A PLACE TO LEARN, SAFE FROM CONFLICT
In Karamoja, Uganda, one of the driest and poorest regions of Africa, families compete fiercely for water and pasture land to raise cattle for market. In recent years, feuds and violence over cattle have become so commonplace that some children consider cattle raiding a natural part of growing up. It is not uncommon for children to awake at night and find their small village in flames, as cattle are stolen from their family and neighbors. The next morning they will be filled with fear and anxiety.
But now children between the ages of 2 and 5 in one village in Karamoja have a special preschool center they can attend where adult caregivers help them cope with their feelings. Children like going to the center, first of all, because they get food there. “If we stay at home, there is nothing to eat,” says one boy. “At the center we get porridge.” They also enjoy listening to stories, singing songs, playing games and doing art activities that they cannot do at home.
When children arrive at the center agitated by the violence, the caregivers have been trained to respond. “They sit the children down, talk with them, and explain what’s being done to make things better,” says Rosemary Akech, Save the Children’s regional director in Karamoja. “Then they make sure the troubled kids are mixed in with other children who haven’t gone through trauma, so it calms them down.”
Children at the preschool also get regular health check-ups including immunizations, Vitamin A supplements, deworming treatments and growth monitoring.
The center is adjacent to the elementary school, and Rosemary likes to see the preschool students show an interest in continuing their education. “They point to the primary school and tell me, ‘After the center, I want to go to that school.’”
