Pastoralist communities make up a large portion of the Somali population. Most pastoral children in Somaliland do not have access to any form of education. Basic Education for Pastoralist Children Project in Sanaag region was a program that ran during 2013. The aim of the program was to provide quality, inclusive and equitable basic education services to children living in pastoral regions of Somaliland. Candlelight’s goal was to contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of all children with particular attention to girls and disadvantaged groups. Some of the activities that took place during the program were: the creation of mobile schools, support for teachers, education awareness programs and audio radio teaching raining. Educational programs in pastoral communities have been delivered in creative ways. One way was through a camel library. It was equipped with two boxes of books, mats and a tent and it was staffed with a librarian and camel herder.
Project overall goal:
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the fulfilment of the rights of all children (with equal opportunity to girls and disadvantaged groups) in Somaliland to quality, inclusive and equitable basic education services.
Specific Objective:
The main purpose of the project is to increase enrolment and retention of children from pastoral and agro-pastoral communities through improved and responsive access opportunities to quality and equitable basic education services in Somaliland.
More specifically, the project will:
- Develop and implement a range of models providing effective, relevant and inclusive educational services for pastoralist children in Somaliland.
- Generate and effectively disseminate a body of analysis on issues and possible options for providing better educational opportunities for pastoralist children at the local level and in the region.
Project Period: Jan 2012- Dec 2013
Targeted Locations: Sanag region
Project Impact:
A participant in the program who lives in Dhoobo village raises a good example of the change brought by the project. Prior to the arrival of Candlelight on the scene, the students in Dhoob village were studying in a makeshift school under a tree. Now they have a full furnished classrooms, as can be seen in the below picture. A participant of the program Amiin Hirsi said “We didn’t have anything yesterday, but today we have a thing called a school”.
Funded Agency: UNICEF through Save The children alliance
Project Photos:
Primary education for pastoralist children, Sanaag region
