20.-21.5.2025, University of Helsinki

Education in Emergencies:

A LIFELINE FOR THE FUTURE

Welcome to Helsinki

Education in Emergencies: A Lifeline for the Future, this two-day international conference, hosted by Finn Church Aid and the University of Helsinki, is your opportunity to connect with leading experts, educators, academia and policymakers shaping the future of education in emergencies and protracted crises.

Why attend?

Gain exclusive insights from inspiring speakers like Prof. Loise Gichuhi, Danielle Falk, Ph.D and Friedrich Affolter.

Participate in interactive workshops and panels

Network with global changemakers

Together, we will shape education solutions that save and sustain lives in the most challenging circumstances.

Details

Date: 20.-21.5.2025

Place: University of Helsinki

How to get there

You can reach the venue by trams nro 2,5,7,10 and by walking.
Venue is accessible by wheelchair

Where to stay

Helsinki offers a nice selection of hotels for different tastes
Registered Conference participants are entitled to discount in Scandic hotels in Helsinki

Registration has now closed!

If you would like to join a waiting list for cancellation places please email: teresa.heinamaa@kua.fi

Speakers

Margarita Focas Licht

Director of Partnerships, Global Partnership for Education

Margarita Focas Licht leads GPE’s efforts to strengthen partnership effectiveness and engagement. She has 30+ years of experience in education support to lower-income countries. Prior to joining GPE in 2011 she held positions with UNICEF, Save the Children, and UNESCO. Her work has focused on strengthening education opportunities for marginalized children through formal and alternative pathways, spanning development and emergency work and ranging from school- and community level to district, national and global program development, policy dialogue and partnerships.

Faiza Hassan

Director, INEE

Faiza Hassan became the Director of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) in 2025, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in education in emergencies across technical and leadership roles. She's a chemical engineer, who transitioned into education leadership, dedicating her career to supporting crisis-affected learners. Before joining INEE, she worked extensively in East Africa with UNICEF, CARE, and Save the Children.

Loise Gichuhi

Professor, University of Nairobi, ERICC Board Vice Chair

She is widely recognized as a higher education educator and a consultant in Education in Emergencies. She has a Ph.D. in Economics of Education from the University of Nairobi, a Master’s in Education Planning and Curriculum Development, and a Bachelor of Education (Mathematics and Economics) from Kenyatta University. She has over 30 years of extensive experience in Education Policy, Planning and Curriculum Development; Education in Emergencies, Programming, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation. She is currently based at the University of Nairobi, where she coordinates the Education in Emergencies Programme. She has a passion for humanitarian education and inclusive education that supports marginalised communities and refugees. From 2021 to February 2024, she held the role of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Country Focal Point for Kenya. She is a board member of ERICC and also serves as a vice chair.

Danielle Falk, Ph.D.

Education Researcher at the International Rescue Committee

Her research focuses on the lived experiences of teachers in crisis contexts as well as the policy environment influencing their work.

For the last nine years, she has contributed to research on teacher well-being, teacher identity, teacher professional development (TPD), teacher management, and school leadership in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Sudan, and has designed and implemented multi-modal, continuous TPD for teachers in these settings.

Friedrich Affolter

Global Education Cluster Coordinator, UNICEF

He has led and participated in programmes on strengthening inclusive and gender-sensitive learning systems, community education and mobilization, risk-informed education-for-resilience programming, education for peacebuilding, early childhood development, and psychosocial protection – in duty stations including Syria, Afghanistan, Angola, South Africa, Sudan, Bolivia and UNICEF HQ New York.

Dr. Nafieh Assaf

Deputy Minister of Education, Palestine

Dr. Assaf, currently the Deputy Minister of Education, has held various leadership roles, including Assistant Deputy Minister for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Vice President for administration and finance affairs at Palestine Technical University. He has led projects with Palestine Technical University and the World Bank. As a proactive lecturer and researcher, Dr. Assaf has worked as an Assistant Professor at Palestine Technical University and An-Najah National University, contributing to academia with several publications. Dr. Assaf holds a PhD in financial accounting and corporate governance from the University of Cape Town.

