When Education Makes a Difference

#222MillionDreams✨📚: ECW investments delivered by Jesuit Refugee Service and UNICEF are providing school materials and disability equipment in Chad.

By Education Cannot Wait

July 1^st, 2022

Originally published in French by UNICEF Chad (Original). Author: Nancy Ndallah

It's the last day of school before Christmas vacation. Hadje Al-Hadj, 10, Achta Dogo, 12, and Ngoleram Abakar, 11, are three inseparable friends, bonded by their common ordeals of displacement, fear of attack, hope and resilience.

These are the faces of the 222 million crisis-impacted children that require urgent educational support today – and the more than 78 million who are out of school completely. These are the faces of 222 million dreams interrupted. These are the faces of a global movement to leave no child behind.

With support from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN's global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, Hadje, Achta, Ngoleram and other children like them are able to access safe, quality learning environments through a multi-year programme delivered in partnership with Jesuit Refugee Service and UNICEF. At the Kaya Primary School in the Lac Province of Chad, their dreams of an education are coming to life.

It's a story of perseverance, a story of friendship, a story of the vast human potential of Africa's lost generations.

Photo credit: UNICEF/ Chad/ Nancy Ndallah

After cleaning the school yard and the classrooms, the teacher gladly announces that the students are now on vacation for ten days. Immediately, small joyful groups form in the school yard.

The three friends head for their homes located on a site designated for people displaced by the ongoing violence in the Lake Chad Region. The site, host to families, grandparents, children and adults, was created in 2015 following attacks from the Boko Haram terrorist group. Recurrent attacks and threats have forced the displacement of more than 450,000 people (internally displaced persons and refugees) living in the Lac Province. Many Chadians, who lived in neighboring countries, have also returned to Chad due to food insecurity and other crisis connected in part to climate change.

A little further, Hadjé, Achta and Ngoleram sit under a tree, enjoying the shade and the fresh air from the lake. Hadje tells her friends: “During the holidays, I go to draw water, look for wood and cook.”

Hadje was just five years old when her family moved to the Kaya site from a neighboring country. Since then, her life has improved. She attends school regularly, has made new friends, and above all, she is far from the dangers of war in her home country.

Through the programme, Hadje can focus on her education and thrive alongside the 500 other students from the Kaya site.

As part of this funding, 798 school kits and 36,831 backpacks were distributed to 36,831 students (including 16,932 girls) in Mamdi. Additionally, 452 teachers received teaching materials.

Photo credit: Jesuit Refugee Service/ Chad/ Irene Galera

Inclusive quality education for every girl

The ECW investment has also supported inclusive education for girls like Malembe, a 15-year-old girl living with a disability in Baga Sola.

Originally from Nigeria, Malembe has been living in the Dar Es Salam refugee camp since 2019. As a student in the Elementary 2 class, Malembe now moves more easily with her new tricycle.

“Life is better here than in my hometown in Nigeria because I feel safe. There, we were afraid to attend school because of Boko Haram and their constant attacks. When I arrived in Dar Es Salam, I was immediately enrolled in school. It was difficult to go there because of my disability. In order to attend my classes, I had to crawl on the ground for half an hour between home and school every day. On December 1, 2021, I received a tricycle. Now attending school is no longer a struggle because I am able to move around more easily and play with my friends outside," says Malembe.

ECW funding in Chad delivered by UNICEF and Jesuit Refugee Service provide displaced and refugee children like Malembe the opportunity to continue their education, ensuring girls and boys in communities affected by emergencies and protracted crises will receive education in equitable and secured learning environments. In order to continue supporting children like Malembe and Hadje, ECW calls for support from strategic partners to help make education accessible to all children and deliver on our promise to deliver on 222 Million Dreams.

It's the end of classes, and the beginning of the end of year holidays. In Kaya, the students go home for a few weeks off. Photo credit: UNICEF/ Chad/ Nancy Ndal- lah

Footnotes

* Kaya is a Displaced Persons Site located in Lac Province, Chad. * Jesuit Refugee Service is the implementing partner of the project.

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FootNotes

* Kaya is a Displaced Persons Site located in Lac Province, Chad. * Jesuit Refugee Service is the implementing partner of the project.