Teachers Have the Power to Transform Lives

Statement by Education Cannot Wait Director Yasmine Sherif on World Teachers’ Day

Teachers have the power to transform lives. In the chaotic and challenging contexts of emergencies and protracted crises, teachers tend to carry the brunt and heaviest burden. They have the responsibility to nurture and empower their students, all while managing their own losses and fears. Indeed, teachers are our frontlines heroes. The responsibility of Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, is to help unload this burden and empower the teachers to carry out their calling. In doing so, we call on leaders everywhere to mobilize urgent resources to prioritize support for teachers in emergencies and protracted crises.  

Our new Strategic Plan lays out our commitment to improve the quality of support provided to teachers, to ensure their well-being, and to resolve the policy barriers affecting them in crisis settings. This includes understanding the barriers faced by female teachers, building teacher capacity, providing teachers with salaries and stipends when needed, and advancing efforts to provide teachers with safe working environments.  

Since our inception, ECW investments have supported the training of 87,367 teachers and administrators. We are building better and safer learning environments. Last year alone, 2,581 learning spaces benefited from increased access to clean drinking water, safe sanitation facilities and basic hand-washing facilities, and close to 17,000 teachers and administrators were trained in WASH topics. ECW partners also trained over 18,000 teachers and administrators in emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction and risk management. In supporting whole-of-child solutions, the number of teachers trained on mental health and psychosocial support topics has doubled to about 54,000 since ECW’s inception. During COVID-19, ECW took a strong position to continue to pay the salaries of teachers.

In honoring the potential and power of teachers to change lives and transform societies, ECW investments support teachers in addressing their own well-being. We recognize that crisis-affected educators need unique support to reach the 222 million children and youth living in emergencies and protracted crises around the world.

Show your support for teachers everywhere on this World Teachers’ Day by sharing inspiring stories on how teachers have made a difference in your life, as we come together to deliver #222MillionDreams✨📚 Campaign ahead of Education Cannot Wait’s High-Level Financing Conference in 2023.