Lyydia Mäkinen

Education in Emergencies Specialist, Plan International Finland’s humanitarian education programmes

She focuses on inclusive and quality education in fragile and crisis contexts. A teacher herself, Lyydia has a strong passion for human rights and enhancing equality through access to education. She has worked in global education development in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean with the UN, NGOs, the Ministry of Education of Finland, as well as the private sector.

Filbert Idha Ajax

Education Technical Lead at Finn Church Aid Uganda

With 18 years of experience in the education sector, he leads the Uganda programme strategies to enhance access to quality, inclusive education for over 150,000 learners and 1,900 teachers annually. Filbert guides FCA’s role as co-lead of the national EiE Sector Working Group alongside UNHCR and the Ministry of Education. He is a co-chair of Uganda’s Accelerated Education Programme, Cash for Education, and Secondary Education Task Teams in EiE Sector Working group. His academic background in education, population health, and monitoring & evaluation underpins his commitment to impactful solutions for displaced and marginalized communities.

Tuija Kasa

Doctor of Philosophy (Human rights education), Postdoctoral researcher

She has just finalised her PhD on human rights education at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Educational Sciences. She works in Democratic education and political polarisation in the era of global crises (DEMOPOL) (2021-2025) research project. She has diverse working experience with democracy and human rights education, children's rights and participation.

Nicole Riedle

Senior Policy and Partnerships Advisor at EiE Hub

She joined the EiE Hub with 15 years' experience in the legal and international humanitarian sectors. A trained lawyer, she worked several years with the ICRC in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, DRC and Colombia where she assumed various roles in the protection and assistance of victims of conflict, including coordination positions. Earlier in her career, she also worked for an NGO dedicated to the defence and rehabilitation of children living on the street in Latin America, contributing to the implementation of its educational activities.

Ata Darwish

Professor, Al-Azhar University

Prof. Darwish is an academic, author, consultant, and education sector developer. With over 40 published papers, an authored book and collaboration with instances such as UNRWA and GTZ, Prof. Darwish has expansive knowledge of the Palestinian education system. Having worked with Faculties of Education within Palestinian universities and through visits to European counterparts and a visiting lectureship to Pennsylvania University, Prof Darwish has contributed to teacher practicum, curricula development and quality control through a position as Dean Assistant, amongst others.

Natalia Savchenko

School principal, Ukraine

Natalia Savchenko, an English and Ukrainian language and literature teacher and a school principal from Ukraine. She was forced by war to leave her hometown. In a new community, she and her team not only rebuilt education for children but also supported other teachers in implementing education reforms. Her story is about the power of leadership, collaboration, proactivity, and trust in children’s potential for sustaining and advancing education, even in the midst of crisis.

Valentine Moige

Special Needs Educator and inclusive education advocate, FCA-Kenya

Valentine Moige, an inclusive education educator from Kenya, specializes in supporting hearing-impaired learners. Holding a Bachelor's in Special Needs Education, she is furthering her expertise with studies in Clinical Audiology and a Masters in Educational Leadership. Passionate about inclusion, she has trained 80+ teachers in inclusive practices and raised awareness on disability, particularly in emergency contexts. Her efforts have significantly contributed to the increased enrolment of special needs learners in schools, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive even when in crisis.

Pia Korpinen

Education Counsellor, Finnish Embassy in Ethiopia

Pia is the Counsellor of Education at the Finnish Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She oversees Finland’s support to education in Ethiopia, where Finland has a strong focus on inclusive education. She is also currently the Co-chair for the Education Technical Working Group in Ethiopia. Before working with the Embassy, she worked with EU delegated collaboration and with the ILO on disability inclusion in several East and Southern African Countries, based in Ethiopia and Zambia.

