UNICEF UK reaches funding milestone with People’s Postcode Lottery players raising £20 million to support children’s learning in emergencies
London 24th January – To mark the International Day of Education, today UNICEF UK is announcing that since 2017 the charity has received £20 million thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, supporting education in emergencies programmes around the world.
This staggering amount has been crucial in enabling the charity to support continuous learning for children in crisis and emergency contexts.
This work is vital as currently there are more than 224 million children globally affected by crises who need educational support.
For children in emergencies, education is about more than the right to learn. Schools provide protection, access to other services including health, nutrition and psychological first aid.
Since 2021, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have been supporting the charity’s work in East and Southern Africa and it has had an outstanding impact.
For example, in the Southern Ethiopia region due to frequent droughts and seasonal floods, many children have been displaced from their homes and schools have been swamped with floodwaters leaving students without a place to learn.
Despite these challenges, education remains a powerful source of hope for children and their families.
With funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and awarded by Postcode Education Trust, UNICEF has worked with delivery partners to set up alternative learning centres where programmes are delivered in the South Omo Zone.
This allowed the charity to meet the educational needs of children aged 9-14 who are out of school, and it has supported over 4,300 children in the region who have been impacted by the climate crisis.
The programme has flexible learning times and a condensed curriculum and helps children to integrate into formal school.
Nawi, a 10-year-old girl who has benefited from the programme said: “Our school was flooded, so we came here and started learning again.
“We love learning here. If this [the learning centre] was not available, we would have dropped out of school.”
Nawi hopes to continue her education and in the next academic year and she can join students in regular school as the accelerated education programme has enabled her to catch up with missed classes.
In addition to providing a safe learning environment, the programme also incorporates psychosocial support to help children cope with traumatic experiences.
Philip Goodwin, CEO of UNICEF UK said:
“We are so grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for the significant amount of funding raised for vulnerable children around the world.
“At UNICEF, sadly we know there are an increasing number of complex and long-lasting humanitarian emergencies that are impacting children’s access to quality education.
“Resilient and adaptable education systems are essential to ensure children can continue to learn and support the economic future of their communities.
“With the help of this funding, we’ve had a positive impact on the lives of many children across East and Southern African, getting them back into education.
“As we move into the next phase of our programme, we want to ensure that every child can learn, even in times of crisis.”
In the next stage UNICEF will continue to focus on building climate resilient education systems in East and Southern Africa and will expand to South Asia to work with educators on measuring children’s learning in emergency contexts.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:
“£20 million in funding raised for UNICEF by players of People’s Postcode Lottery is an incredible milestone.
“Education is a lifeline for children in crisis, providing them with not just the opportunity to learn but also access to safety, stability, and essential services.
“Knowing that this funding has helped thousands of children in East and Southern Africa continue their education, despite facing unimaginable challenges, is truly inspiring.
“I am delighted that players will continue to raise funds for UNICEF helping to ensure that every child, no matter their circumstances, has the chance to learn.”
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Notes to editors:
UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.
For more information, please contact:
UNICEF UK Press Office, [email protected], +44 207 375 6030
About UNICEF:
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work for children. We also promote and protect children’s rights in the UK and internationally. We are a UK charity, entirely funded by supporters.
United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), Registered Charity No. 1072612 (England & Wales), SC043677 (Scotland).
For more information visit unicef.org.uk. Follow UNICEF UK on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube