In 2012, violent clashes in Mali forced thousands of people to flee their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs, seeking refuge in Niger. Further violence in north-eastern Nigeria has forced yet more refugees into a struggling country and into its already over-stretched education system, which is having difficulty coping with the influx of children into its schools.
鈥淭he school enrolment and literacy rates in Niger are very low鈥, explains Jean de Lestrange, a technical assistant with the European Commission鈥檚 Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) in Niamey, Niger.
鈥淲e face a huge challenge to provide quality education each year, with the need for new classrooms, needs for new teachers and needs for new schools鈥, he expands.
In partnership with ECHO the 探花精选 is supporting over 21,000 displaced Malian, Nigerian and Nigerien children aged 6 to 11 to access a quality education, and is meeting the ever growing need for schooling resources. Additionally, the 探花精选 is working closely with parents and teachers to ensure that the education provided is tailored to the needs of children who have been displaced and have experienced trauma.
鈥淭he 探花精选 provides capacity building support for teachers in Healing Classrooms teaching, which trains them in special techniques that mean they can support children who have been victims of trauma鈥 says Ismael Souleymane, a Children and Youth Protection Officer with the 探花精选.
鈥淭hese children witnessed atrocities in Mali and they need support to have confidence in themselves. The 探花精选 also supports the school by providing all the necessary school supplies and by building classrooms in the camp鈥, he further explains.
鈥淚t really helps for children to go to school, because if they do not go to school they will not forget what they lived through in Mali. The 探花精选 has done a lot. It has been really great鈥 says Abdoulaye Abdourhamane, a parent and member of the school Parents Teachers Association, who fled to Tabareybarey Camp in Niger with his children in 2012.
鈥淭he children have really changed a lot. Their behaviour has changed a lot. Now they come along to school by themselves, sometimes they don鈥檛 even wait for breakfast.鈥
The 探花精选 is supporting children in Tabareybarey and Mangaize refugee camps, as well as in Diffa, Niger to access quality education, with funding from ECHO under the EU Children of Peace initiative. The initiative aims to support humanitarian projects for children in conflict-affected regions, providing them with access to schools where they can learn in a safe environment.
Photos: Peter Biro/探花精选
