CFAs: Improving Equitable and Quality Education Access for Refugees and Host Community Children (Congo DR)

Deadline: 30-Sep-2026

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is inviting NGOs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to submit concept notes for projects that improve equitable access to quality education for refugees and host community children affected by emergencies. The partnership opportunity responds to the significant disruption of education caused by forced displacement, insecurity, attacks on education, climate shocks, and pressure on education systems in host communities. The programme focuses on the progressive integration of forcibly displaced children and youth into national education systems while strengthening schools, authorities, education quality, equity, and pathways from primary education to secondary, higher, and vocational education.

About the UNHCR DRC Education Programme

The Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to experience a large-scale displacement crisis. This has placed considerable pressure on educational systems in communities hosting displaced populations. Children and young people affected by displacement may experience interruptions to their education and difficulties accessing or continuing learning. The programme aims to address these challenges by promoting inclusive education systems that allow displaced children and youth to access education alongside host communities while strengthening the capacity of authorities and schools. In areas affected by ongoing emergencies, adapted emergency education capacity will also be maintained. Main Objectives

The programme seeks to:

- Improve equitable access to quality education. - Support the inclusion of displaced children and youth in national education systems. - Strengthen education authorities and schools. - Improve education quality and equity. - Support continuity of learning during emergencies. - Develop coherent education pathways from primary to secondary education. - Support transitions to higher and vocational education. - Address barriers affecting girls, adolescents, and children with disabilities. - Strengthen autonomy and resilience among forcibly displaced and host populations. Education Challenges in the DRC Several factors continue to disrupt access to education for displaced and host community children.

Major barriers include:

- Direct and indirect schooling costs. - Limited availability of secondary education. - Repeated displacement. - Child labor. - Language barriers. - Curriculum barriers. - Insecurity. - Attacks on education. - Climate-related shocks. - Inequalities affecting girls. - Barriers affecting adolescents. - Limited inclusion of children with disabilities. - High student-teacher ratios. - Shortages of qualified teachers. - Insufficient teaching materials. These challenges can affect both access to education and the quality and continuity of learning. Progressive Integration into National Education Systems A central focus of the partnership is the progressive integration of forcibly displaced children and youth into national education systems. The approach supports sustainable inclusion rather than creating education pathways that remain separate from national systems. This includes strengthening the capacity of education authorities and schools to provide equitable and quality education to displaced and host community children. Successful integration can contribute to more sustainable access to education and support longer-term solutions for displaced populations. Supporting Education in Crisis Zones Education systems in crisis-affected areas face additional challenges caused by insecurity, displacement, and climate shocks. The programme therefore recognizes the continued need for adapted emergency education capacity in crisis zones. Emergency education approaches should help maintain learning opportunities when normal education services are disrupted. At the same time, the broader strategy seeks to connect emergency education with longer-term inclusion and integration into national systems. Target Populations The programme primarily targets displaced and affected children and youth, including: - Refugees. - Asylum seekers. - Stateless persons. - Host community children. The refugee population specifically includes people from countries such as: Internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and additional members of host communities may also be included where explicitly provided by UNHCR. Improving Education Equity The programme places strong emphasis on equitable access to education. Displacement can increase existing inequalities, particularly for girls, adolescents, and children with disabilities. Projects should therefore consider barriers that prevent different groups from accessing and continuing education. Equity-focused approaches should address the specific circumstances of children who face greater difficulties in enrolling, attending, progressing through, or completing education. Improving Education Quality Access alone is not sufficient if children do not receive quality learning opportunities. The programme therefore also focuses on strengthening education quality.

Important challenges include:

- High student-teacher ratios. - Shortages of qualified teachers. - Insufficient teaching and learning materials. Projects should contribute to stronger education systems and school capacity while supporting better learning conditions. Supporting Teachers and Schools Teachers and schools are essential to improving education quality. The programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of schools and authorities so they can better respond to the needs of displaced and host community children. Addressing teacher capacity and school-level constraints can contribute to improved learning environments and continuity of education. Education Pathways from Primary to Higher Education The programme aims to support coherent pathways across different levels of education.

These pathways include:

- Primary education. - Secondary education. - Higher education.