Educating the children of Darfur

In the desert nation of Chad, PwC and its project partner the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), are building a fully-functioning primary educational system on the edge of a combat zone.

When completed, the multi-year project will bring the essential of a primary school education on sustainable basis to thousands of children displaced by fighting in their homeland of Darfur.

The project got underway with a 10-day fundraising campaign that attracted more than US$4 million in contributions from PwC people and member firms. It is the largest corporate cash donation in the history of the UNHCR.

Making progress

To date

  • All four schools (8 classrooms of 9m x 5m) are completed
  • Each classroom is furnished with 25 double desks, chairs, and blackboards
  • All multi-use centres are complete and have laptops and printers
  • 15,000 textbooks have been purchased
  • 300 teachers have been trained and accredited
  • Each teacher has received two uniforms made by local tailors
  • 14,000 students have been tested
  • Local committees established to manage and maintain facilities

Underway

  • School is in session!
  • Vocational training available to older children
  • Translation of teacher training materials into Arabic
  • Newspaper publishing in Iridimi camp
  • Special efforts to promote girls education
  • Diagnostic video assessment of teachers

Planned

  • Update database of teacher competencies
  • Purchase additional textbooks
  • Provide learning materials/workbooks to teachers
  • Introduce Peace Education into curriculum
  • Build an FM radio station
  • Mainstream pilot program into other refugee camps
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Photo gallery

See images from the front lines of the Darfur refugee crisis.