Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies, announced on Thursday, November 5, 2026 new commitments of $405.8 million. Donors met in Geneva at the invitation of Switzerland. Money must support the education of children facing war, displacement and disasters.
These promises bring the resources announced for the Hope Starts Here campaign to $541.6 million. This total includes 135.8 million previous multiannual commitments. The $600 million target remains to be met by $58.4 million.
ECW targets 10 million children
The 2027–30 plan plans to help 10 million children, half of them girls and one million disabled children. It combines emergency response and sustained support to school systems in protracted crises.
Among the contributors announced were Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Ireland, the European Union and Japan. The United States, which had financed the fund in the past, was not included in the list of new donors.
The conference comes as international aid budgets decline. Beyond public funding, ECW explores partnerships with foundations and investors. Several mechanisms remain to be developed or approved; their amounts therefore do not constitute acquired resources.
Needs concentrated in 20 countries
A study published by the Fund on 23 June estimated the number of children and adolescents whose education was affected by crises at 258 million. Of these, 93 million attend no school. Almost 80 per cent of these out-of-school children live in 20 countries facing the most serious crises.
The figures announced on Thursday refer to funding commitments, not payments already made. The campaign continues to raise the $58.4 million missing.
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