“I always had the painful experience of seeing the other children go to school with their backpacks,” says Zénabou, 14. “He was tormenting because, although I was burning with the desire to find out what happened in the schools where these children were going every morning, I realized very early that it was a system that was not made for me because it was different.”
For many children with disabilities, doors to education have remained firmly closed, leaving them with few opportunities and few hopes for the future. However, in the Central Republic of Africa (CAR) today, children like Zénabou are finally receiving adapted support and educational opportunities they deserve thanks to a new Inclusive Education Pilot initiative.
The program provides essential resources such as learning materials, mobility aid and specialized classes to learn braille and sign language; creating a community support network for families; and integrate children with disabilities in local schools.
Zénabou, a deaf teenager in the Central African Republic, in his classroom.
A door opens
Zénabou sits on the desk in his classroom, workbook in front of her and surrounded by classmates. She smiles while looking at her teacher to write something on the board. It may seem an ordinary scene for someone who happens, but for fourteen years and other children with disabilities like her, this is an extraordinary moment.
Before registering in classes, Zénabou would stay at home most of the day, helping his mother with domestic tasks. Their hours were full of washing dishes, cleaning clothes and to look for water for their family.
“Going to school was something I had never expected,” he signs. “The day I went to school for the first time, suddenly I realized that I was not the only one in this situation. Seeing more than 30 deaf people in the same place was amazing!”
Through an investment of several years, the specialized classes for deaf children and visual disabilities are carried out in Bambari, car, within the common primary schools. There, children like Zénabou who have often not even stepped on the school are taught to read, write and tell, and learn braille or sign language. These crucial skills unlock a world of learning for them.
Before attending school, Zénabou could barely communicate with those around her. His parents saw few opportunities for their future. They analyze themselves, they wanted more for their daughter, but taking into account her disability, they had no hope. But everything changed when they gave him access, resources and support to learn.
Zénabou in your classroom
“My daughter Zénabou can now be affirmed as a person, despite the communication barriers caused by the fact that she is deaf,” says Zénabou’s father. “Now I am optimistic about the future of Zénabou and I know he will succeed!”
Educational crisis in the car
The Central African Republic is one of the most difficult places in the world to be a child. Conflict, displacement and instability are undermining efforts for peaceful development, putting children and adolescents at serious risk. Years of violence have contributed to the breakdown of what were already limited services. Access to medical care, opportunities and education of livelihoods is very limited or non -existent in much of the country.
The country’s education system is dealing with significant challenges, particularly for children with disabilities. Prolonged conflicts have devastated educational infrastructure, leaving a million children and adolescents outside the school. This crisis disproportionately affects children with disabilities, who face barriers composed of education due to the stigma surrounding disabilities and limited access to specialized support.
Addressing these challenges requires concerted efforts to rebuild educational infrastructure, promote inclusive teaching practices and combat social stigma to ensure that all children have access to inclusive and quality education.
Zénabou with his sister, Aziza
Inclusive education in the Central African Republic
- Working with organizations that represent people with disabilities is key to guaranteeing their participation in decision making, as described in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It has also been recognized that it is necessary for social change, promoting autonomy and guaranteeing the empowerment of people with disabilities.
- This innovative initiative is funded by education that cannot be expected (ECW), the World Emergency and Prolonged Crisis Fund in the United Nations.
- It is supported by the UNICEF children agency, partners such as humanity and inclusion and national organizations, including the center of Alphabétisation et of the Training in Braille Pour Les Aveugles in Centrafrique ‘and the National Association of Centrafrique Auditifs.