Teaching Peace In Eastern Congo

Education remains the key to development in conflict ridden Central Africa. I spoke to two directors of the educational NGO Justice Rising International to find out more about this ambitious project assisting community development via education in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Decades of atrocities, human rights violations and foreign interference have all served to inhibit Congolese development. Despite a youthful, vibrant population, a majority of the country’s 81 million inhabitants struggle to survive below the line of extreme poverty. A recent World Bank estimate placed the figure for Congolese citizens living in such conditions at a staggering 73%. This makes the DRC one of, if not, the poorest country in the world, with severe economic, political and societal challenges limiting Congo’s massive growth potential. One area of severe deficiency lies in the provision of education. Both at primary and secondary level, the Congolese education system remains intrinsically underdeveloped, unable to provide access to quality education nationwide.

USAID states that roughly 3.5 million Congolese children of primary school age are not in education. UNICEF quotes a figure of 7 million children aged 5-17 as being outside of any recognised school system. Despite the Tshisekedi government’s promise to improve access to education, incorporating a policy of free nationwide primary schooling, little progress has been made. Many Catholic schools have avoided implementing the policy, ensuring that the burden of educational costs has remained largely on parents. A continuing shortage of teachers ensures an average ratio of one primary teacher for every 37 pupils, with a figure nearer one to 100 in rural areas. What is more, a government initiative to recruit more teachers has also backfired, with the hiring of 40,000 new educators resulting in an inability to pay their wages. The resulting nationwide strikes have left children wandering city streets, unable to attend classes.

In eastern Congo challenges to education are even greater, with huge swathes of the population displaced by conflict and decades of instability. Low-level violence remains a constant backdrop, even as open warfare becomes increasingly confined to particular regions of the east. Exacerbating matters further, an absence of judicial accountability facilitates an environment of near total lawlessness. It is against this backdrop that the Los Angeles-based charity Justice Rising International has created a network of schools for conflict afflicted children and their communities. With 14 schools and pre-schools constructed in the last decade, Justice Rising aims to promote peace and bolster development by raising educational standards. Promoting an ethos of “transforming war zones through the power of education,” the charity empowers communities to reverse the effects of war and “break the cycle of conflict.” With studies indicating a strong correlation between education and conflict reduction, Justice Rising’s mission is vital for both current and subsequent generations residing in eastern Congo.

With nine schools in the Goma area and a further five in the Masisi region, Justice Rising is enabling communities to help themselves in the wake of conflict. The NGO’s very first school was situated on the site of a former IDP (internally displaced person) camp. Today, this site hosts a growing community, hallmarked by stability and soon to achieve electrification. Land prices in areas with Justice Rising schools have also increased, drawing in trade and community investment. Nonetheless, the shadows of chaos and violence remain close at hand. One school is built on the same ground as a former M23 outpost, a brutal rebel group that briefly occupied Goma during 2012. A cluster of the schools, situated in Kalembe in Masisi, reside within territory still controlled by rebel groups, with communities still at risk of violent extortion when travelling. Nearly all pupils attending Justice Rising schools have, to some degree, been touched by this instability. Most are IDPs or have suffered at the hands of armed groups. Even away from areas of open conflict, children face threats of banditry, rape and kidnap on a near daily basis. Children are equally at risk in their own homes; with no enforceable child welfare system in place to tackle mistreatment, parental abuse is rife.

This litany of trauma has created a distinctive student demographic, one that poses unique challenges to Justice Rising and its staff. Accordingly, Justice Rising aims to make its schools safe havens from violence, where children can learn and play as befits their age, sheltered from threats of further traumatisation. Corporal punishment is prohibited and teachers play with children outside of lessons – as a way of rebuilding an often damaged sense of trust in adults. [At the time of writing] Justice Rising also employs a trained psychology-lead to assist teachers with extreme cases of child trauma, providing direct counselling when necessary. “The whole experience of coming to school should be therapeutic,” says schools director Ee-Reh Owo. “All of our teachers have had child protection training because we want to build a culture of child protection.” This holistic model has resulted in a remarkable level of academic success. In a nation where 25% of children fail their final primary exams (with 33% not staying in school long enough to take them), Justice Rising’s near 100% pass rate for students is a testament to the educational culture it is creating.

Another key indicator of not only educational, but also national development, is the inclusion and empowerment of girls. Just as most research shows a clear link between education and peace, affording equal opportunity to girls in education has been proven to enhance national development. Despite this consensus there remains a massive disparity in the number of girls in full-time education in Congo, with UNICEF reporting a figure of only 52.7%. Justice Rising seeks to enrol equal numbers of girls and boys in its schools, as well as recruiting an equivalent balance among teaching staff. Whenever a new school opens, the Justice Rising team works in the community to encourage parents to send their daughters to school. This sometimes requires a degree of incentive, such as a waiver of minimal school-fees, with families often reticent to invest in female education. Once enrolled in education, all pupils are taught a program of gender equality as a prerequisite of the national curriculum. Justice Rising has also gone to great lengths to train teachers in the elimination of bias when educating girls. A designated gender equality coordinator is employed to monitor the 14 schools, advising teachers on best practice concerning gender equality. Simultaneously, metrics on academic performance are broken down by gender, providing a clear insight into areas of performance requiring improvement. The removal of traditionally gendered practices in schools, such as female students sweeping classrooms, is another example of the simple yet progressive steps that exemplify the charity’s approach to societal development.

Looking to the future, Justice Rising aims to expand its school network, continuing to improve the quality of education available in marginalised areas. It will also maintain its commitment to sustainable educational development, recruiting staff on the recommendation of local elders and recruiting exclusively from within the school locality. This approach ensures stability for staff and students alike, particularly during times of upheaval when travel to and from school becomes overtly dangerous. The charity is also aiming to enhance its school leadership capacity, alongside dealing with more material concerns such as improving student access to books. Whilst large areas of eastern Congo remain unstable, these aspirations remain subject to events. However, the achievements of Justice Rising thus far have shown just how impactful education can be in building stability and mitigating the effects of conflict. One hopes that these innovative successes continue into 2020 and beyond.

Sam Peters

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