Contributing to avoiding a lost generation - Education Development Fund III (Phase 4)

active

In order to help alleviate the greatest hardship for vulnerable groups in Zimbabwe, especially children, and to strengthen the structural basis of schools in Zimbabwe to better deal with crises caused, for example, by El Niño phenomena, EUR 10 million will be made available through the Education Development Fund (EDF) for Zimbabwe, managed by UNICEF. These measures complement ongoing activities amounting to EUR 54 million. The current EDF II (2016 - 2021) offers an established platform for the rapid and effective implementation of the measures, particularly through the application-based School Improvement Grants component. In this component, schools have the opportunity to plan and apply for measures to improve school structures as part of school development plans, also in order to better prepare for crises and external shocks such as drought or hunger. The funds provided are intended in particular to provide the opportunity to implement long-term, structure-building measures. The focus is primarily on resilience-enhancing measures, such as the construction of wells and water pipes for a safe water supply, the improvement of hygienic conditions through WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and the provision of Emergency School Improvement Grants (SIGs) for schools. In its current phase, the EDF envisages a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) component that aims to strengthen national risk reduction structures, e.g. through the further development of disaster risk mitigation strategies at school system level and the development of a national DRR strategy. To strengthen resilience, support through psychosocial support (PSS) will also be increasingly promoted in the future, e.g. through training for teachers, the integration of PSS measures into the curriculum and also PSS for teachers (Caring-for-the-Carer) and students.