Rapid interventions needed for Sudanese refugee children as needs outstrip response capacity — Global Issues
CAIRO and NAIROBI, Aug 26 (IPS) – While there is still no peace in war-torn Sudan, thousands of displaced people fleeing deadly fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have found refuge in neighboring countries, including Egypt.
The number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt has increased almost sevenfold in the world’s worst refugee crisis. Ten million people are affected, and at least two million have fled to neighboring countries, including Egypt. In Egypt, over 748,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR, the majority of whom are women and children who have recently arrived from Sudan. This number is expected to continue to rise.
“When Sudan plunged into conflict, the international aid community, UN agencies, civil society and governments developed a response plan to address the most urgent needs of refugees fleeing Sudan and seeking safety in five different countries, including Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, South Sudan and the Central African Republic,” Yasmine Sherif, executive director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations, told IPS.
To put this into perspective, the Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan 2024 allocates US$109 million to address the education needs of refugees across the region. So far, only 20 percent of this amount has been mobilized, including US$4.3 million – or 40 percent of what is needed for Egypt.
ECW was among the first organizations in the education sector to respond, supporting partners in all five countries with emergency grants.
The Egyptian government is committed to providing refugees with access to education, but with 9,000 children arriving each month, the need is overwhelming.
For this reason, according to recent surveys, almost 54 percent of newly arrived children are currently not attending school.
Sherif says that despite Egypt’s generous refugee policy, needs are great and resources are scarce, and additional funding is urgently needed to provide refugees and vulnerable host children with better access to safe, inclusive, equitable and quality education.
“Families fleeing Sudan’s brutal conflict have endured unimaginable violence and had their lives shattered. For girls and boys uprooted by the internal armed conflict, education is nothing less than a lifeline. It provides protection and a sense of normality amidst the chaos, giving them the resources they need to heal and thrive again,” she said.
The Egyptian government is committed to providing refugees with access to education, but with 9,000 children arriving each month, the need is overwhelming.
As part of a high-level UN assessment mission to Egypt in August 2024, ECW, UNHCR and UNICEF are calling on donors, governments and individuals of goodwill to help close the remaining gap and scale up education efforts for refugee and host community children.
“We have seen the important work being done by UNHCR, Catholic Relief Service and local organizations. But needs are quickly outpacing aid, and Egypt now has a growing funding gap of $6.6 million. Classrooms accommodate up to 60 children, most of whom are from the host communities,” says Sherif.
It stresses that additional funding is urgently needed to ensure that refugee and host children in Egypt and other host countries in the region can attend school and continue their education. With the future of the entire region at stake, ECW is calling on as many donors as possible to step in and help provide the $10 million needed here and now to adequately support refugee and host communities.
“We have seen the important work being done by UNHCR, the Catholic Relief Service and local organizations like the Om Habibeh Foundation. But the needs far exceed the relief efforts,” says Sherif.
“In the spirit of responsibility-sharing enshrined in the Global Compact for Refugees, I call on international donors to urgently step up their support. The available funds come from ECW, ECHO, the EU, Vodafone and some other private sector partners. We should not abandon children in their darkest hour. This is a call to the public and private sectors, as well as governments, to step in and care for children affected by conflict,” she said.
Dr Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR Representative to the Egyptian Government and the Arab League, agreed.
“Forcibly displaced children must not be denied their fundamental right to education; their flight from conflict must no longer be an obstacle to their rights. UNHCR, together with ECW and UNICEF, will continue to ensure that children’s education and thus their future are secured,” she said.
“To this end, it is critical to continue supporting Egypt as a host country. The country has shown remarkable resilience and generosity, but the rising number of displaced people requires increased international assistance. By strengthening Egypt’s capacity to support refugees, we can ensure that more children have access to education and, ultimately, a better future,” Hamdan added.
During the high-level ECW mission to Egypt, the ECW delegation met with key strategic partners – including donors, UN agencies, and local and international NGOs – as well as with Sudanese refugees to gain an understanding of the scope of needs and ongoing training efforts by aid partners.
Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, reiterated the agency’s commitment.
“UNICEF remains committed to ensuring that conflict-affected Sudanese children have the opportunity to continue their education. In Egypt, UNICEF, under the leadership of the Egyptian government, is working hard with sister UN agencies and development partners to create inclusive learning environments and strengthen resilient education systems and services through innovative learning spaces and the Comprehensive Inclusion Programme,” said Hopkins.
“This will not only benefit displaced Sudanese children, but will also support host communities by ensuring that all children have access to quality education.”
In December 2023, ECW announced a $2 million First Emergency Response Grant in Egypt. The 12-month grant, implemented by UNHCR in partnership with UNICEF, will reach over 20,000 Sudanese refugees in the governorates of Aswan, Cairo, Giza and Alexandria.
The grant will support activities such as informal education, cash grants, social cohesion with host communities, mental health and psychosocial support, and construction and renovation work in public schools hosting refugee children, benefiting both the refugee children and the host community. In the face of escalating conflicts around the world, ECW is committed to ensuring that all children have a chance at lifelong learning and earning opportunities.
In addition to Egypt, ECW has provided $8 million in First Emergency Response Grants in the Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan to address the urgent protection and education needs of children fleeing the armed conflict in Sudan. In Sudan, ECW has invested $28.7 million in multi-year and emergency grants that have already reached more than 100,000 girls and boys affected by the crisis.
During the mission, ECW called on world leaders to increase funding for regional refugee response and other forgotten crises around the world. ECW urges public and private donors to provide an additional US$600 million by the end of its 2023-2026 strategic plan to provide safe, quality education to 20 million girls and boys affected by the crisis.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
