Safeguarding Cambodia's Future: US$40 Million BRACE Project

This vital US$40 million climate finance deal, co-funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), will support strengthening the education sector in the face of climate change in Cambodia, South Sudan, and Tonga. In Cambodia, BRACE will fortify increased climate resilience in the education system, primarily benefiting an estimated 1.27 million people, including hundreds of thousands of children, representing 20% of the population - across three provinces in Cambodia over the next five years. This critical investment comes as nearly 2.9 million Cambodian children are highly exposed to climate-related disasters annually, facing floods, storms, air pollution, water scarcity, and heat waves. Alarmingly, almost half of Cambodian children are exposed to four or more types of these severe shocks, leading to what Save the Children Country Director, Mr. Hong Reaksmey, powerfully describes as a 'silent child rights crisis'. Children themselves are acutely aware of these threats; a 2021 national consultation workshop involving 3,113 children and youths across 23 provinces revealed deep anxieties about losing their families' livelihoods, homes, and schools to drought and floods, particularly in areas already grappling with climate change impacts.

"Through BRACE, we collaborate with  MoEYS to build resilience by integrating disaster preparedness and environmental awareness into education, including pioneering eco-school models so children can learn in safer, greener schools," said Mr. Reaksmey.

The BRACE project aims to build safer and greener schools, embed climate change in the school curriculum, and ensure that climate information and early warning systems reach schools and children prior to climate and environmental shocks arise. 

Laura Frigenti,  Chief Executive Officer of Global Partnership for Education, said: “Our partnership testifies to the urgency of protecting children and their education from the impacts of extreme weather. To address this daunting challenge, we all need to come together to protect the most vulnerable children and give them the education they need so they can reinforce our fight against climate change.”

Henry Gonzalez, Chief Investment Officer of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), said: “The BRACE project is a groundbreaking systemic step integration of climate resilience within education systems. We are happy to see the project will bridge the gap between climate action and education, ensuring that children in Cambodia, South Sudan, and Tonga understand climate risk and risk-based decision making. Education is the foundation of resilience.”

Ultimately, this five-year, landmark project will galvanize Cambodia's education system, building unparalleled resilience against climate change. It will ensure that safer, greener schools become the norm, allowing children to continue learning without interruption, and unequivocally uphold every child's fundamental right to a quality, protected education, even in the face of our changing climate.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

1.    Mr. Chin Kethya, Communications and Donor Reporting Coordinator, Save the Children
Email: kethya.chin@savethechildren.org 
Tel: (+855) 092 551 508
2.    Ms. Yous Ratha, Communications Officer, Save the Children
Email: ratha.yous@savethechildren.org
Tel: (+855) 93 234 880
3.    Mr. Ros Chanborith, Head of Program Development, Quality and Impact, Save the Children
Email: chanborith.ros@savethechildren.org 
Tel: (+855) 12 676 239

Notes to Editors:
•    The project is primarily co-funded by a US$32 million grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and a US$8 million grant from the Global Partnership in Education (GPE)
•    This multi-country project will be implemented in South Sudan, Tonga, and Cambodia. In Cambodia, it is co-financed by the GPE Multiplier Grant through the World Bank and UNICEF. 
•    The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world's largest dedicated climate fund. GCF aims to foster a paradigm shift towards low-emission, climate-resilient development pathways in developing countries. GCF has a portfolio of projects and programs across more than 120 countries. It also has a readiness support program to build capacity and help countries develop long-term plans to fight climate change. The GCF is an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It serves as the 2015 Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping the average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.
•    The Global Partnership for Education is a shared commitment to ending the world’s learning crisis. GPE mobilizes partners and funds to support nearly 90 lower-income countries to transform their education systems so that every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world.
•    Save the Children Australia (SCA) in 2019 became the first development/humanitarian NGO accredited by the GCF, allowing the agency to partner with developing countries and apply for climate finance. Save the Children Australia has long been a leader in climate change programming for the global Save the Children movement and leverages its significant global network of specialist technical advisers working in climate change, disaster risk reduction, health, water and sanitation, livelihoods, agriculture, and food security to develop and deliver climate programs.
•    Save the Children International (SCI) is the world’s largest independent child rights organisation, working in more than 120 countries, and has been working in Cambodia since 1970. Our programmatic work involves the areas of early childhood care and development, basic education, child rights, child protection, health and nutrition, child poverty, climate change, and disaster risk reduction.