As countries around the world emerge from the pandemic, we have seen how COVID-19 has devastated many aspects of life. But the global disruption to education is without parallel, and its effects on learning have been severe. The crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt, with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion learners.

The World Bank defines learning poverty as “the share of children who cannot read a simple story by age 10.” Their research shows that 53% of children living in low-and-middle-income countries suffered from learning poverty before the pandemic. That number could increase to a staggering 70% given long school closures and the inaccessibility of remote learning for all.

If we do not act now to combat learning poverty, it will have a devastating impact on the well-being of this generation of children, youth, and their families.

Access to education continues to be a priority for CBM, as we know that it is one of the most important tools to end generational poverty. While the statistics emerging are devastating, with your assistance, there is hope.

Through CBM, you can support education and learning recovery programs in nine countries around the world.

You can stand in the gap and make sure kids get the education they need to build a better future.