The LEGO Foundation, Germany, and the United States committed this week US$42 in additional financing to Education Cannot Wait in response to a global learning crisis that has left 222 million crisis-affected children in desperate need of educational help (ECW). “A worldwide call to action is made with these kinds of new donations from the LEGO Foundation, Germany, and the United States. We must work together to mobilize US$1.5 billion over the next four years to fully fund Education Cannot Wait and our strategic partners. We will be able to assist 20 million children who are affected by some of the worst humanitarian crises in the world thanks to this new funding “said Yasmine Sherif, director of ECW.
The LEGO Foundation CEO Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen announced while speaking on stage at this weekend’s Global Citizen Festival, increasing the organization’s total contributions to ECW to over US$65 million. “Imagine there was a magic switch that could change the 222 million children and teenagers who live in crisis situations into the peacekeepers and creators of the future. Education, for example, “Albrectsen said.
Additionally, the German government committed an additional €10 million in support in response to the conflict in Ukraine, which has adversely impacted the ability of nearly 7 million kids to access education. With almost €330 million in total funding to date, Germany is the greatest donor to ECW. “The global community must invest more money in education immediately. Thank you, global citizens, for speaking up to demand additional funding for Education Cannot Wait. By ensuring that all young people have access to high-quality education, we can finally put an end to severe poverty “German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze remarked. The US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration announced an additional US$7 million in financing, bringing the total amount of donations received to date to US$109.3 million.