Young Refugees in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia suffer from pressured education systems

Refugee education systems across East Africa, that is including in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, continue to face structural pressures linked to displacement, limited infrastructure and resource constraints.

Within this regional context, a newly forged partnership is set out to contribute efforts to strengthen foundational learning and create pathways for the three countries, allowing more than 50,000 refugee children and young people to continue and progress in their education.

One year into their expanded global partnership, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Tecno Mobile are translating shared commitments into tangible education outcomes for refugee children and young people across Africa.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Tecno partnership is supporting access to safer learning environments, helping children remain in school, and contributing to longer‑term pathways toward self‑reliance, through sustained investment in primary and higher education.

Under the three‑year partnership launched in 2025, UNHCR and TECNO committed to supporting more than 54,000 refugee children through improved access to primary education, alongside 15 refugee scholars through the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI) scholarship programme.

During the first year, efforts focused on turning these commitments into practical support in refugee‑hosting contexts.

In 2025, the partnership delivered measurable improvements on the ground, particularly in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Support contributed to the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, helping create safer and more conducive learning environments for refugee children.

More than 18,000 learners received essential learning materials, including textbooks and school kits, while targeted financial assistance enabled vulnerable students to enrol in school and continue their education.

For many students, these changes translate into a daily difference in how learning takes place — and whether it does at all.

“When it rains, everything gets wet, and sometimes we have to stop classes,” says Irahoze, a refugee student who attended primary school in Tanzania where lessons were once held outdoors. “When the classes can continue, it makes it easier to concentrate and keep going.”

Investments under the partnership have also supported teacher training, school operations and parent–teacher engagement. These efforts are strengthening education delivery in under‑resourced settings and improving both access to learning and education quality.

Across the education continuum, the UNHCR and TECNO partnership supports both foundational learning and higher‑education pathways.

High‑impact primary education initiatives focus on improving learning environments, supporting teachers and strengthening student retention.

In parallel, continued support to the DAFI scholarship programme enables refugee youth to access tertiary education and work toward employment and self‑reliance.

For refugee students transitioning to further education, schooling represents more than academic progress.

“I am excited and scared at the same time,” says Bisharo Mohamed, a refugee student from Kenya preparing to attend secondary school outside the Dadaab refugee camp for the first time.

“I want to do well and make my family proud.”

At the tertiary level, the partnership contributes to UNHCR’s global 15by30 target, which aims to increase refugee enrolment in higher education to 15 per cent by 2030.

Since its inception, the DAFI programme has supported more than 27,200 refugee students across 59 countries, with growing graduation and employment outcomes.

As the partnership progresses, UNHCR and TECNO remain focused on adapting support to evolving needs on the ground across Africa — strengthening teaching capacity, improving school infrastructure, and reinforcing links between education and longer‑term self‑reliance for refugee youth.