Addis Ababa, October 11, 2022 (FBC) – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has launched the Play Matters Emergency Response Mechanism (PM ERM) for education in emergency response in the conflict-affected zones of the Amhara state.
Launching the project, IRC PlayMatters ERM Coordinator Yohannes Gebreselassie said that the project lasts for twelve months with the financial support of the LEGO Foundation and implemented by the IRC in collaboration with other nine international humanitarian agencies.
So far, the project will provide about 8 million USD in cash and in-kind support to rehabilitate 152 conflict-affected schools and school children in six zones of the state.
As to him, the project totally benefits more than 105,000 students, 8,000 teachers, educational personnel, and caregivers.
“The project solely targets to deliver a coordinated, rapid, and effective humanitarian response to the needs of children by focusing on their educational well-being, health, and safety.” Accordingly, the response includes school feeding, school rehabilitation, providing education materials, providing schools with safe water, enhancing community-based child protection, among others.
On his part, Amhara State Education Bureau Planning and Resource Mobilization Director Misganaw Awoke said that the project highly strengthens educational performance through solving educational inputs problem and encouraging children’s learning interest that was severely affected by the T-TPLF war against the motherland.
Education-related projects have a generation based benefit and change the lives of the community through directly or in-directly contributing in the social, economic, and political affairs of the country, he said.
According to EPA, various international humanitarian agencies like the IRC are playing an important role towards rehabilitating damaged schools and returning children to school in the regional state.