More than 180,000 Somali children and 3,000 teachers across the country have received textbooks and other learning materials donated by the Government of Japan. The consignment included; blackboards, chalk, pens and pencils and exercise books, as well as registers, maps, and recreational supplies and will last for one year at Hargeisa, Northwest zone. The country has also benefitted from a 4 million US dollars contribution made by Japan that UNICEF and other partners are providing Somali communities with essential services; health, education, water and sanitation.
The country has been adversely affected by the soaring food prices, drought exacerbated by climate change, and deterioration of livelihoods. 3.64 million people are currently facing a humanitarian crisis, half of whom are children. The funding will provide critical support to aid agency, UNICEF efforts to ensure that children even in the most difficult circumstances receive quality education, a service identified by many Somali communities as their top priority. “As people’s coping capacities are eroded by prolonged conflict, drought, and high food prices, children’s enrolment in schools is often compromised while families struggle to meet other basic needs,†said Ms. Hannan Sulieman, Deputy Representative in UNICEF Somalia.
UNICEF is currently the sole provider of textbooks and school materials for primary schools in Somalia and is providing training for teachers and community education committees, as well as incentives for teachers to help keep schools open. Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Embassy in Kenya, Mr. Seiji Okada said that Japan will see Somalia receive a good schooling system to be self reliant after decades of civil unrests in the country