Jesper Ryynänen

Chief Operating Office, GraphoGame

Jesper Ryynänen is the cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of GraphoGame, an education technology company from Finland. GraphoGame is a suite of evidence-based literacy apps for 4-to 9-year-olds. A social entrepreneur and Master of Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics, Jesper is focused on democratising access to world class early literacy education by distributing gamified literacy apps on behalf of governments, foundations, and corporate social responsibility programmes. GraphoGame’s many language versions have been downloaded 8 million times.

Mario Aguilera

CEO, Tespack

Mario Aguilera is the CEO and Founder at Tespack, a company providing access to green energy infrastructure and Internet in rural regions, working with organisations such as UNICEF, UNDP, Fin Church Aid and Save the Children. Mario has a background in Business and Economics while he is a professional martial artist and ex-Special Forces Officer. He is an awarded entrepreneur, winner of the DITAC award, one of the Top 2 Global Winners of K Startup Challenge and Top 4 Entrepreneur Globally chosen by Forbes Midas List VC Neal Dempsey. Mario is also an invited keynote speaker to tech events such as Paris Peace Forum, Slush and Forbes Summit. Mario has been featured by Forbes, TNW, Wired, Fox and Korean National TV

Highlights of the Conference

Prof. Loise Gichuhi University of Nairobi, INEE Focal Point for Kenya, ERICC Board Vice Chair

Danielle Falk, Ph.D. ERICC Research Consortium Global Lead on Teacher Issues

Dr. Nafieh Assafi Deputy Minister of Education, Palestine

Friedrich Affolter Global Education Cluster Coordinator

Margarita Focas Licht Director of Partnerships, Global Partnership for Education

Dianah Nelsen Chief of Education, Education Cannot Wait

Faiza Hassan Director, Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies

Interactive Workshops

Explore and test new innovations for EiE delivery presented by UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub, HundrED, GraphoGame and Tespack.

Practical sessions on teacher development, refugee integration, and advocacy strategies.

Latest Academic Research

Theoretical and empirical paper sessions provide a forum for dialogue and sharing of expertise in EiE situations.

Networking Opportunities

Engage with policymakers, researchers, and practitioners from around the world, with a reception hosted by the City of Helsinki.

Agenda

TUESDAY

8:30-9:15 Arrival

09:20 – 09:45 Welcome words: Tomi Järvinen, Executive Director, FCA and Kaarle Hämeri, Chancellor, University of Helsinki

09:50-10:00 Keynote Address: Mikaela Nylander, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland

10:05- 10:30 Opening Remarks: Dianah Nelsen, Chief of Education, Education Cannot Wait

10:30-11:15 Coffee Break and networking

11:15 12:00 High Level Panel: Dr. Nafieh Assafi, Deputy Minister of Education, Palestine; Ms. Margarita Focas Licht, Director of Partnerships, Global Partnership for Education, and others TBC

12:00 – 12:30 Expert Speech: Friedrich Affolter, Global Education Cluster Coordinator

12:30-14:00 Lunch

14:00 - 14:40 Panel discussion: Faiza Hassan, Director, INEE; Pia Korpinen, Education Specialist, MFA Finland Ethiopia; Seme Nelson, Country Director, FCA South Sudan

14:40-15:10 Agree / Disagree- statement based ‘Hot Seat’: Filbert Idha, FCA Uganda Education Lead Specialist; Lyydia Mäkinen, Plan International Finland, Education in Emergencies Expert; Luke Stannard, Can’t Wait to Learn

15:10-15:45 Fireside Chat: Regional Teacher Initiative for Africa with:

Oxfam Denmark: Collaborative and Empowered: Supporting Teachers in Crisis Context in South Sudan

Yei Teacher Training College: Inclusive Teacher Development in South Sudan

ADPP Mozambique: Enhancing Teachers Resilience and Well-being in Disaster-Prone areas of Mozambique

Finn Church Aid: The BRIGHT Project. Building Resilience, Inspiration and Growth Holistically for Teachers – BRIGHT in Crisis Contexts

15:45- 17:15 Parallel Academic Paper sessions

A parallel session for theoretical and empirical papers will take place on Tuesday 20^th May. These sessions provide a forum for dialogue and sharing of expertise in Education in Emergency situations. The papers presented will focus on, but not limited to, the following sub-themes.

