School supplies to encourage education: Samira and Youssouf’s story

Samira 7 years old and Youssouf 6 years old are students at the public school of Bindia in the district of Mandjou in the East region who have received, few days ago, school kits and brand-new bags. “I was very anxious during the distribution because I was afraid of being forgotten. When I received my bag with notebooks, pens, pencils, and a slate, I was very happy” she said, her face beaming with happiness. “These supplies smell good, and they are new. I’m very happy”, she adds, taking her bag with her.

Samira is enrolled in class two while Youssouf is enrolled at class one. If the two are in different grades, they have something in common: they want to go to school but could have not finished this school year for lack of supplies. Presenting her old backpack which was a former donation from UNICEF used by her older sister, Samira explains that she was already the subject of mockery for some of her classmates. “I had no supplies, just an old slate that I could hide in my bag already holes everywhere and very old. Some of my classmates laughed at me when I dragged my old, almost empty, and dirty bag. And when it was necessary to perform exercises, I always asked for chalk to a nice friend. Sometimes she refused me, and I was sad and discouraged”, she tells us.

Samira is a young Mbororo girl (an indigenous people of the region) whose parents are very poor. His polygamous father can no longer support them. Her two older sisters dropped out of school to be married before age because of the weight of poverty and family responsibilities. Despite her young age, she is convinced that at school she will be better fulfilled and believes in her chances of becoming a teacher.

Meanwhile, Youssouf is a Central African refugee child, his family arrived in Cameroon in 2017 when he was just celebrating his 1st birthday. A month after the beginning of classes, he was admitted to the school thanks to the good faith of the school principal who noticed his will when classes began. “He came every day to prowl around the classrooms, very admiring when the children entered or left the school. I approached his parents to find out why he was staying at home, and they told me it was because of lack of money. We have facilitated his access to school, and I am convinced that the acquisition of these supplies will give him courage” says the director. Hawa, her grandmother, says she is very happy to see her grandson with a brand-new bag full of equipment. “When I saw my little child among those who received these donations, I was so happy that I cried. Today I look at him he is very happy; he is no different from other children. And he is very motivated to always do his homework when he comes back from school. Before, despite his will, he couldn’t do them because he did not have a slate. He sometimes had fun writing numbers on the ground with a lump of coal”, she tells us.

Youssouf did not have the chance to stay long with his mother who died very early upon their arrival in Cameroon in Garoua-Boulai, a border town with the Central African Republic. His grandmother, his three brothers and him, found refuge in Bindia.

These children are among more than 20,000 children affected by the Central African crisis, including nearly 8,000 refugees who have received educational materials.

To address crucial and urgent challenges and to provide the Government of Cameroon with the necessary support to achieve equitable and accessible education for all, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, UNICEF is supporting the most vulnerable children in 235 primary schools in the council of Mandjou, Kette, Kentzou, Betare Oya, Ouli and Garoua Boulai. Interventions supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This operation is on the one hand a means to achieve equal opportunities in quality basic education and on the other hand, a strategy to reduce the costs of accessing and retaining the most disadvantaged children in school. By reducing the financial burden on vulnerable families, including refugees whose poverty levels are increasing, by providing children with these materials, UNICEF hopes to encourage them to continue their children’s education.

Like other vulnerable parents, Youssouf’s grandmother knows that education is essential: “I want to make sure my grandson gets a proper education”. However, “with the cost of live increasing, it is very difficult. At least with these supplies he will be able to go to school”, she added.

— — — By Fabrice Coula, Communication Officer UNICEF Cameroon