About the Partnership

Over 30 Partners Working Together for Children of Conflict

Tens of millions of children worldwide can't go to school because they are caught in the crossfire of war, are refugees or live in places healing from conflict or natural disasters. Even when they are able to go school, too often they don't have the trained teachers or basic supplies they need to succeed. These children fall through the cracks – there is just not enough funding to support the programs that help them rebuild their lives.

Co-chairs, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and Gene Sperling, Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations, founded the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict in 2006. Their goal was to bring together organizations, corporations, and foundations to create awareness about education for these children and rally resources to get them into quality, safe schools.

In 2007, at the Clinton Global Initiative, the idea came to life: 19 organizations made a commitment worth $148 million to educate 350,000 of the children out-of-school in conflict areas and help improve the quality of schooling for nearly 700,000 additional children.

The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict (EPCC) now connects over 40 organizations working to help children of conflict learn and heal. We believe that all children deserve quality schools and a chance to learn – most of all those who have seen the worst: war, violence, and disasters.

But there is still more that needs to be done. In the words of our co-chair, Angelina Jolie, "Every child has a right to an education. And conflict is not an excuse for us to ignore that right. If anything, it is the time that they need it the most."

Because the need for education in conflict areas is ongoing, we need to do more than just find funding for current programs. To assure all children will have access to education, we need to figure out the best ways to set up schools and keep them safe in difficult situations. We are working with our partners to create a network of information sharing and collaboration. By collecting and connecting this knowledge, everyone can benefit from best practices, new reports, and the approaches and programs that are working.

But we also want foundations, corporations, and individuals to get involved. With that in mind, we connect you with the work our partners are doing, so you can start changing lives right now and help lay the foundation for the future.

Get started. Learn about who we are, how we work, and what you can do to help these children rebuild their hope, lives, and nations.