The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an education emergency of unprecedented scale. In developing countries, which were already facing a learning crisis before the pandemic, 126 million children are cut off from schools.
GPE has quickly mobilized more than US$500 million to support partner countries with planning and implementing their response to the pandemic. This funding is helping governments sustain learning for up to 355 million children in 66 countries.
GPE is working across the partnership to promote coordinated responses that are country-driven, aligned behind government priorities, and to share information and experiences.
Our response
Between April and October 2020, GPE approved $467 million in COVID-19 accelerated grants to 66 countries and another $25 million for a global grant to UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank.
Grant allocations by category
(in US$ millions)
Distance learning methods
(in US$ millions)
The country grants help ensure that girls and children from the poorest families, who have been hit hardest by school closures, are not left behind.
- Grants support partner countries' response in:
- Equity: Hygiene and psychosocial support programs, with priority for the most vulnerable children, including children with disabilities.
- Learning: Distance learning initiatives, provision of learning materials, support to teachers in distance and accelerated remedial learning programs.
- System resilience and school reopening: Preparations for the reopening of schools by ensuring that students and teachers can return to safe education facilities.
- 41% of the grants support low tech solutions for distance learning (radio and TV); 35% support printed materials, and 24% support e-learning.
Result stories
COVID-19 grants
- 66 grants have been approved for US$467 million
- US$25 million have been approved for a joint initiative by UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank to ensure regional and global efficiencies and knowledge sharing.
Click on each country in the table below to learn more about each COVID-19 grant and related documentation
More information on COVID-19 grants
View data on COVID-19 and education
Approved grants
Country | Amount (US$ M) | Grant agent |
---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 11 | UNICEF |
Bangladesh | 15 | World Bank |
Burkina Faso | 7 | AFD |
Benin | 7 | World Bank |
Bhutan | 0.75 | Save the Children |
Burundi | 7 | UNICEF |
Cabo Verde | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Cambodia | 7 | UNICEF |
Cameroon | 11 | UNESCO |
Central African Republic | 7 | UNICEF |
Chad | 7 | World Bank |
Comoros | 0.75 | UNICEF |
DR Congo | 15 | UNICEF |
Republic of Congo | 7 | UNICEF |
Cote d'Ivoire | 11 | UNICEF |
Djibouti | 3.5 | World Bank |
Ethiopia | 15 | World Bank |
The Gambia | 3.5 | World Bank |
Ghana | 15 | World Bank |
Guinea | 7 | UNICEF |
Guinea Bissau | 3.5 | UNICEF |
Guyana | 3.5 | UNICEF |
Haiti | 7 | UNICEF |
Kenya | 11 | World Bank |
Kiribati | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Lao PDR | 7 | UNICEF |
Lesotho | 3.47 | UNICEF |
Liberia | 7 | UNICEF |
Madagascar | 15 | World Bank |
Malawi | 10 | UNICEF |
Maldives | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Mali | 7 | World Bank |
Marshall Islands | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Mauritania | 3.5 | IsDB |
FS Micronesia | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Mozambique | 15 | UNICEF |
Myanmar | 11 | UNICEF |
Nepal | 11 | World Bank |
Nicaragua | 7 | World Bank |
Niger | 11 | AFD/UNICEF |
Nigeria | 15 | UNICEF |
OECS (Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) | 3 | OECS |
Pakistan | 20 | World Bank |
Papua New Guinea | 9.44 | UNICEF |
Rwanda | 10 | World Bank |
Sao Tome and Principe | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Samoa | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Senegal | 7 | AFD |
Sierra Leone | 7 | World Bank |
Solomon Islands | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Somalia (Federal Government) | 5.4 | Save the Children |
Somalia (Puntland) | 1.3 | UNICEF |
Somalia (Somaliland) | 2.2 | Save the Children |
South Sudan | 7 | UNICEF |
Sudan | 11 | World Bank |
Tanzania | 15.16 | SIDA |
Tanzania (Zanzibar) | 1.5 | UNICEF |
Timor-Leste | 3.5 | UNICEF |
Togo | 7 | World Bank |
Tonga | 0.75 | Save the Children |
Tuvalu | 0.75 | UNICEF |
Uganda | 15 | World Bank |
Vanuatu | 0.75 | Save the Children |
Yemen | 11 | ISDB |
Zambia | 10 | UNICEF |
Zimbabwe | 7 | UNICEF |
TOTAL | 467.22 |
Last updated: November 2, 2020
Timeline
- March 6
- March 11
- By March 16
- March 25
- By March 30
- April 1
- April 7
- April 13
- April 22
- April 28
- May 5
- May 11
- May 14
- May 15
- May 28
- June 1
- June 3
- June 5
- June 8
- June 10
- June 15
- June 16
- June 17
- June 18
- June 19
- June 23
- June 24
- June 25
- June 26
- June 30
- July 2
- July 9
- July 15
- July 17
- July 23
- July 30
- August 5
- August 26
- September 11
- September 30
- October 13
- October 22
- October 28
- October 30
-
March 6
COVID-19 task team established
-
March 11
WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic
-
By March 16
1/3 of GPE partner countries have closed schools nationally
-
March 25
US$8.8 million announced for UNICEF to help 87 countries with COVID-19 response planning
-
By March 30
UNICEF country offices in 87 countries receive GPE planning grant
-
April 1
US$250 million announced for a new COVID-19 accelerated funding window to benefit 67 countries
-
April 7
Guidelines published for accessing COVID-19 accelerated funding window
-
April 13
64 of 68 partner countries have closed schools nationally
-
April 22
First tranche of US$25 million global/regional grant approved for UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank
-
April 28
Grant approved for Rwanda
-
May 05
Grant approved for Zambia
-
May 11
Grant approved for Ghana
-
May 14
Grant approved for Mozambique
-
May 15
Grant approved for Malawi
-
May 28
Grants approved for Somalia (Federal Government), Pakistan, Madagascar, Papua-New-Guinea and Tanzania
-
June 1
-
June 3
Grant approved for Timor-Leste
-
June 5
-
June 8
Grants approved for Guinea, Nepal and The Gambia
-
June 10
Grant approved for Burundi
-
June 15
Grants approved for Kenya, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone
-
June 16
Grant approved for Senegal
-
June 17
Grant approved for Lesotho
-
June 18
Grant approved for Benin
-
June 19
Grants approved for Afghanistan, Lao PDR, Nigeria, South Sudan and Sudan
-
June 23
Grant approved for Cabo Verde
-
June 24
Grants approved for Liberia, Tanzania Zanzibar, Myanmar, and Somalia Puntland
-
June 25
Grants approved for Vanuatu, Central African Republic, and Cote d'Ivoire
-
June 26
Grant approved for Uganda
-
June 30
Grants approved for Burkina Faso, Haiti, Djibouti and Niger
-
July 2
Grants approved for Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe and Togo
-
July 9
Grant approved for DR Congo
-
July 15
Grant approved for Maldives
-
July 17
Grant approved for Cameroon
-
July 23
Grant approved for the Republic of Congo
-
July 30
Grant approved for Mali
-
August 5
Grant approved for Cambodia
-
August 26
Grants approved for Bhutan and Somalia (Somaliland)
-
September 11
Grant approved for Chad
-
September 30
Grant approved for Yemen
-
October 13
Grant approved for Mauritania
-
October 22
Grants approved for Kiribati, Marshall Islands, FS Micronesia and Solomon Islands
-
October 28
-
October 30
Grant approved for Samoa
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