Session 1: Mental Health and Psychosocial (MHPSS) support for teachers and students in emergencies

Session 2: Preparing teachers in pre-and in-service teacher education for emergencies and crises

Session 3: Partnerships and cooperation of different actors and stakeholders within Education in Emergencies responses

Session 4: Values and principles underlying Education in Emergencies

17:30-17:45 Closing of the Day

18.10 Leaving for the Reception

18:30-20:00 Helsinki City Reception

WEDNESDAY

08:30 - 09:00 Arrival

09:00 - 09:10 Opening Remarks: Ikali Karvinen, Deputy Executive Director FCA and Arto Kallioniemi, UNESCO Chair and Hannele Niemi, UNESCO Chair

09:10-09:30 Keynote Address: Prof. Loise Gichuhi, University of Nairobi, Education Economist and EiE Expert, INEE Focal point for Kenya, ERICC Board Vice Chair

09:30-10:00 Keynote Address: Valentine Moige, Junior school teacher and focal point for SNE and Inclusion, Kenya; Natalia Savchenko, teacher and a school principal, Ukraine

10:00 - 11:00 Coffee Break

11.00-11.40 Expert Speech: Danielle Falk, Ph.D., ERICC Research Consortium Global Lead on Teacher Issues

11:40 - 12:30 Panel Discussion: Prof. Loise Gichuhi, University of Nairobi; Valentine Moige, Junior school teacher and focal point for SNE and Inclusion, Kenya; Natalia Savchenko, teacher and a school principal, Ukraine; Dr Ata H Darwish, Helsinki University.

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00-14:15 Moving to selected sessions

14:15 – 16:00 Parallel Sessions: Practitioners’ Corners

Session 1: Innovations in EiE Delivery

Come to discover how high-quality tech solutions can have an impact for various infrastructural environments, focusing on enhancing learning outcomes and experiences as well as teachers’ pedagogical approaches. During the spotlights you will have a chance to hear more from the UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub and its work in accelerating access to quality digital education, including in emergency settings working with UNICEF Country Offices and governments. GraphoGame: the most researched literacy game in the world, will bring their award winning learning platform, HundrED: a mission-driven organisation helping every child flourish through education innovation presents solutions from their Global Collection 2025 and Tespack will showcase their solution on bringing energy and internet to distant and challenging contexts.

Session 2: Refugee Integration

Join the discussion with Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC) Programme and Finn Church Aid on challenges and solutions of future refugee responses. Danielle Falk Ph.D. will lead the participants to an evidence-based discussion on refugee integration, joined by Finn Church Aid staff reflecting on the realities on the ground. How can different actors support host governments in integration of refugee learners to national education systems?

Session 3: Teacher Continuous Professional Development in EiE settings

Join World University Service of Canada and Finn Church Aid in a learning session on professional development opportunities in Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises situations. What has worked and why in teacher training, mentoring and coaching? What should be done differently?

Session 4: Human rights-based argumentation for EiE

Join this practical session with EiEHub and Finn Church Aid to work on EiE Advocacy. We will be using international human rights treaties as a base of advocacy messaging, using examples from different humanitarian contexts.

16:00-16:15 Moving to Closing Ceremony

16:15 - 16:40 Closing Remarks

16:40-17:15 Closing by Organisers

Join us in Helsinki this May

Call for Abstracts

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Educational Sciences

Parallel Session: Scientific research in EiE

20 May 2025

Description of the call

Considering the increasing number of emergencies and crises at a global level, more research is needed to address challenges in different contexts and conditions. In war zones, in conflict and violence-prone environments, extreme weather or environmental disasters of health put students and teachers at risk and under high stress, and also increase poverty, inequality and discrimination.

Education in Emergencies (EiE) Conference invites researchers to share their studies on how to support students, teachers, parents, and education systems in emergencies and crises. Educating teachers, student teachers and education professionals in and for education in emergencies, has become an urgent task in our global world.

