Our Conversations on Community Classrooms in Africa

NIGERIA - 1

https://youtu.be/RHzCFmpvyEY

MONGUNO, Nigeria – Modu Umar is 13 years old and when he grows up he wants to be a doctor. Or maybe a policeman. Or possibly a lawyer. He hasn't quite made up his mind yet, but it's clear this little boy from Monguno in north-east Nigeria has big dreams. And he knows he'll

have to work hard to achieve them. "If I become a big boy and finish school," Modu says in confident English, "If I go to be a doctor, English and maths will help me!" But for many months, it looked like Modu's dreams wouldn't become a reality.

 

NIGERIA - 2

https://youtu.be/zz4_1kXImBQ

KATSINA STATE, Nigeria – Nigeria has a vast coastline and river tributaries that irrigate the south, yet insufficient access to clean water contributes to millions of deaths every year. One in seven children will die in Nigeria before they reach the age of 5, many of them from waterborne illnesses. Hygiene is being made a central part of the curriculum at Lafiyaro Primary School in Katsina, Nigeria, where waterborne diseases contribute to high child mortality rates. Community Classrooms to the rescue.

UGANDA - 1

https://youtu.be/ToF6chgXQIY

The project began with the population’s demand to rebuild St. Mary’s School in the village of Kikajjo, as the current space is in an alarming situation. From this demand the project became the  search for the meaning of education and we work based on Community Social Psychology in four areas: teacher´s training, encourage reading and critical thinking, involve family and community, and construct a new building for the school

UGANDA - 2

https://youtu.be/29BDS3NiuJM

More than 38 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are without a school to attend. Many countries have initiated programs guaranteeing a free education to every child, yet are plagued with chronic classroom shortages as they lack the means to construct enough schools to meet the demand. This often results in students walking miles to get to a "school" in a neighboring community, scribbling their lessons in the dirt for lack of proper learning materials or even gathering under a tree to learn. This project will fund the construction of community-built, stakeholder-sustained, primary-level academy for 325 students in rural Uganda. The academy will be comprised of seven classrooms, an office, a library, meeting space, toilets and an open field for recreation.

TANZANIA – 1

https://youtu.be/D2wmeAcyLDM

From so far away, the local conditions are difficult to grasp. Introducing the community classroom project in Tanzania replete with the school and the children you can support. You will be overwhelmed by the gratitude and cordiality of the children because they see community education

as their future. Working every day with the local team does its best to provide the children with a better education and a chance for a better future.

TANZANIA – 2

https://youtu.be/3CKuQsYEuHA

New community classrooms for Karama Primary School in Tanzania. Building new classrooms in a primary school can take a lot of time – not only in Africa, but also in Germany. I have never seen a construction of a public building being finished in less than 9 months – until we came to

Tanzania.

TANZANIA – 3

https://youtu.be/8gjP6arpP8c

New teaching approaches improve primary education in Tanzania. Most Africans did not take a critical look at the educational model they inherited from the colonialists. The colonialists did not want "A Thinking African," but, an automaton such as a clerk, factory worker, an office messenger (courier), house boy (boy), farm boy, etc. They had no vested interest in Africa than to take its resources while using a few Africans they have "educated." This model is still alive and well, and for this reason, Africa is not catching up with the rest world. Most teachers (unknowingly) educate their students to become office clerk -a highly respected position during colonialism. No one is teaching their student to critic what is being presented. No one is trying to come up with other solutions for the problem Africa face. Guess what? Neocolonialism is at its best now. What shall we do?

 

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

https://youtu.be/tSfXh_L_a_Q

From cocoa field to classroom, in Côte d’Ivoire. Koffikro is a farming community about 20 km from San Pedro, the second largest port city in the country. The main crop is cocoa. Raw beans are grown, harvested and exported to be transformed into chocolate bars for those with a ‘sweet

tooth’, the world over. Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa production accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the world’s supply. Most cocoa is produced in the south-west of the country.

 

NIGER REPUBLIC

https://youtu.be/WP6VxOWlimY

Improving the Education of Girls in Niger Republic. Plan International works at the root, sensitizing girls before they get married and working with religious and traditional leaders, communities, parents and teachers. In 2008 Plan Niger launched Improve the Education of Girls in Niger with the aim of getting more girls into schools and community classroom was the way to

GHANA

https://youtu.be/v3dfnYPLfjE

Ghana has one of the highest preschool enrollment rates in sub-Saharan Africa, but many children are not learning in school. One challenge is that many teachers are not trained in methods that are proven to help young children learn and reach their full potential. Here’s Accra, Ghana with results from two evaluations of teacher training programs, which have contributed to our understanding of scalable ways to improve early childhood education and the role of community education in this setting.

 

Osita Aniemeka, PhD