The LEGO Foundation and Co-Impact have launched a $30 million education partnership to improve learning and wellbeing for 2.5 million children affected by conflict and crises in Nigeria and Kenya. 

In a statement on Monday the organisations disclosed that the five-year initiative would focus on strengthening public education systems by supporting locally rooted and refugee-led organisations working in fragile and crisis-affected communities.

According to the partners, the programme is designed to move beyond short-term humanitarian interventions by embedding sustainable, locally driven solutions into national education systems.

The partners noted that more than one in six children globally were affected by conflict or crisis, stressing the need for long-term investments that address both learning outcomes and child wellbeing.

Nigeria and Kenya were selected based on the scale of need and government commitment to education reform in crisis settings, said the statement.

“In Nigeria, an estimated 17.8 million children are out of school, with nearly half affected by conflict, making it one of the largest education crises in Africa,” the organisations said.

The statement noted ongoing government efforts such as the Safe Schools Initiative and the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools as key steps toward improving learner access and protection.

It stated that in Kenya, more than 250,000 refugee children remained outside the national education system, and climate-related shocks had displaced an additional two million children from school.

According to the partners, the initiative will support governments in both countries to strengthen inclusive education systems at national and sub-national levels, including teacher training, policy support, financing reforms, and improved accountability structures.

Tarek Alami, head of international programmes at the LEGO Foundation, said education must respond to the realities of trauma, displacement, and instability.

“Children’s ability to learn and thrive is shaped by their health, well-being, and environments. When education is designed to meet trauma realities, schools can become places of stability and healing,” he said.

Awo Ablo, president of Co-Impact, said the partnership would support local leaders with flexible, long-term funding to scale solutions through public systems.

“We know that when we back local leaders, they can work with governments to scale sustainable solutions that improve children’s learning and wellbeing,” she said.

The partners also called for stronger cross-sector collaboration, saying, “Education outcomes in crisis settings are linked to access to healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, and social protection systems.”

They urged development partners and funders to align investments across education and related sectors to strengthen the conditions that would enable children to learn and thrive.

(NAN)