Over 748,000 refugees and asylum-seekers are currently registered with UNHCR in Egypt, the majority being women and children who have fled the brutal conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023.
Since the onset of this conflict, the number of registered Sudanese refugees has increased nearly sevenfold, with expectations of further growth.
As the needs of these displaced populations continue to grow, resources are rapidly depleting for the Government of Egypt, UN agencies, and other key partners working to provide safe and protective learning environments for refugee and host community children.
The 2024 Sudan Regional Refugee Response plan calls for $109 million to address the educational needs of refugees across the region, but only 20 percent of this amount has been secured so far, including $4.3 million—equivalent to 40 percent of Egypt’s requirement.
During a high-level UN mission to Egypt this week, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), UNHCR, and UNICEF highlighted the significant funding shortfall and urgently called for increased international support to assist children displaced by the conflict, both within Sudan and in neighboring countries.
Despite Egypt’s commendable efforts to provide educational services to refugees, approximately 54 percent of newly arrived children are currently out of school, according to a recent assessment by UNICEF and the World Bank.
Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, emphasized the critical role of education in providing protection and a sense of normalcy for children uprooted by conflict while urging international donors to step up their support.
UNHCR and UNICEF representatives also stressed the importance of enhancing Egypt’s capacity to support refugees, calling for stronger international collaboration to ensure that both refugee and host community children can continue their education.
During the mission, the ECW delegation met with strategic partners, including donors, UN agencies, and NGOs, as well as Sudanese refugees, to assess the ongoing education response and the broader scope of needs.
In December 2023, ECW announced a US$2 million First Emergency Response grant in Egypt, implemented by UNHCR in partnership with UNICEF, which aims to reach over 20,000 Sudanese refugees across several governorates.
ECW has also allocated US$8 million in First Emergency Response grants across other countries in the region, and US$28.7 million in multi-year and emergency grants within Sudan itself, reaching over 100,000 crisis-affected children.
To address the growing needs, ECW is calling for an additional US$600 million from public and private donors to reach 20 million crisis-impacted girls and boys with safe, quality education by the end of its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.
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