Floods Leave 10 Mln Children out of School in West, Central Africa

A recent report from the humanitarian organization Save the Children reveals that devastating floods across West and Central Africa have deprived 10 million children of access to education.

The massive floods, driven by unprecedented rainfall, have exacerbated existing challenges in the region's education sector, prompting the organization to urge global donors to provide urgent support to the affected populations.

The organization stressed the need for immediate alternatives for children unable to attend school and called for measures to protect educational institutions from future climate-related disasters.

According to Save the Children, the floods have severely impacted countries like Nigeria, Mali, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to the destruction of schools, the displacement of families into school buildings, and making access to education increasingly difficult.

In addition to the 10 million children now displaced from schools due to flooding, more than 36 million children in the region are already out of school due to conflict or poverty, including over 21 million in Nigeria alone, based on data from UNESCO.

Since the start of the rainy season, heavy downpours across West and Central Africa have triggered widespread flooding in countries such as Chad, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea, and Cameroon.

These floods have claimed hundreds of lives, displaced millions, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and livestock.