The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Education Above All (EAA), working through its Educate a Child (EAC) program, signed an agreement to formalize joint efforts to support and improve access to quality basic education in Haiti. The partners are specifically targeting out-of-school children and at-risk students.
A contribution of $2.95 million from EAC will finance tuition waivers that expand access to primary school and will help retain and newly enroll 12,000 out-of-school children over the next two years. The partners are placing special emphasis on reaching the southern part of Haiti, which was most heavily affected by the August 2021 earthquake. The project will be executed by the Ministry of Education and Professional Development of Haiti, through the Unité de Coordination de Projet.
The collaboration also features a climate resilience education initiative to promote civism through practice, involving schools and communities in environmental protection activities that are particularly crucial for Haiti considering its propensity to extreme weather events. The contribution will also complement a $50 million IDB loan targeting the northern part of the country.
This partnership is made possible through a Framework Agreement that was previously signed by IDB and EEA, in which both organizations confirmed their commitment to accelerate the enrollment and retention of out-of-school children and at-risk students in quality primary education in Latin America and the Caribbean. These joint efforts are also framed within the priorities established by Vision 2025: Reinvest in the Americas, the IDB’s blueprint for driving recovery, economic growth and social progress in the region.
“This project represents a remarkable milestone in our partnership with Education Above All an important platform for empowering children and families in Haiti. It is reflective of our commitment to protecting the right of children to access quality basic education, as well to forging collaborations that tap the expertise, resources and innovation of critical partners like EEA,” remarked IDB President, Mauricio-Claver Carone.
About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public- and private-sector clients throughout the region.
About Education Above All
Education Above All is an international foundation founded in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser in Qatar, that brings together programs that provide educational opportunities, with a special commitment to communities facing poverty and crisis. EAA works to ensure equal access to education and to harness the power of quality education for positive, sustainable and inclusive change.
Educate a Child (EAC) is one of the EAA’s programs that supports the hardest-to-reach out of school children around the world facing barriers to education including poverty, discrimination, conflict, challenging geographies and climate change.
IDB Press Office
