Impacts on Early Emotional Development

     I chose West Africa, particularly Guinea, much of my heart is still there.  The education system is far below standards.  When I was there, there were no public school; every child that did attend school had to pay a tuition fee.  There are a few good French school in the the larger villages but not in the small villages.  The article by Michele Akan Badarou relates that an organization from the Netherlands, with the support of other NGO partner’s schools called “learning Along Borders’ project”.  There is a new learning strategy; groups of eight are set together with a tutor from the students.   The students study the basic subjects along with technology, arts and science. 

     The education secretary of Forécariah Prefecture, Monsieur Souleymane Kaba, said, “This project has come just at the right time in order to integrate and keep each child, including refugee and displaced children, within a diversified and adapted education system.” (Badarou, M. 2010)

     The challenge is that this system of education is for a specific group of children, children in conflict-affected communities on both sides of the borders.  This does not include children inland.  In the large village where I lived had limited access to education, with tuition and transportation costly. 

      Another challenge is the Girl Child Health Issues; this is designed to be a protection for the girl in children in poor household have a high work burden of household chores.  The girl child’s time is restricted, leaving little time to develop interests of her own and reach full imaginative potential.  I have seen girls as young as five carrying baby sibling on their back, to free mother to do her work. 

     An UNICEF article points out that girl’s education is important, as educated girls are more interested in protecting themselves against HIV/AIDS, have healthier pregnancies with healthier children.  The campaign includes thirteen West African countries with six countries in Southern Asia (UNICEF, 2003).

     While in Africa, I saw children playing in the streets at school times, because their parents could not afford to send them to school.  I had a  little boy sit in the window of a broken down house across the street from my house-school.  He asked me many times if I could teach him.  The mission said ‘no”, time was a restricting issue.  My heart hurt for this child, he wanted to learn and the opportunity was not there or allowed. 

     When I left Africa, I donated three boxes of books to Save the Children to be used in a village that was working on teaching English.  I was asked to go to this village during our school break.  I was willing but then had to come home. 

References:

Badarou, Michele Akan, 2012, at a glance: Guinea, In Guinea, UNICEF supports an innovative school programme for children in conflict-affected communities Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/guinea_62302.html?p=printme

Ouagadougou, 2003, New York, UNICEF Launches Girls’ Education Initiative in Western and Central Africa, News Release,  Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/media/media_10944.htmlUNICEF Retrievced from:

 http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html