The Galkayo Peace School: Uniting communities, integrating services
The French Committee for UNICEF is supporting a project that will bring primary education, basic social services and peace to a divided community in North East Somalia. By Denise Shepherd-Johnson, UNICEF Somalia, Nairobi, 23 July 2007 For seventeen years there has been enmity between communities of the north and south of Galkayo, the capital of Mudug region in North-East Somalia (the semi-autonomous state of ‘Puntland’). The hostilities were the result of inter-clan conflicts, exacerbated by political rivalries following the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991. Now the situation is about to change. Starting in September 2007, the children of both communities will benefit from a new school that holds the key to future reconciliation. A primary school, the Galkayo Peace School (now under construction) will lead by example. Not only by teaching ‘peace education’ but also by drawing its students, teachers and administrative body (the Community Education Committee) from rival areas in equal measure: 50% from the north and 50% from the south. The idea for the school was born out of mediation talks led by UNICEF over poor living conditions and disputed water sources between the north and south. Those talks revealed that the communities lacked more than water. There were no schools in the area of the ‘green line’ that divided them. Parents also feared for their children’s safety in the area because of incidents of rape, drug distribution and drug-related violence. Hibo Jama, aged 11, lives next door to the site of the new Galkayo Peace School. She has never interacted with children from south Galkayo and is delighted that a school will soon be next door to her home. She currently attends Umadda Primary School which is 30 minutes away. Says Hibo, "I will definitely enrol in this school…I am very happy that new school is being built next our house. I won't have to walk far any more. Sometimes older children harass me on the road. All what I know of children from south Galkayo is that we call them 'ciyaal baraxley' meaning ‘children of Baraxley’, and that they are violent children who beat up other children. I never talk to them. But I would love to know more about them, share classes with them and make friends with them." Facilitated by UNICEF and the local administration, the communities of the north and south – which had never planned anything together in the past - came together to donate land and establish a school in time for the new school term (September 2007) that could offer the primary school curriculum of reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies and Islamic studies to 600 children aged 6 – 14.
Their plan will see the children taught in two shifts of 300 children each: a morning shift from 7.00 a.m. – 1.00p.m and an afternoon shift from 1.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The school will have sixteen teachers: eight per shift. “The building of the Peace School in Galkayo is both exciting and very important, both for this town, as well as for Somalia,” says UNICEF Somalia Chief of Education, Maurice Robson. “It is exciting in that two strongly divided communities are now working much more closely together, to ensure that their children have better access to education. It is important also as a model for other communities in Somalia to follow, as well as for government to use as it seeks to increase access to education across the country. Finally, it is important because the changed attitudes, which have brought two communities together, will be reflected in the school curriculum.” “What happens in schools depends very much on the active participation of parents and the community. The prevailing attitudes in the community influence the extent to which the schools can promote positive attitudes towards peace in the minds of children. In Galkayo, with strong community support, the school should be able to act as a ‘peace bridge’ and ensure that its children develop knowledge, attitudes and skills which will contribute to peaceful development of their community,” added Robson. Some 3000 sq. metres of land has been donated by the communities of both north and south and they are providing much of the labour and materials for construction. When the school opens they will contribute stipends for the teachers. The French Committee for UNICEF is contributing over $140,000 to support the provision of teacher training, textbooks and teaching and recreational materials. Complementing the four-classroom school will be water and sanitation facilities, a clinic and health education programme, a feeding centre and a community hall. Fadumo Abdi, a mother of five children, lives a few metres from the site of the new school. She says the school will allow more children in the area to get an education. "The nearest school is the Umadda Primary School and it is over-crowded. Many children in this area do not go school because parents fear sending their children to schools far away. It was great idea to have the peace school here on the green line. I don't know how children will react. But for me, I would like to see my children making friends with other children from the south, and through them, I will have good relationship with their parents. It is very good to build good relationship with other communities and change perceptions and I am hopeful this school will cement children and parents of south and north Galkayo together." Joining to build and develop the Galkayo Peace School has made friends out of former enemies. As their children learn and grow together, UNICEF and the local administration hope that their parents and the communities of the north and south will learn more about each other and so bring stability and understanding to this long-troubled area.
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