For students like Jérémie, dreams are profoundly shaped by loss. Displaced by conflict and having lost family members to the violence, he harbors a powerful ambition: “I want to be a general so that I can advocate for peace in the country.” In eastern DRC, where violence escalated sharply in 2025, such aspirations are fragile.
The region has endured decades of conflict, but recent attacks have forced tens of thousands of families to flee their homes. As of September 2025, an estimated 5.3 million people are internally displaced within the country. Schools have been destroyed or occupied by armed groups, leaving children to bear the brunt of the crisis. They face persistent insecurity, hunger, trauma, and protection risks, with girls and children with disabilities being particularly vulnerable. Nationwide, approximately 6.4 million children remain out of school.
Without safe and functioning schools, the dreams of leadership and peace have little chance to flourish. This reality is driving a new US$10 million, two-year program funded by the UN’s Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund, which supports education in emergencies and protracted crises. The initiative aims to reach over 62,000 crisis-affected children in Ituri Province, prioritizing girls, internally displaced children, and the most vulnerable.
While primary school enrollment in DRC saw a significant increase of almost 70 percent between 2011 and 2020, renewed conflict in the east now threatens to reverse these hard-won gains. Beyond damage and destruction, insecurity exposes children to grave protection risks, including recruitment by armed groups, gender-based violence, kidnapping, and severe psychological trauma. Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable when schools are unsafe, closed, or located far from home, increasing their risk of exploitation, abuse, and early dropout.
In this challenging context, education serves as more than just a development goal; it is a crucial element of protection and stabilization. The new initiative builds upon existing programs that have already benefited over 125,000 children. These past efforts included constructing or rehabilitating safe classrooms, providing teacher training, supplying learning materials, implementing school feeding programs, and offering mental health and psychosocial support.
New classrooms are not merely cosmetic additions; they are essential for safe and effective learning. In areas affected by displacement, schools have often resorted to double shifts or crammed multiple classes into a single room. Newly constructed and rehabilitated facilities alleviate overcrowding, create safer and more gender-responsive learning environments, and provide a vital sense of stability to communities recovering from violence.
At Mabanga Primary School in Goma, new classrooms are transforming the learning experience. “I’m very happy to see the new classrooms being built because now I can study with my friends without being disturbed,” shared 8-year-old Kennedy, observing the ongoing construction. For years, his school struggled with two classes sharing a single space, making it difficult for students to hear or concentrate.
Under the new program in Ituri, the approach is comprehensive. Alongside infrastructure development, the initiative focuses on strengthening teacher capacity, expanding mental health and psychosocial services, reinforcing child protection systems, and addressing risks associated with gender-based violence. Alternative learning pathways, including catch-up programs, are designed to ensure that children who have missed years of schooling are not left behind. Support for children with disabilities is also a key priority.
For business and policy leaders concerned about global instability, the implications are clear. Fragile contexts like eastern DRC are home to rapidly growing youth populations. When children are denied education, cycles of poverty and conflict deepen, undermining economic growth and regional security. Educating children yields long-term dividends: higher lifetime earnings, improved health outcomes, stronger civic participation, and a reduced risk of recruitment into armed groups.
In eastern DRC, Shadrac’s presidential dream, Jérémie’s call for peace, and Kennedy’s anticipation of learning without distraction serve as powerful reminders that the future of the country is already present in its classrooms, or waiting for them to be rebuilt.
ECW-supported programs in DRC are implemented in partnership with UNICEF, AVSI, Norwegian Refugee Council, Terre Sans Frontières, Save the Children, War Child Canada, War Child Alliance, UNESCO, UNHCR, World Vision, and local partners, under the leadership of the Ministry of Education.
