Recently I published a blog about the Thebault family who have just returned from Guinea in West Africa after 15 years. I then asked Maina to write about a typical day in the life of the school for which she is the Principal. What she has written makes sober reading. How would your children get on in this sort of environment?
Once you have read this you may feel you would like to help. It costs £10 ($14) per month to fully educate a child. If you would like to become a supporter please write to me. The details are at the end of the posting.
Maina writes:
The school environment: frightful or happy place?
The answer to the above question for many will absolutely be a ‘happy place’ which, of course, I agree with. This is the expectation in a normal situation and in a stable country. But in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, the school environment might be a death trap, though a risk worth taking.
Normally, as the head of the school, I love seeing my pupils neatly dressed in their beautiful uniforms – oh it brings joy to me and I believe it brings joy to the pupils and their parents also. Many times I have heard them bragging or asking one another about how neatly they are dressed.
Wearing school uniform can be dangerous
I walk from my small home to the school and I arrive at exactly 7:30 most times. Less than half an hour later the first children arrive in different plain clothes. The reason is obvious they cannot risk being stoned and brutalised by other schools whose teachers are on strike. Putting on uniforms at this time is not safe. They feel safe in plain clothes, but are they really safe? Even in their plain clothes they normally come very frightened.
Conakry, indeed the whole of Guinea, is well known for its violent protesters and those protesters are mostly hooligans and thieves who try to gain from the situation at the detriment of the children.
The police shoot at these road blockers; the students are the scape-goats. They are killed mostly as a result of stray bullets.
Students who are quite aware of the previous strikes, when they were kept out of class for several months took the risk of by-passing strike areas and in most cases they find themselves in problems of being robbed of their bags, money and phones.
The government usually condemns violence and says it will launch an investigation to deal with the culprits. But things remain the same.
Courage of teachers
Our dedicated teachers also risk their lives to come to the school and sometimes accompany the children to their various communities. Their parents or guardians will collect them and go home.
The unblessed events have soared the running cost of the school and led to the situation of delaying the salaries of teachers.
We cannot risk leaving these dedicated children that are ready to learn under the difficult situation like this (wherein police and gendarme are shooting most times to get protesters away from the road)
Students are mostly killed in these situations. We prefer their safety to any other option. Therefore we have decided to hand every student to a parent or guardian in their various communities at the expense of the school after every school day.
The prayers, help and donations of donor partners or well-wishers are highly needed in this situation that is deepened by ethnic and political tensions.
To become a donor please write to feeding5000isnopicnic@gmail.com