<\/p>\n
Two weeks after classes resumed across the country, thousands of children in Ituri are returning to school safely thanks to the “Safer Schools” campaign implemented by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in close collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).<\/p>\n
The campaign has been welcomed by education stakeholders, who are pleased to see children returning to school despite the persistent insecurity linked to the activities of armed groups and the health risks associated with the Ebola virus disease currently affecting the province.<\/p>\n
The “Safer Schools” campaign aims to strengthen the protection of students, teachers and communities while promoting the continuity of education in areas affected by conflict.<\/p>\n
Going to school safely<\/strong><\/p>\n In Bayoo, in Djugu Territory, activities carried out under the campaign are helping to restore a climate of trust around schools. Thanks to the joint commitment of local authorities, communities and MONUSCO peacekeepers, many children have been able to return to school after several episodes of insecurity disrupted their education.<\/p>\n Bangladeshi peacekeepers deployed in the area, with the support of Community Liaison Assistants (CLAs), have intensified outreach activities aimed at strengthening the protection of civilians. Every day, joint patrols are conducted with the FARDC around schools and in areas most exposed to armed attacks.<\/p>\n The teams also regularly monitor the main routes used by students and teachers, maintain ongoing dialogue with school officials and parents, and share relevant security information with local authorities.<\/p>\n The objective is to prevent threats, reassure communities and enable children to continue their education in a safer environment.<\/p>\n This presence is particularly important in an area with nearly 54 schools, including nine in the Bule area. Several of these schools have been forced to temporarily suspend their activities following attacks or threats attributed to armed groups, with lasting effects on children's learning and the stability of communities.<\/p>\n Security as a condition for learning<\/strong><\/p>\n The gradual return of students to classrooms is an encouraging sign of the results of this approach.<\/p>\n “We sincerely thank you for the patrols you conduct and for the school supplies you have given us. Thanks to your presence and commitment, we feel safer, which allows us to study in better conditions. We kindly ask you to continue ensuring our security so that we can pursue our studies in a peaceful and secure environment. Thank you for your support and for all the efforts you make to protect us,” said a student interviewed at Arr Primary School, located four kilometres north of Bayoo.<\/p>\n The “Safer Schools” campaign was launched last January. Between 22 and 25 June, nearly 15,000 students were able to take the examinations safely in the Mission’s area of operations in Ituri. They were joined by nearly 3,000 candidates from the territories of Aru, Mahagi and Mambasa, bringing the total number of students who benefited from a secure environment in which to sit this national examination to nearly 18,000.<\/p>\n The various contingents of MONUSCO’s Northern Sector conducted regular patrols, escort missions and security operations in close coordination with the Congolese army and the Provincial Division of Education. These measures enabled candidates to sit their examinations in good conditions.<\/p>\n Safe and healthy schools<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond security, the “Safer Schools” campaign also focuses on public health. Over the past two weeks, MONUSCO peacekeepers based in Bayoo have conducted 29 awareness-raising sessions for students, teachers, parents and community leaders to strengthen knowledge about preventing Ebola virus disease.<\/p>\n Participants are trained in essential protective measures, including regular handwashing, personal hygiene, maintaining a clean living environment, early recognition of warning signs, and the need to promptly report any suspected case to the relevant health authorities.<\/p>\n The sessions also help combat misinformation and rumours that could undermine prevention efforts. Communities are encouraged to refer to official sources and follow the recommendations of health authorities.<\/p>\n Through this approach, which combines civilian protection, support for education and health prevention, MONUSCO continues to support communities in Ituri in their efforts to build a more stable and resilient environment<\/p>\n Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mission de l’Organisation des Nations unies en R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo (MONUSCO).<\/i><\/p>\n Source<\/a> Two weeks after classes resumed across the country, thousands of children in Ituri are returning to school safely thanks to the “Safer Schools” campaign implemented by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in close collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":244824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/thumb\/78aa1a24ef3660c\/600\/418","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[278],"tags":[258,256,4696,4554,6404,281,4691,450,279,280,39274,6161,28070,2073,4301,257,9218,6202,5935,254,14975,6695,7866],"class_list":["post-244823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dr-congo","tag-africa","tag-africa-news","tag-central-africa","tag-congo","tag-democratic","tag-democratic-republic-of-congo","tag-dr-congo","tag-dr-congo-news","tag-drc","tag-drc-news","tag-ituri","tag-mission","tag-mobilized","tag-monusco","tag-nations","tag-news","tag-organization","tag-protect","tag-republic","tag-south-africa-today","tag-stabilization","tag-students","tag-united"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/thumb\/78aa1a24ef3660c\/600\/418","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244825,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244823\/revisions\/244825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIt demonstrated its effectiveness in particular throughout the period of the State Examination, which marks the completion of secondary education.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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