UNICEF to improve learning environments for children affected by earthquakes with support from the Islamic Development Bank, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund and the Saudi Fund for Development
KABUL, Afghanistan – The Islamic Development Bank, as the trustee of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund, has expanded its partnership with UNICEF to create safe learning spaces for 4,000 children in eight public schools in western Badghis and Herat provinces. These schools were severely damaged or destroyed by earthquakes in western Afghanistan.
Backed by a US$ 2.75 million funding contribution from the Saudi Fund for Development, and co-funded by UNICEF with matching funds, this partnership will support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of these eight schools. In addition, all 240,000 students in primary grades 1, 2 and 3 in both provinces will receive school backpacks, exercise books and stationery.
In October 2023, a series of devastating earthquakes destroyed 120 public schools in Badghis and Herat. Students and teachers lost safe spaces for learning, as well as school furniture, textbooks, teaching aids and other school supplies.
“The Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund, through the generous contributions of its donors, is proud to deploy these needed resources, mobilize additional resources and facilitate partnerships that empower communities, and build a future where every child learns, and young people thrive. Quality education is critical to that process,” said Dr. Walid Abdelwahab, Director of the Islamic Development Bank Group Regional Hub in Türkiye.
To improve the quality of learning in both provinces, 1,300 teachers, headteachers and academic supervisors will also be trained during this 17-month project. Further, all 7,000 public school teachers in the two provinces will receive teaching kits containing notepads, pens, chalk, dusters and markers to support their teaching.
“We have seen in Afghanistan and elsewhere how disruptive earthquakes and other natural disasters are for children and their education. With this new funding, we look forward to seeing children in renovated or reconstructed classrooms where they can learn safely, supported by trained teachers and equipped with learning tools to realize their potential,” said Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan.
Since 2023, the Islamic Development Bank through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund - facilitated by Organization of Islamic Cooperation - has supported UNICEF’s work to improve the lives of children and communities in Afghanistan by delivering safe water, providing treatment for malnutrition and improving health care in remote communities.
Media contacts
James Elrington
UNICEF Afghanistan
Tel: +93 799 987 032
Email: jelrington@unicef.org
Salam Al-Janabi
UNICEF Afghanistan
Tel: +93 79 998 7111