Across Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, over 76,000 children are now in school who weren’t three years ago. Through our partnership with Education Above All’s Educate A Child programme, and support from the Qatar Fund for Development, the Education for Every Child Today (EFECT) project has already reached 78% of our goal to support 96,000 children with access to quality primary education.  

In Sierra Leone, over 33,000 children are now in school through EFECT. In Nigeria, more than 34,200 children have been enrolled, and in Liberia, the total exceeds 6,000 children. 

But, enrolling children into schooling is just the beginning. Ensuring they stay in education is equally crucial. Across the project, almost 97% of children who enrolled in EFECT's first two years have remained. These retention rates show that our holistic approach is effective in not only getting children into school, but helping them stay there. 

“In contexts where conflict has disrupted education for years, or where families are facing real economic pressures, keeping children in school requires addressing what's actually preventing them from attending. The retention rate tells us that through the EFECT programme, we're removing the barriers rather than just temporarily overcoming them,” asserts Emily Tunnacliffe, Head of Programmes at Street Child.

In Sierra Leone and Liberia, we built 162 new classrooms. These spaces enabled more than 2,800 children to enrol who previously had no local access to education. In Sierra Leone, 60 teachers completed their second year of their three-year teacher training course.  

In Nigeria’s northeast, the situation is more complex. Years of conflict have left many children far behind their expected grade levels. Even when schools are available, children who have missed months or years of education need time to catch up before they can join formal schools.  

To support these children, we built 10 Temporary Learning Centres (TLCs) where they can make up for missed learning. We also refurbished 46 classrooms in existing government schools. These improved classrooms are used for regular lessons in the morning and provide space for catch-up classes in the afternoon.  

We recruited and trained 100 community volunteer teachers in these communities, using the government-approved curriculum designed to help out of school children (OOSC) catch up. This support has helped over 6,800 children access education this year—some starting school for the first time, while others are resuming after years of disruption. 

In many communities, families face difficult choices between meeting basic needs and sending children to school. This is particularly true for girls, who may be expected to contribute to household work or income. Our teams work alongside parents and community leaders to discuss these challenges and explore how education fits within their priorities and circumstances. 

This year, we visited 89 villages and towns, having conversations with over 6,200 parents and caregivers about the barriers they face and how to address them. As a result, more than 4,600 children started school as families found ways to prioritise their education. 

Our social workers provided support to over 8,300 children this year. Through targeted social work for children and their households, families have been better equipped to support their children’s education. This includes targeted support to more than 600 children with disabilities who received assistive devices, such as wheelchairs and hearing aids, so they could participate fully in class. 

 

In North East Nigeria, where the ongoing conflict continues to disrupt education, caregivers have been supported with positive parenting classes. These sessions have helped overcome social barriers to education while building a community support system for parents and their children. 

 

Additionally, social workers provided tailored support to over 2,200 children who had been associated with armed groups. This intervention helped these children and their families navigate the challenges of reintegrating into their communities and enabled them to return to schooling. 

“The EFECT project demonstrates that when we address barriers to education, such as conflict, poverty, distance, and disability, the doors to learning finally open. Through partnership, local solutions, and collaboration, the initiative in West Africa has enhanced access and retention to quality education, for thousands of children, many of whom are living in challenging circumstances” David Mumo, Senior Education Specialist at Education Above All  

As the project enters its final year in 2026, we’re confident it has laid the foundation for sustainable change. The children enrolled today, the families supported, and the strengthened communities mean that schools will continue to thrive, children will keep learning, and education will remain a priority long after the project ends.  

Data reflects updates from the EFECT programme as of June 2025 and may be subject to change as the programme progresses.