UNHCR, Tecno extend partnership to boost education access for Africa's refugee youth

NAIROBI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Tecno, a flagship technology brand of China's Transsion Holdings, on Tuesday announced an expanded three-year global partnership to improve access to education for refugee children and youth in sub-Saharan Africa.

Tecno said in a statement that the extended partnership with the UNHCR will benefit 54,000 refugee children on the continent through enhanced access to quality learning opportunities.

Building on five years of collaboration between the two organizations, the partnership will provide support to UNHCR's two education initiatives: the Primary Impact Program and the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI) Tertiary Scholarship Program.

Under the partnership, the UNHCR and Tecno will promote access to quality education among refugee children and youth in the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, epicenters of conflicts and civilian displacement.

"Education is a cornerstone of resilience and hope for displaced youth," said Sophie Muller, UNHCR representative in China.

She said a partnership with Tecno in the past five years has been pivotal in expanding access to education among children and youth affected by conflicts and natural calamities in Africa.

TECNO said the partnership between the organizations has, since 2020, reached more than 24,000 refugee minors with improved education infrastructure and supported 40 DAFI scholars through higher learning. Under the expanded partnership, at least 18,000 refugee children and five DAFI scholars will benefit in 2025. Enditem