This World Refugee Day, Right To Play warns Mali’s displacement crisis is also an education crisis

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Canadian-supported EMPOWER program is helping children displaced by conflict keep learning, rebuild confidence and access psychosocial support

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Toronto ON, June 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On World Refugee Day, Right To Play is drawing attention to a group of children often missing from global refugee conversations: children forced from their homes by conflict but still displaced within their own country. 

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In Mali, ongoing conflict has displaced nearly 414, 524 people. Most remain internally displaced, living in host communities or informal settlements with limited access to basic services. For children, displacement can mean more than losing a home. It can mean losing a classroom, a teacher, a routine, a sense of safety and the chance to keep learning.

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Across Mali, more than 2 444 schools are currently closed due to insecurity, lack of infrastructure and supplies, and teacher displacement. More than 733 200 children are out of school.

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“World Refugee Day is a moment to recognize people forced to flee,” said Yacouba Dena, Country Director, Right To Play Mali. “But in Mali, many displaced children have not crossed an international border. They remain inside the country, facing many of the same barriers as refugees — disrupted education, trauma, uncertainty and limited access to support — often with far less visibility.”

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Through EMPOWER, an education and psychosocial support program supported by Global Affairs Canada, Right To Play is working with community-based organizations in Mali’s Mopti and Gao regions to support internally displaced and host-community children aged 6 to 12, particularly girls and children living with disabilities. By integrating structured play into learning, the program helps children rebuild confidence, process trauma and stay engaged in school despite disruption.

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The program offers a concrete example of what Canadian international assistance can help make possible in fragile contexts: locally led support that keeps children connected to learning, strengthens community organizations, and helps children rebuild confidence and a sense of safety amid conflict and displacement.

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Since launching in 2022, EMPOWER has reached more than 57,516 children — 68 per cent of them girls — with inclusive, play-based learning opportunities. The project has also strengthened local community-based organizations, many led by women and displaced leaders, and helped 3,755children obtain birth certificates, enabling them to enroll in school.

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Right to Play results show Grade 4 reading proficiency among participating children increased from 13 per cent to 31 per cent. Local education authorities also report that teachers are using more games, interactive activities and inclusive methods in classrooms.

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In regions affected by insecurity and displacement, the barriers to education are complex. Schools may be closed, unsafe to reach or overcrowded. Families may lack the documents needed to enroll children in new schools. Teachers may be displaced. Economic hardship can push children into work, while girls face increased risks of early marriage — pressures that make it even harder for children to return to school and stay there.

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“Access to education is a major challenge in some areas of Mali due to insecurity,” said Awa, a Right To Play-trained teacher in Mopti. “Since we introduced play into our lessons, I’ve been very happy because the children actively participate and always ask for play in our various classes. At first, the children took to a classroom game like any other, but over time, they came to understand that play is a way for them to learn.”