Theirworld to get 8.5m euros from Dutch Postcode Lottery to deliver education in emergencies

Theirworld has received a new series of grants from the Dutch Postcode Lottery (Nationale Postcode Loterij) to deliver education to thousands of children around the world impacted by conflict and disaster.

The 4.50 million euros ($5.10 million) award for 2019 was announced at the annual Goed Geld Gala in Amsterdam last night as part of a total award of 8.55 million euros ($9.61 million).

Included in the total was a special award of 3.15 million euros ($3.57 million) – which will launch a unique public-private partnership between Theirworld and Education Cannot Wait, the global education fund for children caught up in emergencies. 

As part of the award, Theirworld will redouble its effort to unleash the potential of the next generation of children caught up in wars and conflict. We will do this through increased campaigning and innovation projects focused on breaking down barriers that stand in the way of education. 

As the first charity funding partner of a major global education fund, Theirworld will direct 2.52 million euros ($2.85million) to direct programming through a contribution to Education Cannot Wait.

“We are more impactful by working together – and the award by the Dutch Postcode Lottery will allow us to not only deliver education to the most marginalised children but leverage-up the funding through campaigning to have a multiplier effect for children,” said Sarah Brown, Chair of Theirworld. 

Theirworld President Justin van Fleet said: “The funding will be used to provide rapid education assistance in places where it is needed most.  

“This new partnership will allow us to support thousands of children living in refugee camps who are not in school – where we need to provide education quickly so they are not part of the lost generation – while we are also finding the longer-term solutions so all children can reach their full potential.”

After years of campaigning, including by Theirworld’s network of 1,000 Global Youth Ambassadors and coalition of over 40 civil society organisations, the Education Cannot Wait fund was established in 2016 at the World Humanitarian Summit. 

Its mission is to provide education to the 75 million children worldwide who have lost out on education because of war, disasters and crisis. 

Sarah Brown added: “While food, water and shelter were rightly prioritised, education was not seen as life-saving until Education Cannot Wait was set up, making education part of the emergency response. 

“Now that we have this fund, Theirworld is making a significant investment on behalf of our youth campaigners, thanks to the Dutch Postcode Lottery.”

Part of Education Cannot Wait’s strategy has been to bring together private partners, including foundations and companies, to invest in new ways of working to deliver education to refugees and displaced children. 

Theirworld joins other contributions by business partners through the Global Business Coalition for Education and Dubai Cares, a major global education philanthropy. Some of Theirworld’s funding will be placed in challenge grants to be matched by other private contributors to multiply the impact. 

“Education needs to be this generation’s moonshot and this funding from the Postcode Lottery will allow us to mobilise enough people, partners and resources so that every refugee child is at school,” said van Fleet.

“We will look for the hardest-to-reach children in emergencies and keep a watching brief on all hotspots where children’s education is at risk – from the Greek Aegean Islands, Venezuela and Syria to the Central African Republic and beyond.”

Education was a theme of this year’s annual charity event, which was headlined by Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, who praised the innovation of the Dutch Postcode Lottery in making this award. 

• Gordon Brown: let’s work together to get children in school

“Working together, there can be no ceiling on our aspirations for – and ambitions of – the world’s children, and no limit to what together we can and will achieve,” he said.

Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, said: “We are profoundly grateful to Theirworld for making this contribution to Education Cannot Wait and to the Dutch Postcode Lottery for making this possible.  

“It is thanks to the voices of young people across the world that education is becoming a global priority for all of humanity – regardless of borders.  We will now move quickly to ensure we deliver education to refugee and displaced children with our new partner Theirworld.”