Ten-year-old Shadrac Anyazaka dreams of becoming President of the Republic, even as conflict reshapes the lives of children across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). His ambition, shared with classmates at a school in Ituri Province, is now being supported through a new US$10 million two-year program funded by the United Nations (UN)‘s Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund, according to UN News. The initiative will reach more than 62,000 crisis-affected children in Ituri Province, prioritizing girls, internally displaced children and the most vulnerable. It comes as violence in the east escalated sharply in 2025, threatening years of educational progress. The program aims to make education both a protective and stabilizing force.
Eastern DRC has faced decades of conflict, and recent attacks have forced tens of thousands of families to flee their homes. As of September 2025, an estimated 5.3 million people were internally displaced across the country. Schools have been destroyed or occupied by armed groups, exposing children to insecurity, hunger, trauma and protection risks. Nationwide, an estimated 6.4 million children remain out of school. Girls and children with disabilities are especially at risk.
While primary school enrollment in DRC increased by almost 70 percent between 2011 and 2020, renewed conflict in the east now threatens to undo that progress. Insecurity exposes children to grave protection risks, including recruitment by armed groups, gender-based violence, kidnapping and severe psychological trauma. Adolescent girls face heightened vulnerability when schools are unsafe, closed or located far from home. The new program builds on earlier efforts that have already benefited over 125,000 children. Those efforts included building or rehabilitating classrooms, teacher training, learning materials, school feeding and psychosocial support.
At Mabanga Primary School in Goma, new classrooms are transforming daily learning.
“I’m very happy to see the new classrooms being built because now I can study with my friends without being disturbed,” said 8-year-old Kennedy, watching construction underway.
For years, two classes were squeezed into a single space, making it nearly impossible for students to hear or concentrate. New and rehabilitated structures reduce overcrowding and create safer, more gender-responsive spaces. They also signal stability to communities recovering from violence.
Under the new program in Ituri, the approach goes beyond infrastructure to strengthen teacher capacity, expand mental health services, reinforce child protection systems and address gender-based violence risks. Alternative learning pathways, including catch-up programs, will ensure that children who have missed years of schooling are not left behind. Support for children with disabilities is also a priority. For another student, Jérémie, displaced by conflict and grieving family members killed in the fighting, the ambition is different: “I want to be a general so that I can advocate for peace in the country.” In eastern DRC, these aspirations remind observers that the country’s future already sits in its classrooms, or waits for them to be rebuilt.
