Improving access to inclusive and equitable quality education for refugee and migrant Venezuelan children and adolescents in Ecuador.

ECW in Ecuador

Millions of Venezuelans have fled the crisis in their home country seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. In this mass exodus, vulnerable girls and boys are at high risk of exploitation and abuse. Ecuador hosts a large number of refugee and migrant Venezuelans. To be protected, children are in dire need of assistance and reintegration into the formal school system. Since 2019, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) has supported partners in Ecuador to help Venezuelan students transition back into formal education and strengthen foundational skills. This is part of the Fund’s response to the impacts of the Venezuelan regional crisis, also in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.

Geographical Areas of ECW-funded Interventions
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Investments

Financial Information

National Counterparts

Ministry of Education

Results

Additional Results

  • Number of teachers/administrators trained in mental health and psychosocial and psychological support topics: 5,431
  • Number of girls and boys receiving cash transfers for education: 575

COVID-19 Results

Programme Info

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The humanitarian, political and socio-economic crises in Venezuela have resulted in extreme food insecurity and hyperinflation, which in turn have disrupted Venezuela’s public services and educational system. This has resulted in the loss of multiple years of schooling, limited access to essential goods, threats to protection and safety, and a lack of access to public services.

Vulnerable children and youth are at increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence, early marriage and pregnancy, recruitment into criminal gangs and other armed groups, and other forms of abuse and exploitation. Many Venezuelan households lack access to health, housing and livelihoods, and even suffer from chronic malnutrition.

In Ecuador, where a large number of Venezuelans have relocated, drastic budget cuts and an escalating social and economic crisis in the country are reducing its capacity to deliver basic services. Tens of thousands of Venezuelan children and adolescents lack access to education and are out of school. Additionally, the number of Venezuelans that have enrolled in Ecuador’s formal education system has quadrupled in recent years, further straining the system’s capacity.

Building on the impact of the First Emergency Response (FER) initially rolled out in 2019, ECW has launched a Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP). The programme supports access to inclusive and equitable quality education for Venezuelan refugee, migrant and host-community children and adolescents. It is designed to assist national systems and to improve access to both formal and non-formal education, with a focus on girls and children with disabilities.

To ensure the continuity of education during the COVID-19 pandemic, alternative education approaches such as remote learning, remedial education and psychosocial support have been prioritised.

Programme Components

  • Distributing learning materials. Materials were distributed to thousands of students to support their learning.
  • Ensuring protection and safety. Grantees developed a methodology to promote hygiene and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) within schools, which included a detailed needs assessment of existing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, the design of improvement plans and purchase of WASH kits.
  • Training and supporting teachers. Interventions focus on psychosocial support. Teachers, a majority of whom are women, participate in training on pedagogy and inclusive education. Online workshops prioritising teachers’ own psychosocial well-being are also provided for teachers and counsellors.

For more information on ECW's work in Ecuador, please contact Vina Barahman: vbarahman@un-ecw.org

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ECW Multi-Year Resilience Program: Ecuador 2020-2023

Programme Documents
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