Arm the Child:Summer School for IDPs

There are different types of people in the world today; the observers, the fixers and the commentators. However, the possibility of being the three as toxic or impossible as it may seem, will bring needed progress.

Children in Internally Displaced Person's Camps clearly did not choose the life that they are living, circumstances laid it upon their chests. However, the rights of these children remain unchanged. Nothing should differentiate them from children living in the comfort of their homes especially in terms of enjoyment of their rights. The post today seeks to highlight a laudable initiative by Nigerian Youths led by Damak Shuwargwe who are taking on the challenge to be three in one. That is, observers, fixers and commentators.

The Arm the Child Project supported by the Evergreen Initiative and the Goal Initiative is set to bridge the educational gap occasioned by the displacement of these children.

THE CHALLENGE.
Amidst some of the challenges confronting Nigeria, is the existence of a high number of internally displaced persons stemming majorly from the Boko Haram insurgency in the North, and partly as a result of the existence of many other forms of conflicts in different regions of Nigeria. More than 50% of these internally displaced persons are children, who suffer the absence of the warmth of a home, a community to identify with, and no longer have access to education as a result of their current predicament. Wendy Copp noted that “where educational deprivation exists, it breeds conflict and enables repression”. This in its entirety brings to the fore, one of the leading challenges; the tendency to enable and encourage conflict in the minds of these children, if they continue to suffer the absence of access to education.

The host school currently accommodates male students only because they suffer hostel accommodation challenges, and have limited facilities to accommodate female students too.

Therefore, this limits the outcome and participation of female IDPs, at school
Amongst the challenges highlighted in this project, is the widespread of unemployed youths, some of which will be used as a channel in the execution of this project.

Overcoming the challenge

In respect to the aforementioned challenges, the initiative of a summer school for IDPs has been set up to address the educational needs of these children. The project is designed to deliver quality education to the children so that they can catch up with their peers in other schools.

Guardians and Counsellors will be invited over to the camp in order to have close relations and interaction with the children. This will help address to an extent, the mental and emotional needs of the children. 

Also, since the project is volunteer-driven, idle youths will be engaged during the course of the summer school. However, prior to the commencement of the summer school, every volunteer will be trained on how to interact will the children both inside and outside the classes.

On the conclusion of the summer school, a closing ceremony will be organized in which students who perform well, in academics, skill acquisition, and sporting activities, would be recognized. The ceremony would also serve as a means to raise funds that would be used in the procurement of;

• A female hostel for the school, as the school currently provides accommodation for male students only. This, I believe, will encourage and boost attendance of female students, at the school.

• A total number of eighty desks

OBJECTIVES 

1. To deliver quality education to the children, using psychomotor, cognitive, and affective learning skills

2. To recognise, support and explore the skills of the children

3. To identify with the physical, mental, and academic needs of the children, so that they can experience a form of reorientation and rehabilitation.

4. To give the students a sense of belonging so that they can stand confidently with their counterparts from other schools.

5. To provide a female hostel for the school in order to encourage and boost attendance of females at the school

The Proposed Outcomes

Following the conclusion of the program, this project hopes to achieve the following:

- The students would have acquired quality education and become more articulate in spoken English

- The students would be equipped with different skills that they can use as a source of income

- Jobless youths would be engaged throughout the period of the summer school

- The students would have acquired more educational materials

- The students would access opportunities for a better learning environment

MODE OF OPERATION.

The program is designed to run just like a secondary school, dividing the students into the following categories:

• Junior Category and

• Senior Category

The students will be taught for three weeks and will be expected to write an exam during the fourth week of the program. They will offer the following basic subjects including one science subject:

• Mathematics

• English

• Biology (for senior category) 

• Basic Science (for junior category)

• Government (for senior category)

• Civic Education (for junior category) and

• History

Students will be given the opportunity to acquire different skills, as a number of skill acquisition tutors have volunteered to pass on the knowledge of their respective skills across to them. Following the three weeks of learning, there will be a week of examination and, their scripts will be marked and collated within 4th August to 8th August, 2017.

The time table for the summer school has breakout sessions, during which students will be divided into groups, and will be thought how to play educative board games.

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NEEDS OF THE PROJECT 

Please note that questions as to how you can participate in the program can be answered through the contact details in the picture above.

1. Volunteers (teaching and non-teaching)

2. Feeding for a month

3. Welfare resources for Volunteers 

4. Uniforms and sports wears

5. Educational Materials (notebooks, textbooks, writing materials, crayons, drawing books, flip charts, marker boards and other related materials).

6. Resources for the opening and closing ceremonies.

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