Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the first global fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises.

ECW was established during the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 by international humanitarian and development aid actors, along with public and private donors, to help reposition education as a priority on the humanitarian agenda, usher in a more collaborative approach among actors on the ground and foster additional funding to ensure that every crisis-affected child and young person is in school and learning.

Based on the recognition that continuous access to quality learning is a priority for children and families affected by conflicts, natural disasters and displacement and that no organisation can do it alone, ECW comes as a ground-breaking initiative bringing together public and private partners eager to work together differently and mobilise the funding required to deploy immediate and sustainable programmes tailor-made to the educational needs of these children.

ECW’s mandate is articulated around five core functions:

1. - Inspire political commitment so that education is viewed by both governments and funders as a top priority during crises.
2. - Generate additional funding to help close the $8.5 billion funding gap needed to reach 75 million children and youth.
3. - Plan and respond collaboratively, with a particular emphasis on supporting programmes that enable humanitarian and development actors to work together on shared objectives.
4. - Strengthen capacity to respond to crises, nationally and globally, including the ability to coordinate emergency support.
5. - Improve accountability by developing and sharing knowledge, including collection of more robust data in order to make better-informed investment decisions, and knowledge of what works and does not.

ECW is a first-of-its kind fund that offers governments, multilateral institutions and the private sector the chance to finance comprehensive education programmes for children and youth affected by conflicts, natural disasters and displacement, right from the onset of crisis through recovery phases.

VISION

A world where all children and youth affected by crises can learn free of cost, in safety and without fear in order to grow and reach their full potential.

MISSION

To generate greater shared political, operational and financial commitment to meet the educational needs of millions of children and young people affected by crises, with a focus on more agile, connected and faster response that spans the humanitarian –development continuum to lay the ground for sustainable education systems.