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Children in African Countries Experiencing Persecution Benefit from Catholic Charity’s “back to school” Support

Credit: ACN
Agnes Aineah

By Agnes Aineah

Dablo, 26 August, 2025 / 8:49 pm (ACI Africa).

The Catholic Pontifical and charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, has unveiled a variety of education funded programs for children in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and other countries, where the foundation says “Christian communities are in danger of extinction.”

The programs, including direct scholarships, also target children and teachers in countries grappling with political instabilities such as South Sudan.

In a Monday, August 24 report, the charity foundation acknowledges that in crisis-hit countries, institutions of learning are a refuge and “a sign of stability”.

“From kindergartens to universities, many students are receiving an education thanks to ACN-funded programmes in crisis-hit countries around the world, where Christian communities are in danger of extinction,” ACN says.

It adds, “As a new school year begins in many parts of the world, thousands of children in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Syria, Lebanon, and other crisis-hit countries face great obstacles to returning to the classroom. For them, schooling is often made possible thanks to the support of Aid to the Church in Need.” 

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The charity foundation reports that 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.

The support, ACN says, is 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.

ACN says that in many countries experiencing persecution, a school 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,” the charity foundation says.

ACN’s support comes in many shapes and forms, from providing material such as computers and printers to Christ the King Primary School, in the Diocese of Yei, South Sudan, to the actual building of school structures for internally displaced Christians in Burkina Faso.

Agnes Aineah

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.

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