REACT Webinar Highlights Potential of Business to Support Education in Emergencies
Yesterday morning, the Global Business Coalition for Education (GBC-Education) and the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) co-hosted a webinar on GBC-Education’s REACT Initiative and digital platform. The REACT Initiative delivers resources from the business community to children caught in conflict, emergency and, natural disasters by matching businesses with implementation partners who delivering education in emergency situations.
During the webinar, GBC-Education featured voices from Dean Brooks, Director of INEE; Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW); Graham Peters, Managing Director, Avanti Government Solutions; and Haley Gryc, Associate, ARUP International Development.
Below, you can find a recording of the webinar along with an overview of the work that REACT is doing to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 – quality education for all:REACT Digital Platform Showcased
The REACT Digital Platform was highlighted as a tool for business and NGOs, civil society organizations. and other partners working in alignment with government supported response plans to deliver education emergencies and disasters. The REACT platform matches tangible offers of support to the resource needs requested by organizations working on emergency responses.
Panel Discussion
Yasmine Sherif emphasized that, “abnormal problems require extraordinary solutions.” She highlighted ECW’s partnership with HP in Uganda to support South Sudanese refugees – a relationship facilitated by the REACT Initiative – and the commitment of the private sector to deliver new types of funding and support for the most marginalized.
Graham Peters and Haley Gryc showcased the kind of work that business can do with education delivery partners in emergencies. Graham pointed to a project being carried out by Avanti Communications and Social Innovation Academy (SINA) in Uganda to deliver broadband connectivity for refugee populations. “We believe connectivity and technology can transform education, whether it be in primary and secondary education or to support entrepreneurs,” Graham said.
Haley recognized the importance of building resilient partnerships with on-the-ground actors. “The successful relationships we have had were successful because we had long relationships where there was a mutual understanding,” she said. “The social and political context allowed us to support them and help them make better use of their resources.”
Conclusion
In the coming months, the REACT Digital Platform will undergo an upgrade to deliver an even more powerful tool for humanitarian and business communities to use to build successful partnership for education in emergencies.
If you are a company interested in providing support to education in emergencies or an organization seeking support from the business community to deliver education in these contexts, please visit the REACT initiative page to learn more.