Education Cannot Wait-funded transition courses by UNICEF help out-of-school and displaced children, including twin sisters, catch up on learning and return to formal school in Burkina Faso.
KAYA, Burkina Faso, Dec. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- It may be the school holidays in Burkina Faso, but 14-year-old twins Fadilatou and Neimata are not taking a break. Instead, they sit at wooden desks inside a bustling classroom in Kaya, notebooks open and pens in hand.
These holiday sessions are part of a lifeline known as transition classes, funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and delivered in partnership with UNICEF and the Government of Burkina Faso. The accelerated courses equip out-of-school and displaced children with skills to reintegrate into formal schooling, and are funded by ECW, the European Union, Japan and other strategic donors.
In classrooms like this, education is being used to light the way out of crisis and to a future filled with opportunity.
A Mother's Determination
For Assèta Sawadogo, mother of seven, watching her twin daughters leave for school is a moment of quiet triumph. Not long ago, the family lived in the village of Damesma, in Burkina Faso's north-central region. But when violence came to their doorstep, they had no choice but to flee. They arrived in Kaya exhausted, unsettled and unsure of the future.
"When we fled to come [to Kaya], we were not able to re-enroll the children here because the classrooms were full," says Assèta. The school year had already begun across the country, and Assèta could not find a place for her children – a roadblock to education that many displaced families face.
Even though their new home on the outskirts of Kaya had no electricity, Assèta refused to let the darkness stop her daughters from learning. Every evening, she powers up flashlights so the twins can revise their lessons in the evenings.
When she heard about the transition classes, a part of ECW's Multi-Year Resilience Programme in the country and implemented by UNICEF, she enrolled her daughters immediately. "We didn't like the fact that the girls were no longer going to school. Now that they're going again, we're happy. These remedial classes are a good thing because children won't forget what they learned."
The four-month courses reach children left furthest behind in the country with the tools and support necessary to catch up on what they've missed and prepare them to reintegrate into the regular curriculum. With the support of UNICEF and partners, temporary learning spaces have been built in schools around the country, making it possible to accommodate more displaced students in classrooms.
A Country in Crisis
Burkina Faso is in the midst of a devastating humanitarian crisis. Escalating violence and insecurity have displaced over 2 million people, more than half of them children. Hunger, armed conflict and forced displacement are placing children, especially girls and children with disabilities, at extreme risk.
Even before this crisis, one in two children in Burkina Faso was out of school. Today, the situation is even more dire. In response to this crisis, national and international partners have ramped up efforts to provide education and support services.
ECW in Burkina Faso
Since 2019, ECW and partners like UNICEF have been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that crisis-affected children in Burkina Faso can continue learning.
The recent extension of the Fund's Multi-Year Resilience Programme supports the establishment of safe learning spaces, mental health and psychosocial services, teaching and learning materials, and the professional development of teachers. Children are now learning in secure temporary classrooms, receiving school kits and – where insecurity prevents access to formal education – tuning in to their lessons via solar or hand-crank radios.
These coordinated efforts not only bring children back into classrooms but also rebuild hope, resilience and a sense of normalcy in the midst of instability. The programme also strengthens national and local education systems, ensuring the continuity of learning despite ongoing crises.
A Brighter Future Within Reach
Back in Kaya, Assèta watches as her daughters leave for class, their notebooks in hand and dreams in their hearts. The flashlights she keeps charged at home are no longer just a tool of survival – they're a symbol of the future her children are reclaiming, one lesson at a time.
For the twins, going to school is more than a routine.
Through these transition courses, Fadilatou and Neimata are not only resuming their studies but also rediscovering their ambitions. Surrounded by a supportive family and dedicated teachers who empower and inspire them, they dream of becoming educators themselves. "We want to become teachers to help our little brothers and other children," says Fadilatou.
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