Responding to Forgotten Crises: Education Cannot Wait Announces US$22 Million Catalytic Grant for Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Mali

With severe political, economic and security challenges, over 1,700 schools are closed in Mali. Even more concerning, half of the children in Mali are not able to attend formal education. 

In response to these compounding challenges, which have been made worse as the result of armed insurgencies by Non-State Armed Groups, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners announced today a $22 million catalytic grant that will reach over 200,000 of the most vulnerable children and adolescents in Mali. 

The three-year grant builds on the impact of ECW’s ongoing investments in Mali, which have already reached over 480,000 children with quality, holistic education support. Total ECW funding in Mali now tops US$51.6 million. 

The grant will be delivered by UNICEF – in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Education Cluster – and will bring together a wide selection of national and international partners and donors. 

“This new ECW grant represents a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable girls and boys in Mali enduring the devastating impacts of conflict, climate change, and forced displacement. Fleeing their villages on fire, these children, their teachers, and our partners on the ground are in dire need of sustained funding to help rebuild their lives through an inclusive and continued quality education. Together with our strategic partners, we can now address urgent educational needs of 200,000 children while also contributing to build a resilient system. Still top-ups funding is urgently needed. More funding means more children going back to school and learning in safety,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. 

The humanitarian crisis in Mali has reached severe levels. An estimated 7.5 million people – half of whom are children – require urgent humanitarian support. The crisis has been made even worse by violent conflict, forced displacement and environmental shocks. 

Despite the needs, only 31% of the Mali Humanitarian Response Plan is currently funded, according to OCHA’s Financing Tracking System. Prior to this new ECW grant, only 4% of the $71.5 million humanitarian response for education was funded. 

“The ECW funding for Mali’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme(MYRP) comes at a critical time amid a multifaceted crisis. This programme’s goal in Mali is to uphold every girl and boy’s right to equitable, quality, and inclusive education in a safe and protective environment. The $22 million grant from ECW for the programme is significant for our country. In a context of fragility and multiple challenges, it strengthens the Government's commitment to providing quality, equitable, accessible, and resilient education for all Malian children, including those affected by crises. This partnership marks a step toward a more inclusive, robust education system that is better prepared to face future challenges. We deeply thank ECW for its trust and invaluable support and are committed to monitoring the programme's implementation to ensure its goals are achieved,” said the Minister of Education of Mali, Amadou Sy Savané. 

“On behalf of UNICEF, I would like to express my gratitude to ECW for its unwavering support to the Government of Mali in its efforts to enhance access to and the quality of education in the country. Through the funding provided by the first MYRP, amounting to over 17 million dollars, Mali has been able to provide access to education to more than 216,705 children, including 111,241 girls affected by the humanitarian crisis from 2020 to 2024. In 2024, ECW will continue to support Mali with the launch of the second phase of the MYRP, with a budget of 22 million dollars. This new program aims to strengthen the resilience of the Malian education system and seeks to reach just over 200,000 children between 2025 and 2027,” said Pierre Ngom, UNICEF Representative in Mali. 

The grant focuses on the regions of Mali that have been most affected by instability, attacks on education and armed conflict, including Gao, Ménaka, Kidal, Timbuktu (Taoudenit), and Mopti. 

In each area, the programme will implement a multi-sectoral package of interventions tailored for children aged 3 to 18 facing educational and economic barriers, including girls (51%), internally displaced persons (22%), refugees (9%), out-of-school children, and children with disabilities (10%). Through the rehabilitation of school infrastructure, provision of access to inclusive quality education, and enhancement of crisis response capabilities within schools, local and national government bodies, and community organizations, the programme will strengthen the resilience of the education system and empower communities to adapt to emerging challenges.