Mobile schools for nomadic children

For decades the lives of traditional nomadic peoples in Mali such as the Fulbe, the Tuareg, Moors and Bellah have been determined by the rhythm of the seasons. They move from place to place in order to always provide their animals with enough water and pastureland. Their children accompany them and therefore cannot attend a traditional school. "As a result the illiteracy rate among nomadic peoples is high," explained the KfW project manager Vanessa Gleiss.For several years now "mobile schools" have been set up in the region Mopti in Mali so that the children of wandering desert peoples can also learn to read, write and do math.

The project has continued to operate during the current crisis, which has dominated the country since the destabilisation in northern Mali and the military coup in March 2012. In the conflict regions of the world education in particular is an important factor for promoting freedom and stability. With this programme KfW Entwicklungsbank is making an important contribution to the motto "Literacy and Peace" of this year's United Nations World Literacy Day (8 September).

Education for a better future

The West African country of Mali has been in a deep crisis since Tuareg rebels and Islamists began occupying the northern provinces in January 2012. In the meantime, the Islamists have gained sole control of northern Mali, while the South still remains under the control of the transitional government.
Despite these difficult political conditions, KfW Entwicklungsbank has continued the "mobile schools" project in cooperation with German Agro Action and local non-governmental organisations. Since last year KfW Entwicklungsbank has supported this programme, which German Agro Action launched already in 2007. Since then thirteen "mobile schools" have been founded south of the city of Mopti.

In this region, which is not affected by the rebel assaults, the schools were able to again take up operation in March of this year. North of Mopti the situation looks different. All activities there had to be discontinued due to the precarious security situation. Thus the project initially focuses on founding schools only in the southern region of the Niger Delta. By the end of the year there are to be 20 such "mobile schools" here to ensure that more and more children of nomadic peoples have access to education and an opportunity for a better future.

Teachers and schools follow the nomadic families

In contrast to traditional schools, the "mobile schools" are not located at a fixed location but rather the teachers and even the classroom buildings follow the families on their journey to remote desert regions. Therefore "mobile schools" are not built with the common mud bricks found in Mali, but rather out of a frame of willows or strong branches, which are covered with straw matting and pelts on the sides and on the roof. The schools can be taken up or down at any time and transported, in this way conforming to the nomads' way of life.

Children usually start school at around eight in the morning and finish at already around noon so that they can go help out their families. The children retrieve water, herd the cattle or wash laundry. This division of labour is part of the traditional nomadic way of life on which the concept of the "mobile schools" is based. In particular girls benefit from the "mobile schools". The proportion of female pupils is higher here than in "traditional schools". The concept also opens up new opportunities for adult members of the family. One aim of the project in future is to recruit teachers from the nomadic tribes, as speaking the local language is an important prerequisite.

KfW is active globally in improving people's educational situation. It currently has 93 projects running in 37 countries. These reach up to 10.7 million people. The most important goals include facilitating access to primary and secondary education and improving the quality of teaching in the schools.

Monday, 17. September 2012

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