Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will today, October 12, launch fundraising that seeks to raise $5 billion for educating the most vulnerable children globally.

According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Covid-19 pandemic has pushed at least 1.3 billion learners out of school, which experts warn that it could increase student dropout rates as economies contract.

Hence, Prime Minister Johnson and President Kenyatta seek to urge world leaders to support their efforts to get more children to school by investing in an initiative dubbed the Global Partnership for Education.

According to BBC, the two leaders will also announce plans to co-host a major education summit in the UK mid next year to rally support for this cause.

Various reports indicate that before the Covid-19 pandemic, about a quarter of a billion children were out of school. However, the number had multiplied six-fold by April of this year because of school closures meant to help slow down the spread of the virus.

The school closures have left children mostly in poor regions even more vulnerable, reports BBC.

Additionally, experts warn that girls are more likely to fall victim to female genital mutilation, early marriage or teen pregnancy, as well as boys living in conflict zones who are at the risk of being recruited into armed groups.