As violence surges in the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than one and a half million children are out of school in the eastern part of the country, with UNICEF warning the situation is “desperate”.
By Christopher Wells
With violence surging and the resulting displacement of millions of people, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, is calling for emergency measures “to save the school year for hundreds of thousands of children” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“This is a desperate situation for children,” said Jean Francois Basse, UNICEF’s acting Representative in DRC. “Education – and the support systems it provides – is what children need to retain a sense of normalcy and to recover and rebuild after this conflict.”
According to UNICEF, more than 6.5 million people are displaced in the eastern part of the DRC, including 2.6 million children. In addition to ongoing violence, the number of displaced persons has placed “immense strain” on the education system, with more than 2500 schools and “learning spaces” closed in the provinces of North and South Kivu.
Almost 800,000 children in the two provinces are deprived of education in the two provinces, up from 465,000 just a few months ago. Including neighbouring Ituri Province, “over 1.6 million children are now out of school.”
Rebels continue to advance
Fighting in eastern DRC has intensified, with the rebel M23 movement capturing significant territory, including the North Kivu capital of Goma earlier this year. Schools in Goma reopened on February 9, but with few students in attendance.
“For the past two years we have invested heavily in learning structures at displacement sites around Goma,” said Basse. “But these are now largely empty, and we are extremely worried that children who are displaced once more may never return to school.”
In calling for support for Congolese schools, UNICEF notes that educational centres play “a crucial role in maintaining stability” in times of crisis, and offer some protection from sexual violence against children and the recruitment of child soldiers.
Just last week, UNICEF accused fighters on all sides of the conflict of raping “scores of children”, and warned of forced recruitment of children as young as 12 into armed groups.
Responding to “urgent” needs
In response to the “urgent” educational needs of almost half a million children, UNICEF is seeing USD 52 million as is works with partners to set up temporary learning spaces and distribute educational materials along with hygiene and sanitation kits.
UNICEF’s statement noted that the agency is also exploring the possibility of remote education – via radio – as well as “accelerated learning programs” for the most marginalized children.
The organization is also warning of the dangers of landmines and other unexploded ordinance, leading to a focus on “mine risk education.”
Finally, UNICEF is calling on all parties in the conflict “to respect education facilities and other civilian objects, in line with their obligations under international law, and immediately end the military use of any education facility.”