Chinese smartphone brand Tecno and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have announced an expanded three-year global partnership aimed at addressing education gaps.
The move, says a statement, builds on five years of collaboration between the organisations, targeting refugee children and youth across Africa with educational resources.
Since 2020, UNHCR and Tecno’s collaboration has provided more than 24 000 refugee children with improved educational infrastructure, and supported 40 DAFI tertiary scholarship programme scholars through their higher learning.
According to the statement, the new three-year commitment will continue to advance access to education and self-reliance for displaced communities in Africa.
“Education is a cornerstone of resilience and hope for displaced youth,” says Sophie Muller, UNHCR representative in China. “We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Tecno. Their commitment over the past five years has been instrumental in expanding access to education for refugee children in Africa.”
Of the 31.6 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, approximately 14.8 million are refugee children of school age. Their access to education is limited, with almost half of them unable to attend school at all.
In terms of initial support, the global partnership aims to benefit at least 18 000 refugee children and five DAFI scholars in 2025, notes the statement.
Over the next three years, the partnership aims to benefit 54 000 refugee children and 15 DAFI scholars through enhanced access to learning opportunities.
Jack Guo, general manager of Tecno, comments: “Education is the driving force in transforming the lives of refugees and fostering a promising future.
“By renewing our close collaboration with UNHCR, Tecno will continue to offer high-quality protection and educational support to refugee children and youth across Africa. This empowers them to unlock their full potential and contributes to the continent’s sustainable development.”
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