CAFOR project on Education in Emergencies and Conflict Situations

As one of its ten flagship projects, CAFOR is initiating and implementing a continental project in Africa to address education during emergencies in 15 African member states of the African Union spread across the five regions of the continent. This project will address issues affecting the most vulnerable children by creating a safe environment for their growth and improving their living conditions. The project would provide quality education, an opportunity to enhance the teaching staff’s internal efficiencies, ensure student education completion and achievement, equity in accessing education for all, adult education, sciences, and TVET, and improve capacities to manage education provision. The interventions that would enable CAFOR to establish a child-friendly, easily accessible education centre in emergency and conflict situations include:

(a) Child-centered training – keeping the child at the centre of development.

(b) Peer group interactions – for children enrolled and teachers.

(d) Educational support systems for vulnerable learners- with the help of remedial classes.

(e) Gender-sensitive and conflict-sensitive learning programs – involving the teachers and children enrolled.

The project would also enable a strong communication flow, focusing on maintaining a balance between both the genders in areas of providing:

(a) User-friendly learning space.

(b) Gender education and guidance.

(d) Identifying other gender-related issues and resolving them.

(e) Problem identification of gender-related rising conflicting problems and addressing them.

(f) Availability and provision of learning materials to both genders.

Partners’ strong presence in the area with all necessary infrastructure would be an opportunity to smoothly operate with existing stakeholders in a multi-stakeholder approach to implement the program. CAFOR will work with many of its partners (through workshops, seminars, organized debates and symposiums, and special media events) to advocate for quality education surrounding emergencies and conflict situations. Therefore, continuity, sustainability, replicability, and scale-up will be the fundamental guiding principles of CAFOR’s overall approach.

CAFOR and its partners would ensure this strategy’s achievement through continuous on-the-job training and capacity building of key stakeholders, including regional authorities, CSOs, NGOs, and allied organizations. The project would provide continued gender-specific counselling support and improve the confidence of children enrolled in the program.

The total project budget is estimated at USD 303.3 million.

CAFOR requires constant support from all partners and stakeholders working in Africa to make a successful impact on these children and address the issue of education in emergencies

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