{"id":138507,"date":"2026-04-21T10:02:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/unicef-warns-climate-impacts-on-education-could-lead-to-ksh-49t-in-lost-earnings-across-eastern-southern-africa\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:02:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:02:53","slug":"unicef-warns-climate-impacts-on-education-could-lead-to-ksh-49t-in-lost-earnings-across-eastern-southern-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/unicef-warns-climate-impacts-on-education-could-lead-to-ksh-49t-in-lost-earnings-across-eastern-southern-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"UNICEF warns climate impacts on education could lead to Ksh.49T in lost earnings across Eastern, Southern Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Climate-related disasters have already cost education systems in Eastern and Southern Africa <\/strong>49.4 trillion Kenyan shillings <\/strong>($1.3 billion) in direct loss and damage to schools and teaching infrastructure, and disrupted learning for 130 million children, according to a new new report.<\/p>\n

The UNICEF and Dalberg report, Protecting Children\u2019s Learning Futures: Quantifying Climate-Related Loss and Damage in Eastern and Southern Africa\u00a0estimates these disruptions have resulted in up to $140 billion in lost future earnings, which could rise to $380 billion by 2050 as climate impacts intensify and affect up to 520 million students.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren are paying the highest price for a crisis they did not create,\u201d said Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. \u201cFor the first time, this report shows the scale of climate-related loss and damage to education, yet the impact on children remain largely invisible in financing decisions. This must change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UNICEF and Dalberg report includes in-depth analysis from Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia and Zambia, demonstrating how increasing and more intense extreme weather events including floods, droughts, cyclones and heatwaves are destroying school infrastructure, forcing children out of classrooms, and disproportionately affecting girls, children with disabilities, and marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

Zambia\u2019s experience illustrates the scale and human toll. Between 2005 and 2024, floods and droughts disrupted learning for 5 million students and caused USD 60 million in immediate education infrastructure losses, while reducing future earnings by up to USD 5 billion.<\/p>\n

The severe 2023\u20132024 El Ni\u00f1o drought in Southern Africa, one of the worst in decades, left nearly 10 million people without food, water, or power, forcing schools to reduce hours, close temporarily, or send students home early. Rural children and girls were disproportionately affected, with many dropping out to support family livelihoods or facing increased child marriage risks.<\/p>\n

Despite these impacts, education receives less than 1.5 per cent of global climate finance, leaving education systems exposed to repeated cycles of loss and recovery. The UNICEF and Dalberg analysis shows that strengthening schools to withstand climate shocks not only protects education but delivers strong economic returns, with every $1 invested generating up to $13 in benefits by reducing damage and interruptions, safeguarding learning continuity, and preserving children\u2019s long-term development and productivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout stronger prioritization in climate finance, education will continue to bear the brunt of climate impacts, driving repeated disruption,\u201d continued Kadilli. \u201cWe must design education systems that anticipate shocks, protect early and foundational learning, and keep schools open. Otherwise, the true cost of climate loss and damage will be measured in lost human potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the FRLD Board meets in Livingstone later this week, recognizing children not only as those most affected, but as rights-holders with needs, capacities and voices that must shape recovery and resilience, is essential. To protect children\u2019s futures and further advance Africa\u2019s long-term development, UNICEF urges governments, donors, and climate funds to;<\/p>\n

Strengthen the integration of education within national climate frameworks: Explicitly reference education in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to help unlock access to climate and loss and damage financing.<\/p>\n

Apply a climate risk lens to domestic education financing: Ensure budget allocations to education are climate informed, prioritizing the critical, foundational stage of learning for children and continuity of education in the face of climate shocks.<\/p>\n

Scale and target international climate finance for education: Ensure major climate funds, including the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), allocate dedicated resources to education, with FRLD specifically supporting unavoidable losses when climate impacts exceed what education systems can adapt to.<\/p>\n

The post UNICEF warns climate impacts on education could lead to Ksh.49T in lost earnings across Eastern, Southern Africa<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Climate-related disasters have already cost education systems in Eastern and Southern Africa 49.4 trillion Kenyan shillings ($1.3 billion) in direct loss and damage to schools and teaching infrastructure, and disrupted learning for 130 million children, according to a new new report. The UNICEF and Dalberg report, Protecting Children\u2019s Learning Futures: Quantifying Climate-Related Loss and Damage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138507\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}