LAGOS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) on Wednesday announced the approval of 250 million U.S. dollars to help combat the COVID-19 outbreak in 39 African countries and 28 other developing nations.
There are 67 developing countries eligible for COVID-19 funding, said GPE in a statement sent to Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, noting that 39 eligible countries are in Africa.
The move, which was approved at an exceptional virtual meeting of the GPE's Board of Directors on Tuesday, will help developing countries mitigate both the immediate and long-term disruptions to education being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.
The GPE added that the funds will help sustain learning for up to 355 million children, with a focus on ensuring that girls and poor children, who will be hit the hardest by school closures, can continue their education.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is creating an education emergency that could have devastating impacts on children in developing countries," said Julia Gillard, GPE Board Chair.
"Unless we act now to support education systems, millions of vulnerable children, especially the poorest girls, may not be able to resume learning when this crisis is over," the GPE chief added.
According to the GPE, 630 million children are out of school in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Of the 67 countries eligible for the GPE funds, 63 have already closed schools nationwide in response to the pandemic.
This has already cut more than 350 million children off from learning, but also from other vital services provided through schools, including health care and nutritious meals.
"We are stepping up to mitigate the impacts that school closures in developing countries will have on the most vulnerable children," said Alice Albright, GPE's chief executive officer.
The 250 million dollars has been made available by re-purposing uncommitted funds, with an expectation that additional funding will be required to help developing countries keep their education systems going through the pandemic and assist children who are vulnerable as a result of school closures.
