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STORY: ECW / LEBANON CHILDREN EDUCATION
TRT: 06:58
SOURCE: ECW
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT ECW ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 02 APRIL 2026, BEIRUT, LEBANON
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, public school repurposed as shelter, laundry hangs from barred windows
2. Various shots, school courtyard, families walking past tents set up under the building, basketball hoop
3. Med shot, corridor between tents inside shelter, boy sits on chair, two women carrying supplies
4. Various shots, woman and boy seated at desk, child’s hands navigating smartphone screen and looking at an online class interface.
5. Various shots, children during recreational activities
6. Various shots, ECW Director Maysa Jalbout, UNICEF staff members, strategic partners on the ground, children, school-turned-shelter
7. Various shots, ECW Director Maysa Jalbout interacting with children
8. Various shots, ECW Director Maysa Jalbout and strategic partners interacting with children
9. Wide shot, Maysa Jalbout interacts and listens to parents
10. Various shots, children participate in tug-of-war activity, Maysa Jalbout, staff and partners, courtyard
11. Med shot, group of boys during sports activities
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Maysa Jalbout, Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
“I’m standing in what should be a school. Instead, it’s a shelter – home to children and their parents who had nowhere else to go. Today is my first day as Director of Education Cannot Wait, and I chose to spend it here in Lebanon because this is where our work matters most. This is where the urgency is. Lebanon is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. Over 1 million people have been displaced. More than 350,000 children are out of school. And the education system is under a strain it cannot bear alone. This is why Education Cannot Wait is stepping up. Today, we are announcing new emergency funding for Lebanon’s children—funding that will help 150,000 children resume their learning, keep them safe, and ensure that this crisis does not cost them their future. I want to thank the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and our partners, including UNICEF, UNESCO, and Save the Children, for their collaboration and the results we’ve been able to achieve together for Lebanon’s children. And a special recognition to the local organizations and communities who have been on the front lines every single day. One of our strongest commitments is to put our resources and decision-making closer to those who need it most. And Lebanon’s local partners are a testament to why that matters. But we need to do more. I’m calling on the international community—on governments, donors, and partners – to stand with Lebanon. Because every day a child is not in school is a day, we cannot get back. The needs are far greater than any single actor can meet. But together, we can reach children left furthest behind. Children need education now. Their education cannot wait.”
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) launches urgent support to protect learning for crisis-affected children in Lebanon.
On her first day as ECW Director, Maysa Jalbout visits Lebanon to reaffirm ECW's commitment to the country's children, announce new emergency funding and mobilise urgent international support.
Today (6 Apr), ECW reaffirmed their strong partnership with Lebanon's Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) to protect the right to education for children impacted by the rapidly escalating crisis in Lebanon.
During her first official mission as Director of ECW, Maysa Jalbout met with H.E. Minister Rima Karami, alongside the Inter-Agency Support Group (IASG) Education Sector co-leads UNICEF and Save the Children and civil society partners, to assess urgent needs and coordinate a swift, collective response to the crisis.
Lebanon is facing a severe humanitarian situation, with over one million people displaced and more than 250,000 children across the public school system experiencing disruption to their education.
This latest escalation compounds years of overlapping crises including– economic collapse, the Beirut port explosion and the current escalation of regional conflict.
As part of this joint effort, ECW is launching an immediate emergency response that will focus on the areas most affected by the escalation of hostilities, ensuring safe access to learning, psychosocial support and protection services for the most vulnerable children.
In parallel, ECW will initiate the development of a new multi-year investment, expected to begin within the next six months, aimed at strengthening the resilience of Lebanon’s education system and supporting sustainable learning outcomes.
Together, these investments are expected to reach more than 150,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents, prioritising those most at risk of exclusion.
The new ECW-supported response will be guided by the following key priorities: Localization and national ownership, with a strong commitment to channeling significant resources through local actors and partners; Equity and inclusion, ensuring equitable access to education for all children, with a particular focus on girls, children with disabilities and those most marginalized; Learning continuity and quality, supporting both immediate access and improved learning outcomes over time; Well-being and protection, integrating mental health and psychosocial support into education responses; Flexibility and adaptability, enabling rapid adjustment to evolving needs on the ground.
The initiative also presents a critical opportunity for additional partners to step forward. ECW and MEHE are calling on donor governments, philanthropic organisations, and the private sector to match and scale this effort, ensuring that the response meets the full scope of needs.
