Growing up in Lebanon, Marwa Zahr saw first-hand how conflict and crisis affect children’s learning and development. As a teacher, a counselor, and a trainer, her professional life always focused on working directly with children and educators to make a tangible difference. Now she blends all those skills and more in her role as Implementation and Practitioner Lead for the ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ intervention from War Child Alliance.

Installed on tablets — some of which are solar-powered — ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ is used by children in conflict-affected and resource-constrained settings, including Uganda, Ukraine, Lebanon, Jordan, Chad, Sudan, and South Sudan, to build foundational skills in reading and mathematics. Marwa and her team work closely with children, educators, curriculum leaders, and local partners to co-create culturally relevant content and help them get the most out of the program.

What are some of the common misconceptions about the needs of children living in resource-constrained, conflict-affected regions?

One of the most common misconceptions is that their needs are limited to basic needs, like food and shelter. Of course they’re significant, but children’s needs go beyond that: they have educational and well-being needs.

Also, some might think that children lose interest in education because they’re affected by war, but that’s not true. It’s education that helps the children to build their resilience and to build hope for the future. By introducing structure and routine into their lives, education restores a sense of stability and normalcy through the comfort of familiar, day-to-day activities.

We should also remember that there’s no universal set of needs for all children who are affected by conflict. Each child's needs can vary greatly depending on the context, culture, and country they are in.

How do you get local communities and teachers behind ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’?

‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ wouldn’t be the program it is now if it wasn’t for the support of local communities and teachers. Teachers play a vital role in implementing the program, providing feedback, and ensuring that the content and design are relevant to children’s needs. Their involvement helps ground the program in the realities of each context, making it more impactful and effective.

We also know that the game-based structure can face skepticism. Parents and caregivers might think it’s not educational. That’s why we never impose what we think will work — it’s always about what the community needs. Through open dialogue and collaboration with communities, we can introduce the idea of games as an educational tool that supports children’s learning outcomes. The feedback we receive from communities is invaluable for updating content to ensure it remains relevant and effective.

We also dedicate significant time to capacity building through structured inductions, training, and ongoing support for both the education and technological aspects of the program. Facilitators also engage in learning circles and communities of practice, where they develop innovative solutions that not only enhance the program but also provide valuable insights for us to learn from. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership and shared purpose.

What challenges have you faced when working with governments and ministries to align the content of ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ with national curricula?

The main challenges often revolve around differing objectives, priorities in education, and the preferred methods of delivery. Each country has its own unique vision for education, and aligning with these priorities while ensuring the program maintains its core principles can be complex.

To address this, we focus on collaboration with local authorities, curriculum development centers, policymakers, and educators. By involving these stakeholders in the co-creation process, we ensure that the content aligns with the national curriculum while remaining contextually relevant. This approach fosters trust and shared ownership, which are key to overcoming challenges and ensuring the program’s success.

For example, in Uganda, we worked closely with the government to integrate ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ into the standard education system as a supplementary tool. It provides teachers with more opportunities to focus on children who need additional support and offer differentiated learning at the learner’s own pace. The program has been so well-received that the local district government has now taken full ownership of the intervention, ensuring its sustainability and continued impact.

What challenges have you faced in implementing technology in areas with disrupted infrastructure, and how did you overcome them?

Implementing technology in areas with disrupted infrastructure is undoubtedly challenging, with limited access to devices, unreliable electricity, and poor internet connectivity being some of the key obstacles.

To address these challenges, we introduced ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ offline, preloaded onto tablets. In areas like Ukraine, where there’s better internet connectivity, we could go online, allowing users to access the content across different devices, and reach more children.

In the Africa region, we also supported learning centers by providing solar panels, which not only helped charge the tablets but also served other community needs. Whether that was people charging their phones overnight or even a community cinema in eastern Chad.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, as schools were closed worldwide, these offline and hybrid solutions also meant children had crucial access to education.

What important lessons have you learned from implementing ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ in conflict areas, and how do you use these insights as the intervention evolves?

I think that one of the key lessons learned from implementing ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ in conflict areas is the importance of flexibility. We operate in highly challenging environments, where conditions change rapidly, so it's essential to adapt to the needs and realities of local communities.

Engaging local communities, especially teachers and children, has been central to the program’s success. All this helped us to collect feedback, refine the program iteratively, and explore more effective ways of implementing ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ and reaching more children.