Conflict and complex crises in Ethiopia starting in 2020 have affected millions of children in the Amhara, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Oromia regions. Children’s physical, psychosocial, and educational needs were disrupted due to displacement and exposure to violence. The PlayMatters project (2020 - 2026) initiated the Emergency Response Mechanism (PM ERM) in May 2022 in response to the conflict affecting the northern regions of Ethiopia. The PM ERM funded 12 partners (including direct responses from existing consortium partners IRC and Plan International) to implement multi-sectoral PM ERM activities from September 2022 to September 2023 in 201 integrated pre- and primary schools, reaching 177,409 children. The PM ERM integrated Education, WASH, Child Protection, and Health and Nutrition multi-sectoral programming in schools. This mixed-methods study investigates the implementation of the intervention to build the evidence base to strengthen Education in Emergencies responses.

This mixed-methods study applied a case study approach of six purposively sampled schools triangulated with quantitative data sourced from existing government education data sets from 128 ERM schools and 131 non-ERM schools from two-time points (pre-conflict and the end of the academic year). From this analysis, seven key findings emerged related to supporting children's holistic needs, educational needs, and holistic learning, as well as supporting teachers, systems, and communities. This study provides a deeper understanding of the benefits, opportunities, and barriers of multi-sectoral EiE responses, providing key recommendations for future research, practice, and policies to support the holistic well-being and development of crisis-affected children.

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