CAR / CONFLICT EDUCATION

 Conflict in parts of Central African Republic (CAR) has led to widespread insecurity for school age children.  UNICEF is re-supplying and repairing schools, and helping teachers return to their posts whenever possible, but the most recent wave of violence in the north-west of the country is again putting more strain on an already fragile education system. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:34
• Production Date: 22 October 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: EDUCATION; EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS
• Geographic Subject: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
• MAMS Id: U131022c

Description

STORY: CAR / CONFLICT EDUCATION
TRT: 2:34
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: SONGA/FRENCH/ENGLISH/NATS

DATELINE: OCTOBER 21, 2013, BRIA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, Angel Mbere sweeping outside her house
2. Close up, Angel Mbere sweeping outside her house
3. Close up, dust and stones that she is sweeping
4. Wide shot,Angel Mbere sweeping
5. Close up, Angel Mbere fetching water from a well
6. Wide shot, Angel Mbere fetching water from a well
7. Close up,Angel Mbere pouring well water
8. SOUNDBITE (Songa) Angel Mbere, Student:
“School is my future, and I want to become someone, and be able to help my family.”
9. Wide shot, little girl fetching well water
10. Close up, hands of girl winding rope
11.Close up, girl’s face as she winds the rope
12. Wide shot, girls carrying the bucket of water
13. Med shot, Angel Mbere coming out of her house
14. Close up, Angel Mbere’s feet as she walks to school
15. Wide shot, Angel Mbere as she walks to school
16. Med shot Angel Mbere as she walks to school
17. Wide shot, children as they walk to school
18. Wide shot, Angel Mbere walking through town centre 19. Wide shot, Angel Mbere at school
20. Wide shot, Angel Mbere walking to her class
21. Med shot, children singing in class
22. Med shot, teacher, Aristide Feikoumou, in class
23. Med shot, Angel Mbere answering question
24. Med shot, children in class
25. Med shot, of children raising their hands in class
26. Med shot, teacher writing on the blackboard
27. Close up, boy in class
28. Med shot, woman walking past building that was destroyed by an armed group
29. Wide shot, main road in Bria
30. SOUNDBITE (French) Aristide Feikoumou, teacher in the town of Bria:
“The children are confronted with serious difficulties. They don’t have books to read. The benches and even the doors of the classroom were looted.”
31. Med shot, Angel Mbere listening in class
32. Med shot, boy reciting his lessons in class
33. Med shot, teacher writing on the blackboard
34. Med shot, girl in class.
35. Med shot, teacher in class
36. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Servas, Education Cluster Coordinator:
“So when I was traveling through the western part of the country I saw a lot of empty schools, although the teachers and the directors are slowly starting to come back, parents are still afraid to send their kids back to school, and the kids themselves are very afraid.”
37. Med shot, Angel Mbere cleaning vegetables
38. Close up, Angel Mbere cleaning corn
39. Close up, Angel Mbere’s face
40. Close up, hand putting wood on the fire
41. Med shot, Angel Mbere and her sister
42. Close up, pot on fire
43. Med shot, young girl fanning fire
44. Wide shot,Angel Mbere and her aunt washing dishes

Storyline

Angel Mbere wakes up at five o'clock to clean the house, wash dishes, and fetch water before she goes to school. She says that many girls stay at home to help their mothers, or get married young.

SOUNDBITE (Songa) Angel Mbere, 16-year-old student in the town of Bria:
“School is my future, and I want to become someone, and be able to help my family.”

Violence has increased poverty, insecurity and other barriers to education. Even before the crisis there were almost a million children out of school. Political violence around 80 per cent of schools to close at least once, and many of them remain closed. But here in Bria schools have reopened, and Angel feels lucky she can once again go to school.

Aristide Feikoumou was one of the teachers who fled fighting. He was shocked to find his home, and even the school had been looted, and many other buildings were destroyed by the armed groups that passed through the town.

SOUNDBITE (French) Aristide Feikoumou, teacher in the town of Bria:
“The children have serious difficulties at present. They don’t even have books to read. Even the benches and the doors of the classroom were taken.”

UNICEF is re-supplying and repairing schools, and helping teachers return to their posts. But security is the most essential thing to get pupils into schools.

SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Servas, Education Cluster Coordinator for UNICEF CAR:
“So when I was traveling through the western part of the country, I saw a lot of empty schools. Although the teachers and directors are starting to come back, parents are still afraid to send their kids to school, and the kids themselves are very afraid.”

Angel is determined that this will not be a lost year for her, and that she will pass her exams. But the effects of violence on education will be felt for years to come, and children in the Central African Republic will need all the support they can get.