Education for Congolese Refugee Children in Uganda

Uganda is host to the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world where hundreds
of thousands of people are fleeing conflict and human rights abuses in the
neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thousands of Congolese refugee children living in Kyaka II refugee settlement
are lacking early years education and support at a crucial time in their life.

Children on the Edge are supporting 30 Congolese refugee communities to
provide early childhood development education for their youngest children,
aiming to reach 10,000 children by the end of 2023.

Blue icon of two children with their hands in the air.

8,547 CHILDREN ACCESSING LEARNING & SUPPORT

203 TRAINED TEACHERS

Blue icon a box with a heart in the centre

14 EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTRES REBUILT 

Young Byamukama David, a refugee from the DRC living in Kyaka II settlement in Uganda. He is 5 years old and sat on a step outside a house, next to his mother who is holding and reading a green plastic folder with documents in. She is wearing a yellow tshirt with a butterfly picture on it.David is looking and smiling at the camera. He is wearing a white jacket with a muddy front and blue shorts.

NAJIBU SIFA is 7 years old and hadn't received any education until March 2022 when Children on the Edge introduced cluster learning in her village. After a year of amazing progress, Sifa has now moved onto a local primary school where she is thriving. When we asked her about the cluster groups, she told us:

“Before the clusters, learning was just for the older children who could walk longer distances. I used to stay home and take care of my brother and sister while mama went to work. I was happy to start school because I made new friends".

Sifa loves going to primary school and has a dream of becoming a doctor to support the most vulnerable people in her community.

WORKING ON 'THE EDGE' IN KYAKA II, UGANDA

Uganda is host to an estimated 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers; a quarter of them feeling conflict, disease and human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The DRC is one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century, yet receives little media attention.
Home to over 125,000 Congolese refugees; Kyaka II settlement in Uganda is well beyond its intended capacity.
Over 65% of arrivals in Kyaka II are children, many of whom have witnessed horrific violence and lost family members.
They face serious child protection risks and have few safe places to go during the day, particularly the youngest children aged 0-6. They need special attention.
Services in Uganda are overstretched and thousands of children living in Kyaka II refugee settlement are lacking early years education and support at a crucial time in their development.

A dusty street in Kyaka II settlement. There are makeshift houses and shelters lining the road and lots of green trees. Congolese refugees are gathered in small groups along the side of the road. You can click on the image to read more about the issues is Kyaka II

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

In the Kyaka II refugee camp in Uganda, 30 refugee communities, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, are being supported to deliver high quality, cost effective Early Childhood Development (ECD) provision, in safe spaces, to thousands of children aged 3-6 years. This education and support will ensure they have the best possible start in life and are enabled to thrive.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) includes services and programmes to support, care for, and nurture children in the early years of life (aged 0 - 5 years). Providing opportunities for learning and play, along with supporting children's health and nutrition help to create a protective environment for children and support their development at the most vital time in their life. This can be done within an ECD Centre, or in informal settings within a community.

We are resourcing these 30 communities in Kyaka II to own and manage ECD provision for their own children, both now and into the future. We worked alongside them to rebuild or renovate 30 existing ECD Centres which are now used to support over 3,500 children aged 3-6. Each centre is run by a Centre Management Committees, made up of local residents who receive training on management and administration, as well as child rights, child protection, and the developmental needs of young children.

Local refugees are trained as teachers so that children can learn from familiar, trusted adults, in their own dialect. These teachers learn on certified courses and have the opportunity to apply for small business loans to help them generate sustainable incomes.

Two young Congolese refugees sat outside a structure made of mud and wood. They are sat on a coloured mat are holding up cards with numbers 2 and 4 on. The cards are painted with bright colours and the children are smiling.

Children gathering outside to learn and play

As the 30 Early Childhood Development buildings we support cannot come close to accommodating the number of children who need early years learning and support in these communities, a new pilot project began in 2021.

Cluster group learning sessions take place three times a week for an hour, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays - under trees, in people’s homes and in communal spaces. Parents join in on the Wednesday session to learn what the children have been doing in order to practice at home for the rest of the week. These sessions enable thousands more children to access education and play within the refugee settlements.

The programme also trains and inspires parents to nurture and teach their children each day at home.

Whether inside colourful centres or outdoors in ‘cluster groups’, each learning space is a safe environment, with a quality bespoke curriculum delivered in the childrens’ own language from trained, trusted teachers, using colourful learning resources. The overall aim of this programme is to establish complete community ownership, independence and sustainability.