How can education save children in emergencies?

The unexpected priority: education in an emergency

Imagine this. You’re scrolling through your phone and a news alert flashes. Disaster has struck somewhere in the world. Whether it’s a storm, conflict, flood or food crisis, the situation is dire. People are struggling just to survive.

Within days, your inbox is flooded with emails from international aid organizations. They’re responding to the emergency and asking for your help. “You can provide life-saving essentials like food, water, shelter, medical care … and education,” they write.

Wait—education? Really? In an unfolding humanitarian crisis, how can education be considered a priority?

It’s a question that many of us might ask. I know I did, as a young journalist at CBC News. When disaster struck, I often interviewed charity workers from organizations like World Vision. Each time, I found myself puzzled by the emphasis on education in their responses.

But over time, as I moved away from the newsroom and joined World Vision, I started to understand why education is so important. Especially in the most desperate situations.

Why education matters

On International Literacy Day, September 8, let’s unpack why education is essential in humanitarian disasters. It’s not just about reading, writing, and arithmetic. It’s about survival, protection and hope. And in the chaos of a crisis, education can be a lifeline.

Take the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. When Canadian schools shuttered and lockdowns took effect, education became a critical part of our country’s emergency response. But just imagine if it hadn’t been.

• What if your child had rolled up her sleeve for a jab—but learned nothing about masks and handwashing?

• What if families had no way to learn about protecting youth and child mental health during lockdown?

• What if they had no access to online school, or resources to play and learn at home or outdoors?

• What if they had no access to people who could intervene, in situations of abuse during lockdown?
• What if parents lacked access to online courses, re-tooling them to provide for their children after losing livelihoods due to COVID?

The situation was far from perfect. But with no access to online school, resources for learning at home, or even guidance on how to cope with the crisis, the consequences in Canada could have been even more devastating.

Education as a shield

The Canadian lockdowns pale in comparison to ongoing crises in places like Ukraine, Sudan, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. In places already struggling for the basics, the need for education is even more pronounced when disaster strikes.

In any emergency—whether natural or man-made—education faces significant threats. Armed militia may destroy schools or use them for military purposes. Natural disasters, like floods, can make it impossible for children to reach their schools. In some cases, children have drowned while trying to cross flooded rivers to get to class.

When families are displaced by conflict or disaster, they leave behind their schools and teachers. Education is put on hold, for months or even years. Many children leave school altogether, working from a young age and entering a life of perpetual poverty. They have less to contribute to the future of their communities and countries.

Consider Syrian girls and boys, who’ve spent their childhoods living in refugee camps. Without ways to keep up with their learning, their future remains under attack. Or children in Latin America, whose families make multiple attempts to cross into the United States—only to be sent back each time.

“It’s important to keep them up to speed, so they don’t experience learning loss and can join the education system once they settle,” says Nancy Del Col, an education specialist with World Vision. “We create temporary learning spaces for children on the move. They can also access mental health support, protective services and reunite with families if they’ve become separated on the journey.”

A vital piece of the survival puzzle

And that’s the thing: education is more than just academics. It’s a source of stability and normalcy, a place where children can find safety and comfort in an emergency.

Schools can become hubs for distributing life essentials, like food, water, and hygiene kits. In many cases, the meals children receive at school are their only nutrition for the day. Also, many schools are equipped with taps or pumps for clean, safer water before disaster strikes—a precious resource in drought or flood.

Education is also about protection. In a crisis, children are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and mental and emotional trauma.

That’s why World Vision creates child-friendly spaces where children can engage in play-based learning, receive psychosocial support, and talk to counselors who can help them process their experiences. Play-based learning helps children laugh and relax while picking up skills and knowledge.

Equipping families for distance education

When traditional schooling isn’t possible, education takes on different forms. Learning packages, distributed in locations central to families on the move, can become crucial.

“We go to where the need is, providing supplies, perhaps giving books, or guidelines for play-based learning. We supply a lot of literacy and mental health support activities for parents and community volunteers, to help children cope with trauma, or learn about peacebuilding,” says Vongaishe Changamire, an education specialist with World Vision Canada.

All it takes is one literate person in a family to read the instructions in the learning packs and lead the activities, and education is underway. Even without a classroom.

In a humanitarian disaster, education can’t wait until things calm down. It’s a critical part of the unfolding response—standing alongside food, water, shelter and medical care as a foundation for survival and recovery.