EDC to Help Expand Access, Improve Education in Crisis Environments

WALTHAM, MA | EDC has been awarded two contracts by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) designed to improve equitable access to education among children and youth living amid crisis and conflict. On January 29, EDC President and CEO Luther Luedtke will join USAID officials to introduce the new initiatives at the United States Institute for Peace in Washington, D.C.

The first of these initiatives, USAID’s Advancing Basic Education: Access for All (ABE ACCESS) IDIQ (Indefinite Quantity, Indefinite Delivery Contract), will provide technical expertise and implementation support to USAID missions and offices in addressing their education objectives in environments affected by crisis or conflict. ABE ACCESS is a multiple-award IDIQ contract with a ceiling of $500 million. EDC is one of six awardees under this contract.

The second contract, Building Evidence and Capacity to Increase Equitable Access to Education in Crisis and Conflict-Affected Environments, funds a nine-member support team to provide direct education-related technical support to USAID. It will build the USAID Education in Crisis and Conflict Network (USAID ECCN), an active community of practice among USAID and its partners in crisis and conflict-affected environments.

Together, these initiatives aim to improve policy, programming, and practice around education in crisis and conflict-affected environments. The goal is better and more equitable access to education for 15 million young learners worldwide.

“Children in crisis and conflict environments around the world will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this new kind of collaboration,” said EDC Vice President Nancy Devine. “We look forward to working closely with our colleague organizations to expand the collective impact of our education programming in the world’s most challenging locations.”

Learn more about the launch event.

EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Visit www.edc.org.