The United States Government has provided new school materials for 147,000 displaced children in Oromia, Somali, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ regional states.
Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this effort is aimed at protecting vulnerable children’s rights to education following internal conflicts that have displaced approximately 2 million people in Ethiopia.
USAID and the Ministry of Education are working together to ease the transition back to school for children whose education has been placed at risk due to displacement caused by recent conflicts. Each student will receive reading exercise books, pens, and pencils with sharpeners and erasers. USAID is also assisting schools where displaced children are registered by providing recreational equipment, such as footballs and volleyballs, to help restore a sense of normalcy and optimism as they resume their studies.
“Making sure kids don’t fall behind in school is a crucial component of USAID’s broader assistance to those who have been displaced. By ensuring these children can continue their education, we are making an investment in their future, and the future of Ethiopia,” said Sonjai Reynolds-Cooper, director of USAID’s education and youth programs.
USAID is one of the leading investors in Ethiopia’s education system and works with a range of partners to support the educational achievement of 15 million Ethiopian children.