective action. From inside makeshift refugee settlements, damaged walls of classrooms and communities torn apart by war, these 222 million children are desperately holding on to the hope that education will allow them to realize their dreams,” Ms Sherif shared with MPs.

“Since ECW was established with UK support we’ve reached 7 million children but growing needs risk outpacing our ability to respond. We have an ambitious strategy for the next four years that aims to directly reach 20 million of the most vulnerable children with educational support, and are aiming to raise $1.5 billion to fund this vital work.”

The aim is that the UK will pledge £170 million of that funding, 13% of the $1.5 billion target. This will help provide 2.6 million children caught up in humanitarian crises with an education. 

Education Cannot Wait’s Director Yasmine Sherif highlights the urgent need to support 222 million children in over 40 crisis-affected countries around the world.

As a founding donor the UK provided 20% of total funds received by ECW during its first strategic period. The £170 million pledge represents a smaller share of the overall amount which is evidence of significant success of ECW to grow its donor base and help support millions of children in emergencies. 

The event followed a positive response from the Deputy PM Dominic Raab to a question from Ms Baldwin during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the House of Commons on November 16, when the Deputy PM affirmed the ‘brilliant work’ of ECW and agreed to ‘look at what more ‘the UK can do’ to support ECW and the education of refugee children.

The meeting enjoyed cross party support including the participation of the immediate past UK Ministers for Development Vicky Ford MP and Baroness Sugg. They were joined by Chris Law MP the Scottish National Party Spokesperson for International Development and member of the International Development Committee, Shadow Foreign Office Minister Bambos Charalambous MP, Shadow Employment Minister Imran Hussain MP, Lloyd Russell MP, Patrick Grady MP, and former National Education Union General Secretary Baroness Christine Blower.

We were delighted to see such strong support from UK MPs. Members of parliament have a vital role in advocating for and growing development assistance and humanitarian funding for education and encouraging their governments to contribute to the upcoming replenishment of Education Cannot Wait.

Find out more about IPNEd’s work on the ECW replenishment here.