Basic Education Network-Ethiopia (BEN-E) will focus advocacy efforts on increasing education financing to enhance access to education. The project will further focus on three target areas: to improve quality education in emergency situations; gender equity in education; and inclusive education.  

• Education in emergency situations: Ethiopia is marked by increasing natural disasters and internal conflicts, which has resulted in the displacement of approximately 4,51 million people across the country. Among these 1,39 million are school aged kids, who face substantial barriers to accessing education. 

• Gender equity: The education system also faces persistent challenges of equity and gender equality. Female enrolment rates are low, and a likewise low number of female teachers make up a gap of role models for schoolgirls. Girls’ education is generally challenged by a broad range of institutional, socio-economic, and cultural factors. 

• Inclusive education: 17.6 % of the Ethiopian population live with various types of impairments. Enrolment rates for children with special educational needs (SEN) are low at all levels, due to lacking favourable school environments and facilities, lack of community awareness and qualified teachers, as well as long distances to schools. 

To tackle these issues, the BEN-E project will work to advocate for emergency affected school aged girls and boys to have access to protective, inclusive, and equipped learning spaces, such as improved school spaces and classrooms, and WASH-facilities. The project will also hold policy consultations with various actors of the education system and civil society, and finally, work to secure the provision of learning supplies, early childhood care and recreational kits, including specific supplies for children with disabilities. 

To enhance girls access to quality and relevant education, the project will conduct evidence-based advocacy and undertake awareness raising workshops with members of BEN-E, targeting regional education bureaus and district education offices. Using the gathered evidence, the organisation will work towards increasing the budget for girls’ enrolment. 

Further, the project will assess the status for children with disabilities and their right to quality education. By creating a situational assessment, and conducting campaigns, awareness raising and involving relevant stakeholders in policy level consultation meetings and trainings, the project is expected to contribute to improved awareness and quality of inclusive education in Ethiopia. 

The project is building on efforts made in the previous phase, implemented between April 2022 – December 2023. During the previous phase BEN-E has especially established good working relations to relevant stakeholders and local government authorities. This will help facilitate the implementation of the project, and together with participatory activities and capacity building of partners at local level, the project results will be sustained beyond the implementation period. 

A previous phase of the project was carried out between April 2022 – December 2023. The current project is part of the EOL extension phase of 2024-2026. Read more about the previous phase of the project here.