ECW Announces US$3.5 Million First Emergency Response Grant in Bangladesh

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Nov 10, 2025, 01:00 ET

Delivered by UNICEF with a broad consortium of local partners, the new grant will restore education for 180,000 children

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic donor partners announced today a US$3.5 million grant to address the evolving Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh through the transformational power of education.

The fast-acting First Emergency Response will restore access to life-saving education for 180,000 children in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, home to the largest refugee camp in the world.

The new funding builds on ECW’s US$50.7 million in total investments in Bangladesh, which have already reached over 386,000 children, 96% of whom are Rohingya refugees. In all, these investments have built or rehabilitated 2,300 classrooms, provided financial support to 2,700 educators, and delivered essential training on disaster-risk reduction, gender, mental health and psychosocial support and other key topics to teachers and administrators working on the frontlines of this forgotten crisis.

Delivered by UNICEF – in partnership with local organizations including Community Development Centre (CODEC), Jagorani Chakra Foundation (JCF), BRAC, Mukti Cox's Bazar, Friendship, and the COAST Foundation – the new grant will increase access to inclusive learning opportunities in safe and protective learning environments.

"Every child deserves the chance to learn, no matter the crisis," said Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh. "This support from Education Cannot Wait is a lifeline. It is more than books and lessons – it is a child's bridge to dignity, stability and the future they deserve. This support will help us give Rohingya children the skills, confidence and hope they need to rebuild their communities when it is safe to return home. The future of the Rohingya people – their culture, their identity, their voice – depends on the children learning today."

Declining humanitarian assistance – including funding for education – is derailing hard-won gains in Bangladesh. As of June 2025, more than 3,600 learning facilities for early childhood through Grade 4 remain closed. Recent analysis indicates that only half of the Joint Response Plan has been mobilized to date.

Note to Editors

About Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth.

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Additional information available at:www.educationcannotwait.org

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