Education Cannot Wait Announces US$5 Million Grant in Response to ‘Super El Niño’ Floods in Somalia, ECW Funding in Somalia Tops US$40 Million

Somalia sits on the frontlines of the global climate crisis. Last year, a ‘Super El Niño’ event caused widespread flooding across the country, impacting over 2.5 million people. Recent heavy rains have made matters even worse.

To provide children and adolescents access to quality education, enhance preparedness and create an anticipatory action framework ahead of future climate hazards, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) announced today a US$5 Million First Emergency Response package that will be delivered across two phases over 18 months by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), in collaboration with local and international partners. 

The climate crisis is having devastating impacts on children and adolescents in Somalia. Last year’s floods impacted over 900,000 school-aged girls and boys. In all, some 220 schools reported damage or the loss of learning materials. In April of this year, the rainy season’s heavy ‘Gu rains’ made matters even worse, with an additional 81,000 people displaced and a number of reports of damaged schools. Even before the floods, well over 3 million girls and boys were out of school in Somalia.

“In Somalia, the climate crisis is pushing children from their homes and schools, leaving an entire generation behind. Right Here, Right Now, we must act as a global community to ensure these girls and boys are offered safe, quality learning environments. Right here, right now, we must connect climate action with education action to deliver on the promises outlined in the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. Right here, right now, we must ensure girls and boys in the world’s most forgotten crises are guaranteed their human rights and their human dignity through the transformational power of education,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations. 

ECW investments in Somalia have already reached close to a quarter of a million children, with total ECW funding now topping US$40 million. The new investment will reach a total of 33,000 children through the first phase. The second phase will pilot a new anticipatory action framework for humanitarian response in Somalia if specific triggers are met.

“Somalia has been severely impacted by the effects of climate change, and children have not been spared. The floods during the recent El Niño season affected numerous schools, disrupting the education of thousands of children. Thanks to ECW, the Norwegian Refugee Council together with its local partner WARDI and SOS Children Villages, Somalia will support 33,000 children, enabling them to access safe and equitable education. By re-enrolling or enrolling flood- and displacement-affected learners in formal or non-formal education programmes, we aim to deliver tailored solutions that safeguard the rights and dignity of children and enhance preparedness against future climate shocks,” said Mohamed Abdi, Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

To deliver on the promises outlined in the Paris Agreement, Grand Bargain Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals, more than a quarter of the investment is allocated toward climate mitigation and adaptation, and almost half of the funding will be delivered by local organizations.

Somalia is one of the world’s forgotten crises. According to the Education Cluster, only 24% of the current appeal is funded.   

Education Cannot Wait issued a global climate appeal at last year’s Climate Talks in Dubai (COP28). The appeal calls for US$150 million in additional funding to scale-up ECW’s response to the climate crisis and is part of ECW’s overall US$1.5 billion appeal to reach 20 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents through the Fund’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.