Humanitarian relief
Education is one key step in the journey to success. By encouraging education, we can help children to build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Siobhan Lynch, Group Strategy Manager, Avanti Communications
Only a decade ago, there was no dedicated global fund for education in emergencies. In the wake of humanitarian crises and natural disasters, far too many children were being left behind without the opportunities, social, or health support that education provides.
As the world faced the largest refugee crisis since the second World War, GBC-Education decided to step up. Our initial work began with the Syrian Civil War, which left more than 7.5 million children out of school often for years at a time. Working with leaders from the private and nonprofit sectors, and together with UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, GBC-Education went to work to put millions of children back in the classroom.
We took this ground-breaking response to the Syrian refugee crisis to build a global fund for education in emergencies. At the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, GBC-Education pledged to mobilize $100 million in corporate support for humanitarian relief.
Our first major crisis initiative, REACT, focused on forming new partnerships and reached more than 18,000 young people.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and disrupted education around the world, our years of experience in supporting education in humanitarian crises provided the expertise needed to respond to this unprecedented crisis. Together with over 20 of our business partners, we mobilized more than 100 tools and resources to ensure all children could receive quality education remotely so that we continue to close the digital divide and get students back to the classroom as fast as possible.
Today, our Disaster Relief and Education Response Fund continues to offer businesses an innovative and impactful way to channel support for education in humanitarian crises, including the most recent crisis in Ukraine. Joining our coalition provides your business with the resources to support students, teachers, and communities most in need.
The impact
GBC-Education provides on-the-ground support for vulnerable communities recovering from crises. Together, we have saved lives and empowered students as they rebuild their communities and futures. By keeping schools open and accessible to all, GBC-Education provides a chance for students to not only get the education they deserve, but also to play a leading role helping their communities recover fully.
Learn about how to join the coalition.
Key partnerships
Partnerships formed in the humanitarian relief area include:
LexisNexis Risk Solutions & RELX Group
LexisNexis of RELX group provided the data analytics to maintain the REACT digital platform that reached 18,000 students.
HP & Education Cannot Wait (ECW)
HP partnered with ECW to deliver innovative education technology to refugee and host communities in Uganda as part of HP’s commitment to enable better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025.
Avanti Communications & Social Innovation Academy (SINA)
Avanti Communications partnered with SINA to provide free high-speed internet connectivity to the SINA campus in Mpigi, Uganda. Avanti Communications is a UK based satellite operator, delivering broadband access to a wide-range of actors across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Discovery Learning Alliance & Thaki
Discovery Learning Alliance and the Dutch charity Thaki are exploring a partnership around providing interactive learning content to be uploaded on Thaki’s platform and deployed to schools in Lebanon.
Sumitomo Chemical and Oando Foundation
Sumitomo Chemical and Oando Foundation established three solar-powered ICT centers in Nigeria, benefiting 2,400 displaced children.