The LEGO Foundation has pledged $97 million to support education for children affected by conflicts in East Africa and the Middle East. The five-year partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) aims to reach 5 million children through play-based learning programs.
Addressing the crisis
Global conflicts, from South Sudan's political crisis to recent wars, are putting more children at risk. The IRC and LEGO Foundation seek to address the often-overlooked need for education in conflict zones. "Children who are born in conflict have their childhood stolen from them," said IRC President David Miliband. "But what's remarkable about children is that if you give them a bit of their childhood back, they make the most of it."
Flexible funding for evolving conflicts
The partnership will expand the IRC-led PlayMatters program, which trains teachers to integrate playful learning into lessons for children aged 3 to 12. LEGO Foundation CEO Sidsel Marie Kristensen emphasized the need for flexibility: "In the world we are living in right now, nobody knows honestly what is happening tomorrow or in two months. That flexibility is what we need right now." Currently under consideration for support are Ethiopia, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Uganda.
Impact on the ground
At a primary school in Uganda's Nakivale refugee settlement, teacher Sister Kasingye Secunda reported that playful learning has reduced absenteeism. Children learn colors through games with fruits, build confidence through presentations, and develop leadership skills. "Learners enjoy the lessons. They are eager to come to school," she said.
PlayMatters also uses a radio show in multiple languages to help children name their emotions, reaching remote schools in South Sudan that are inaccessible due to flooding for half the year. Project Director Martin Omukuba noted that flexible funding allows IRC to respond to fluid situations, such as a refugee class size jumping from 25 to 150 students.
Previous collaboration and broader context
The LEGO Foundation previously committed $100 million to "Ahlan Simsim," a show by IRC and Sesame Workshop for children affected by Syrian and Rohingya crises. Kristensen said they are scaling up donations, with a separate $30 million partnership with Co-Impact to support locally led solutions for children impacted by conflict.
The announcement comes amid cuts to international aid by the US and European nations, which have strained humanitarian systems. Miliband cited the Ebola outbreak in Congo as a consequence of such cuts: "We warned at the time what the risk was. And sure as night follows day, we end up with an under-detected Ebola outbreak."
Patty McIlreavy, president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, emphasized that education is not a luxury but a necessary intervention. "It's not our role as philanthropy to fix what's broken in a country. That's politics. But there's so much we can do — even by offering six months or a year of education."