UNESCO (2010) defines an educational emergency as “a crisis situation created by conflicts or natural disasters which have destabilised, disorganised or even destroyed the education system, and which requires an integrated process of crisis and post-crisis response”. Education in emergency programs are, then, a response to crisis conditions and require planning for future educational development. For planning education programs for emergency and crisis situations, an awareness of international development and humanitarian policies is needed, as well as the principles and practices underlying a rights-based approach.

To deal with these contemporary, burning issues, the EiE Conference: A Lifeline for the Future will host a parallel session for research presentations and open up a forum for dialogue and sharing of expertise in Education in Emergency situations globally and locally.

Toward this end, the papers that will be presented in the parallel session will focus on, but not limited to, the following sub-themes (and examples for possible research foci):

• Mental Health and Psychosocial (MHPSS) support for teachers and students in emergencies (for example, proposals can focus on (but not be limited to): socio-emotional support, cooperation with different actors; preparing and providing material support; practices and strategies for inclusion of youth; dealing with death and loss).

• Preparing teachers in pre-and in-service teacher education for emergencies and crises (for example: pedagogy in displacement contexts: case studies of implementations and background with regard to teacher support, supervision, coaching and mentoring etc.).

• Partnerships and cooperation of different actors and stakeholders within Education in Emergencies responses (for example: mitigation and preparation for global vs. local crises, including disasters caused by natural hazards, complex emergencies, displacement crises etc., in the education sector; peace work at different levels (e.g., peacebuilding, peace education, conflict resolution, triple nexus etc.); organization of learning environments in emergencies and protracted crises).

• Values and principles underlying Education in Emergencies (for example: cultural and ethical challenges with regard to equity, gender, inclusiveness, intersectionality, minority rights etc.; humanitarian & development interventions; aims, purposes and implementation of EiE; ethical, cultural, philosophical, psychological, historical and policy perspectives on EiE).

Research session organizers:

Prof. Hannele Niemi, UNESCO Chair on Educational Ecosystems for Equity and Quality of Learning

Prof. Arto Kallioniemi, UNESCO Chair on Values, Dialogue and Human Rights

Timeline

• The call for abstracts has now closed and all letters of acceptance have been sent!

• One of these sessions will be held in a hybrid manner, offering the opportunity to present online to those that cannot travel.

FAQ

Accommodation

We are happy to be able to offer the conference participants a discount with Scandic Hotels. You will automatically receive the discount code after registering, to the e-mail address provided.

Reservations are made at Scandic Hotels. You can choose your preferred room type from all Scandic Hotels in Helsinki city.

You are eligible for an additional discount when paying for the reservation immediately upon booking.

The cancellation conditions of the reservation depends on the type of reservation chosen by you at booking. To confirm the reservation, the guest must provide the hotel with valid credit card information.

The rooms can be booked according to the hotel's booking status no later than 10 days before arrival.

Arrival

There is a direct train connection from Helsinki Airport to the Helsinki city center. You can purchase tickets at the train station or via the HSL app.

Visas

Please visit Visa to visit Finland - Ministry for Foreign Affairs for information on the visa process and countries eligibility.

Getting around

The venue is centrally located, within easy walking distance of hotels in the Helsinki city area. For longer distances, you can use trams 10, 7, 5, 4, and 2. Tickets can be purchased via the HSL app.

Dress code

No dress code, please feel free to dress comfortably as per your choosing.

Conference fee

The conference attendance is free of charge. The places are limited, make sure to register to secure your place.

Whilst the event is free, please note we cannot offer any scholarships or support for travel, visa or accommodation costs.

Registration

Registration has now closed!

If you would like to join a waiting list for cancellation places email: teresa.heinamaa@kua.fi

Online Participation

This conference is mainly an in-person event. One of the academic paper sessions will be organized in a hybrid manner, to allow those that cannot travel to present online.

We will also stream some of the key-note speeches of the event, stay tuned for links and details.

Contact details

You can reach out to teresa.heinamaa@kirkonulkomaanapu.fi with any additional questions or issues