INTERNATIONAL: Thousands of pupils return to school in countries where Christians face extinction
Thousands of children in conflict-hit countries where Christianity is facing extinction will be sat at desks studying thanks to aid from a Catholic charity.
Children and teenagers across Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Syria, Lebanon and other high-pressure states are returning to education supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
ACN (UK) national director Dr Caroline Hull said: “ACN remains committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible receive quality tuition, not simply to promote education, but as part of urgent efforts to help Christian families remain in their homelands in the face of persecution, displacement, and even the threat of extinction.
“A school in these regions is more than a place of learning – it is a refuge, a sign of stability, a way to support the local Church as it shoulders the immense burden of ensuring education continues and providing a reason for hope that Christian communities can survive and rebuild in lands where their future is under grave threat.”
ACN’s support is broad – from providing equipment such as computers and printers to Christ the King Primary School, in Yei Diocese, South Sudan to building schools for internally displaced Christians in Burkina Faso.
In Pakistan some schools were provided with solar panels to make them self-sufficient and cut down on energy expenses, while ACN also helped fund a programme to get children who had abandoned their studies to return.
Around 200 Iraqi students in Jordan were able to continue their education in the Messengers of Peace School, in Marka, Amman, thanks to the charity.
In Syria, where civil war has blighted the region since 2011, help has included emergency support which allowed more than 20 schools to continue to operate, including those run by Orthodox Churches, and ACN’s help allowed several hundred teachers to receive salaries.
Lebanon has suffered significant instability over the past decade, including a crippling financial crisis, long-term political and social instability, the 2020 Beirut port explosion which levelled an entire neighbourhood in the capital and multiple conflicts with Israel.
According to statistics obtained by ACN, more than 17,000 students are believed to have left Christian schools in recent years because of instability in the country.
Many of them moved to state-run schools because they could no longer afford the tuition in private Christian schools, and a large number left the country with their families.
The charity has supported 191 Church-run schools in Lebanon, which are attended by more than 170,000 pupils and where more than 11,000 teachers and pupils received direct aid.
Dr Hull said: “The foundation’s support is an important factor in stemming the exodus of Christians from conflict-ridden countries and gives hope to generations of people for years to come.”
In the 2024-2025 academic year, 3,895 teachers benefitted from stipends provided by ACN and 12,373 students received direct scholarships from the foundation in eight countries.