New York, NY, May 27, 2026 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the LEGO Foundation today announced a five-year $97 million partnership to expand early learning support for more than five million children affected by conflict and crisis across East Africa and the Middle East by integrating play-based early learning into national education, health, and early childhood services.
More than 400 million children live in or are fleeing conflict zones where disrupted schooling, toxic stress, food insecurity, and limited access to early learning threaten their development. At the same time, financing for education and early childhood development (ECD) programs is limited. Less than 4% of aid to crisis-affected countries supports early childhood development—despite strong evidence that early investment has the highest returns.
“This is a landmark commitment by the LEGO Foundation, which provides hope to millions of children, and I hope will inspire philanthropists to think big and follow the evidence,” said David Miliband, President and CEO at the IRC. “For the millions of children growing up in conflict zones, disruption—not development—is the order of the day. Through this partnership, the IRC and the LEGO Foundation are embedding proven, playful learning into national systems, moving from helping children cope with crisis to giving them a real chance to thrive—at scale and over time.”
This partnership will enable the IRC, the LEGO Foundation, government and non-government partners to transform how children affected by crises across East Africa and the Middle East are supported to learn, develop, and thrive. Built on two pillars, the initiative will provide holistic support for over five million children, including:
- School-aged children (ages 3-12+): strengthening pre-primary and primary education systems by integrating playful learning into teaching and learning practices, improving teaching quality, and supporting children’s holistic learning and well-being.
- Young children (ages 0-8): scaling proven early childhood development approaches that strengthen responsive caregiving, early learning, psychosocial well-being, and nurturing care from pregnancy through age eight.
The partnership will support children from before they are born through early school years, helping ensure they receive consistent care and learning opportunities. Drawing on proven models such as PlayMatters, Ahlan Simsim, and Play to Learn, the IRC and the LEGO Foundation will strengthen national systems—integrating playful learning into education, building the capacity of teachers, education administrators and caregivers, and strengthening the provision of early childhood development. Grounded in evidence from programs that have demonstrated measurable gains in children’s learning and development, the model of this partnership is designed to deliver impact at scale while ensuring continuity during periods of crisis.
“Every child deserves the chance to learn, develop and thrive—no matter the circumstances they are growing up in,” said Sidsel Marie Kristensen, CEO at the LEGO Foundation. “Through our long-standing partnership with IRC, we are supporting children affected by conflict and crisis with learning and play experiences they need to build resilience and continue to grow. Together, we are building on years of collaboration to reach millions of children with approaches that deliver meaningful impact at scale.”
For the implementation of this partnership, the IRC and the LEGO Foundation will prioritize contexts with large populations of crisis-affected children, where the IRC can leverage its already strong operational presence and where there are opportunities to engage with national systems to support scale and sustainability. The countries considered for implementation include Ethiopia, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Uganda.
With this partnership, the IRC and the LEGO Foundation will shift existing models by designing a funding model that is:
- Holistic and system-embedded by design: integrating proven child development interventions into national education, health, nutrition, social protection, and economic development systems, rather than being delivered as stand-alone projects.
- Grounded in evidence, oriented to scale: the partnership will support programs that have demonstrated impact and are positioned for government uptake and long-term sustainability.
- Locally led, globally connected: the implementation will be carried out with local and national partners, while aligning with high-reach regional and global platforms.
- Built for continuity in crisis: comprehensive emergency response mechanisms will be incorporated to safeguard gains and prevent regression when shocks, such as hurricanes, droughts, flooding, and conflict occur.
This partnership builds on existing work, evidence, and systems engagement from more than seven years of collaboration. Since 2019, the IRC and the LEGO Foundation have built and strengthened play-powered pathways to development, learning, and resilience for children living in conflict and crisis. To date, through eight projects, the IRC and the LEGO Foundation have reached more than seven million children across 12 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
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Note to editors:
- Find more information about this partnership on: https://www.rescue.org/IRC-and-LEGO-Foundation