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Sudan

A safe haven for children in conflict-torn Darfur

More than ten years since the start of the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, 2.5 million people continue to live uprooted from their homes. A whole generation of children has been born knowing nothing but conflict and camp life. With funding from the EU Children of Peace initiative, the Dutch humanitarian organisation ZOA is providing an education for these children, making up for lost years in many cases and helping them overcome trauma and sadness.

All children have to attend school, but how to achieve this in Darfur, where 70 percent of school-aged children – which includes high numbers of orphans, disabled and unaccompanied children – are displaced within the country?

Behind this question there is a world of sadness, of children who have been exposed to severe violence, lost family members and inhumane living conditions. Many children have symptoms of emotional and psychological stress, as well as anxiety related to physical and social insecurity.

Schools in war zones are not just about education, but they are also a place where children have the opportunity to be ‘just children’. A safe place without violence, tension and sadness. Without adult responsibilities and adult concerns. A place where they can laugh and play, just as children should. And if need be, someone to talk to about fears and grief.

Traumatised children in war zones have special needs. However, in Darfur teachers are overall poorly qualified, and not trained at all to accommodate the complex needs of vulnerable children. That would be hard enough for ‘normal schools’, but in the special circumstances in Darfur the capacities of teachers are overstretched.

When the EU won the Nobel Peace prize in 2012, it decided to invest the price money in assisting children in conflict areas. This is how the EU Children of Peace initiative was created. Since then, the European Commission has substantially increased the funding for this initiative, reaching over 23 million euro to date.

ZOA, a Dutch humanitarian organisation with expertise in relief and recovery in fragile states, and a history in Darfur since 2004, is implementing a project in and around Gereida in South Darfur State. Since 2013, Gereida has seen an increase in the level of conflict, affecting the education services for children.

The project provides schools with water and sanitation facilities, furniture and teaching materials. It also makes it possible for children to have access to safe, child-friendly spaces and psycho-social support. ZOA invests a lot in training of teachers and parents enabling them to recognise psycho-social problems in children and react accordingly. 30 of the 41 schools in the area are benefitting from the programme, reaching 15 000 people. Of these, approximately 14 000 are children and 1 000 adults – teachers and parents.

The needs are high. By making education accessible, ZOA intends to increase enrollment by 1 000 pupils. Halfway through the project, the number of new students has already surpassed 2 000. An increase of 11% has been observed for first-grade students – almost double the 6% target.

Good results have also been observed for teenagers who missed out on primary education due to the war. With the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP), the project offers them a second chance. Some 2 900 students have already joined this ALP programme, more than 200% over the expected number. It is stimulating and exciting to see that the project manages to reach them.