A Catholic charity is helping thousands of children return to classrooms in crisis-hit countries, funding education programs that sustain Christian communities facing persecution, displacement, and instability.
In the 2024–2025 academic year, the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) provided stipends to about 3,895 teachers and scholarships to 12,373 students in eight countries.
This effort, the group said, 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.”
Schools as refuge
ACN said schools are more than classrooms. They are places of safety and stability.
“In these contexts, a school is more than a place of learning: it is a refuge, a sign of stability, and a way to support the local Church, as it shoulders the immense burden of ensuring that 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 foundation said.
Support has taken many forms. In South Sudan, ACN supplied computers and printers to Christ the King Primary School.
In Iraq and Burkina Faso, it built classrooms for displaced families. In Pakistan, it funded solar panels to cut costs and programs that brought back children who had dropped out.
Syria and Lebanon
In Syria, ACN provided emergency aid that kept more than 20 schools open and enabled several hundred teachers to continue receiving salaries.
The foundation said this included “several schools operated by the Orthodox Church,” extending the impact beyond Catholic institutions.
Lebanon has seen sharp declines in its Christian schools. ACN reported that “over 17,000 students are believed to have left Christian schools in recent years because of the instability in the country.”
Many transferred to state schools, while others emigrated with their families.
To address this, ACN said it provides direct support to 191 schools “which are attended by a total of over 170,000 pupils. Between teachers and students, over 11,000 people receive direct aid from ACN.”
It added that “many families would not have been able to pay tuition fees, nor schools pay teachers their salaries, if it had not been for ACN support.”
The foundation said this assistance has helped slow the exodus of Christians.
Higher education in Iraq
In Iraq, ACN has also backed universities. At the Catholic University in Erbil (CUE), “almost 300 students at the CUE receive ACN scholarships.”
The foundation said its support has been “crucial in allowing the Church to provide a much-needed high quality service in a country that is still recovering from years of difficulties, bloodshed, and persecution.”
The university, it added, has become a symbol of resilience for Christian youth.
The student body is mixed. Most are Christians, but Muslims and minorities such as the Yezidis also attend.
As the new school year begins, ACN said it remains committed to expanding access to education in countries facing poverty, persecution, instability, and war.
Its focus, the foundation said, will remain on Christian communities most at risk of extinction.
