Sunday marked another day in the village … out in the one site that does not have a school – the nearest school being 4 km away! This is a long distance for children to walk, especially considering the school day in Niger is divided – meaning the students go to school in the morning, return home at 1pm for lunch and a siesta and then return to school again at 3pm for another few hours! This walk four times a day is too much and too far – so many children from the village do not attend school.
This year, my team and I are seeking to help in two ways – help the village apply to the government for a school to be built, and start a “mini-school” …. a straw hut building where the children can come twice per week to start learning French and literacy – getting a step up on their education until such a time as the government can open a public school.
The chief’s son and I, plus another village guide, headed out to count how many children live in the area – Djarma and Fulani children – both those in school and those who are not. Within a two km radius of the chief’s land, we found 62 children ages 5-10; of which, 10 are in school (some living with relatives in Niamey) and 52 children who are not attending school.
Though there are more Djarma and Fulani sites behind the marsh that will benefit from the government school - I am estimating at this point approximately 200 children who are not in school – we will cap our “mini-school” at these children immediately in the area!! The chief’s son is a teacher and he will be teaching these children. There are many details to work out yet, but it is exciting to see what can be done for these children!
No comments:
Post a Comment