30-03-2023 | di COOPI

Central African Republic. With lessons by radio, Celine prepares to go back to school

"My dream is to begin studies to improve my future and help my family".

These are the words of Celine, a 15-year-old girl living in Obo, a town in the Haut-Mbomou region: Celine, with her family, had to leave Zemio, her home town, in 2016 to escape the violence caused by the arrival of armed groups. Her childhood was marked by enormous difficulties, which forced her to leave school at a very early age.

Now, thanks to radio lessons organised by COOPI-Cooperazione Internazionale, with the support of EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), she feels safer and is preparing to go back to school next year. In fact, since November 2022, COOPI - within the framework of the project 'Integrated emergency response to support accessible, inclusive, quality and protective education for the most vulnerable populations affected by the crisis in the Central African Republic' - has been organising bi-weekly study sessions in Obo through lessons recorded with a solar-powered radio. The aim is to help displaced and conflict-affected children to continue their education outside the classroom, supporting them in their learning and giving them the attention they need to return to school. 

Celine has been attending the radio club since its inception and has never missed a single lesson. The radio club represents "a safe place" for her:

"I feel free to express myself and have been able to make new friends and meet girls with whom I study and prepare my homework before going to the radio club".

Thanks to these lessons, she has regained her determination and self-confidence and, lesson after lesson, she is improving her reading and calculation skills.

When she started attending the radio club, she faced the disappointment of her parents who, at first, asked her to stay at home and help with the housework. Gradually, thanks also to the support of the COOPI team, which sensitised the community to the importance of guaranteeing the right to education for all children, Celine was supported in her choice and next year they will do their best to ensure that she is enrolled in school.  

Celine has also already been able to start realising her dream of helping her parents:

"When I come home after the radio club, I tell my parents what I have learnt and this gives them a chance to learn to read and deal with me. It is a really fun time".

Thanks to funding from the European Union (ECHO), COOPI, within the framework of this project, supports the education system in the Haut-Mbomou region, particularly in the areas of Obo, Zemio and Mboki. Thanks to this emergency education project, 6,398 children will be guaranteed the right to an inclusive education and 123 teachers will be supported to provide quality education that guarantees the participation and protection of every child.

According to OCHA data (year 2022), Obo is one of the sub-prefectures with one of the highest percentages of children in need of education. In fact, 85% of children do not have access to school and of these 51% are girls. In general, the problem is more extensive: in the Central African Republic, more than half of the population - 2.8 million out of a total of 4.9 million - is dependent on humanitarian assistance and about 17 million are in extreme need.