Cameroon: 60% gap in funding for education is putting girls at risk of forced marriage and abuse, warns IRC

Yaoundé, Cameroon, March 23, 2026 - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is warning that girls in conflict-affected areas of northern Cameroon are the hidden victims of the ongoing crises. Violence, school closures, and severe funding shortfalls are leaving them increasingly vulnerable to poverty, exploitation, and gender-based violence.

Years of conflict have had a devastating impact on education and protection systems in the country, which have been further exacerbated by recent budget cuts. With a funding gap of 60% for education, more than 4,000 schools remain closed or non-functional in conflict-affected zones, depriving thousands of children of safe learning opportunities.

To address disruptions to education, the IRC has expanded its accelerated learning programs, enrolling more than 1,300 girls in formal and non-formal education in the Far North region. These programmes enable children who have missed years of schooling due to displacement or insecurity to catch up and transition back into formal education pathways.

For girls, being out of school increases the likelihood of early forced marriage, child labor and child exploitation and long-term economic hardship. The invisibility of Cameroon's crises on the global stage further reinforces this situation, limiting support and resources for affected communities.

Antoinette Chibi, IRC Country Director for Cameroon and the Central African Republic, said:

"In Cameroon, for a young girl living in a conflict zone, a pen is much more than a writing instrument; it is her bulletproof vest against poverty and forced marriage.

Yet what I see on the ground is a severe funding shortfall, particularly in education, and it has real consequences for these girls' futures.

Our role today is to remind everyone that stability in Central Africa depends on our ability to ensure learning continuity and leave no one behind: especially young girls and women in Cameroon."