LM International is joining Education Cannot Wait’s Hope Starts Here campaign - a global effort to mobilise US$600 million and provide 10 million crisis-affected children and adolescents with safe, quality education between 2027 and 2030.
Around the world, conflict, displacement and climate-related disasters are interrupting the education of an estimated 258 million school-aged children and adolescents across 87 countries. At the same time, global aid to education is projected to fall by US$3.2 billion - a 24% reduction that could push another 6 million children out of school.
Yet children living through emergencies have not given up on learning. They continue to study in temporary classrooms, shelters and other challenging conditions. The Hope Starts Here campaign calls on the international community to match that determination with funding and political commitment.
Launched by Education Cannot Wait on World Humanitarian Day, Hope Starts Here aims to reach 10 million crisis-affected children and adolescents over four years. At least half will be girls, including 1 million children with disabilities.
The campaign builds on a decade of action by Education Cannot Wait and its partners. Together, they have already reached more than 14 million children and adolescents and supported 25,000 schools with education, protection and wider assistance. Evaluations show that 88% of participating children improved their learning and 78% experienced improvements in their well-being.
Education Cannot Wait plans to respond more quickly when emergencies occur, strengthen action ahead of predictable crises and direct investment to the countries and communities facing the greatest needs. By 2030, at least 50% of its financing will be channelled to local and national partners.
LM International’s engagement in the campaign is connected to our practical work in Sudan, where war has created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian and education crises. At least 8 million children - nearly half of the country’s school-age population - are out of school. Many schools have closed, been damaged or are being used as shelters, while some children have missed almost 500 days of learning.
LM International is an implementation partner in a consortium led by Save the Children, alongside Plan International and the Sudanese organisations Alsalam Organisation for Relief and Development and Sadagaat. Supported by a new US$22 million, three-year investment from Education Cannot Wait, the programme aims to help nearly 200,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents access safe, quality and inclusive education across West Darfur, South Kordofan and Gedaref.
LM International contributes its long-standing presence in Sudan, experience of working with conflict-affected and displaced communities and established local relationships. Together, the consortium partners will help children return to learning environments that provide education, protection, stability and psychosocial support.
Local leadership is central to the programme, with nearly 48% of its budget channelled to national and local partners. The consortium will work with community structures, women-led organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities to ensure that the response reflects local priorities and capacities.
The Sudan programme and Hope Starts Here are separate initiatives, but they are closely connected. The programme demonstrates what Education Cannot Wait investment can make possible, while the global campaign seeks the funding and political commitment needed to reach millions more children living through crises.
Hope Starts Here is mobilising governments, foundations, philanthropies, businesses and civil society ahead of Education Cannot Wait’s High-Level Replenishment Conference in Geneva on 5 November 2026. Early commitments from Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland have already secured almost 40% of the US$600 million target.
The remaining funding is vital. Education during a crisis does much more than keep learning alive: it provides children with safety, stability and a connection to their communities. It can reduce exposure to violence, exploitation, child marriage and recruitment into armed groups while helping children recover and imagine a future beyond the crisis.
LM International joins Hope Starts Here in calling for sustained investment in every child’s right to learn.
For children living through crisis, hope begins with the chance to learn - and grows when their determination is met with collective action.