Empowering Displaced Children through Innovative Education Interventions: A Study in Ethiopia

Ethiopia faces one of the world’s largest internal displacement crises, hosting over 4.38 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) across 3,300 sites. Conflict, violence, and natural disasters have disrupted the lives of millions, with children being particularly affected. Internal displacement severely hinders access to education, especially early childhood learning, thereby diminishing long-term human capital and perpetuating cycles of poverty and illiteracy. Existing schools are unable to absorb displaced children, while returning to home communities remains infeasible due to protracted instability. This project aims to design and refine an innovative intervention that provides educational access to displaced children through the establishment of satellite schools within IDP camps. These schools will be managed by trained displaced teachers and parents, ensuring locally driven and context-sensitive education delivery. The study will also lay the groundwork for a future Randomized Control Trial (RCT) to rigorously evaluate the intervention’s effectiveness. By addressing educational exclusion among IDP children, the project contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.6, which promotes literacy and numeracy for all. It also strengthens social resilience and supports inclusive national development. Moreover, the participatory approach empowers displaced communities through training and leadership roles. The project will produce a refined intervention design, identify research and implementation partners, and select suitable displacement sites based on needs assessment data. Ultimately, it will generate a pilot proposal to test the feasibility of satellite schools, paving the way for scalable, evidence-based education solutions for Ethiopia’s displaced children.