Education

Our association intervenes at all school levels, but gives particular importance to the early ones, since they are the bases on which the subsequent study cycles rest. From 2000 to 2016, we built 11 nursery schools in India, The Gambia, and Senegal. For this reason, the project is divided into several campaigns:

• Preschool education: Opening and management of nursery schools;
• Primary education: Remedial courses for children attending elementary school;
• Middle Secondary Education: Scholarships for deserving and needy students of middle and high school;
• University Education: University Scholarships (Uni-SAD).

The project “Tutti a scuola con Energia!” (Everyone at school with Energia) wants to increase access to education and the quality of teaching in various locations in Senegal and The Gambia.

Between 2003 and 2016 we built 9 nursery schools in Senegal (Pikine Est in the Dakar Region; Keur Jerine, Fissel, Ndiadiane, Sossop Diop, Tataguine Sérère in the Thiès Region; Bandoulou Toucouleur in the Kaolack Region; Horefondè in the Matam Region) and The Gambia (Ballangharr Choyen in the Central River Region). We aim at getting children used to going to school from an early age and facilitating the approach to recreational and educational activities. The construction or rental of these facilities is financed by the children sponsorship payments (30%) and by donations from companies or individuals.

Sponsor a nursery school in Senegal

Give hundreds of girls and boys a chance to attend kindergarten. The campaign “Tutti a scuola con Energia – Sostieni a distanza una scuola materna” provides for 5 Senegalese nursery schools, financing needs such as: the training and salary of the teachers, the teaching material, the possible rent of the structure and its ordinary and extra-ordinary maintenance. The overall average cost is 300 euros per month for each school.

 

Education in Senegal: the importance of nursery schools

The importance of nursery schools is often underestimated, although it is essential for the socio-economic development of a country. It gets children used to going to school at an early age, increasing the rate of participation in following levels of education. It also promotes women’s empowerment. The level and the quality of public schooling in Senegal are low. Current school facilities are insufficient to accommodate all the children. Overcrowded classes accommodate on average between 50 and 70 children, many of whom must walk several kilometers to reach school. On top of that, parents often do not understand the importance of education and take children away from school to get help with housework and in the fields. All these issues are slowing down, or worse, interrupting the education of many Senegalese children. In addition, they justify to a large extent the high number of school dropouts and failures.

The nursery schools of the project “Tutti a scuola con Energia” are a safe environment where children can learn through play, while their mothers carry out their own activities. Keeping contact with these schools ensures that the progress of children and the pursuit of school programs are monitored. Unfortunately, the weather conditions of Senegal, such as heavy rainfall and whirlwinds, mainly concentrated in a limited period of the year, make it necessary and particularly onerous to renovate the buildings.

How can the project be supported?

You can contribute with fixed monthly (30 euros), quarterly (90 euros), semi-annual (180 euros) or annual (360 euros) donations. Alternatively, you can make a specific one-off donation to support one of the following costs: teaching materials, a teacher’s salary, the renewal of school furniture, extraordinary maintenance costs.

 

 

The Nonviolence and Multiculturalism team is formed by volunteers who deeply care about the topics of nonviolence and multicultural education. Both experts and non-experts in the field of education are included in the team. Together we work to promote the culture of nonviolence and solidarity between the new generations and those who are in charge for their education. One of our goals is to promote a network of schools for peace and nonviolence. This can connect those people, even from different generations, who feel that a paradigm shift in current education is possible and urgent. We carry out activities in schools in Rome and elsewhere, and organize awareness-raising events, trainings, and workshops for both students and adults. During these activities, we share our points of view, we analyze the educational tools that are useful for our activities, and we learn from each other.

We always welcome new volunteers to join our team! Anyone who cares about nonviolence education and believes in multiculturalism and solidarity will find in this team a valid way to apply their energies and their creativity. Besides the activities described above, we are always looking for new ways to communicate what we do and grow our project. That is why you do not need specific knowledge to start working with us. Those who want to participate will find opportunities to deepen their training and the meaning of their actions, in a cheerful, inclusive, and constructive environment.

What are you waiting for? For information about our activities and to participate, please contact: +39 3200519644 (Edoardo) or email: nonviolenza@energiaperidirittiumani.it

education team foundation document

The twinning started in 2010 with the project “Attraverso l’educazione verso la Nazione Umana Universale” (Through education towards the Universal Human Nation), supported by the European Union. The aim is to establish a direct correspondence between the classes of Italian schools and those of our schools in Senegal and The Gambia. Students in both countries are encouraged to produce drawings, videos, or letters, to be sent to their twin classes, so that they can learn more about each other. Moreover, Italian students can collect didactic material (notebooks, pens, pencils, etc.) and send it to their twin classes, through the association. Thanks to this support, classes in African schools can improve their school activities with a comprehensive educational offer. At the beginning of each twinning, the two classes involved create a short presentation video and a certificate valid for one year is issued.  The twinning can then be renewed the following year. We invite you to help us in this initiative by involving schools and /or teachers of primary and secondary school.

For information: nonviolenza@energiaperidirittiumani.it

Bandoulou is a Senegalese village of about 1,400 inhabitants, located in the region of Kaolack, about 200 km south of Dakar, not far from the border with The Gambia. In 2006, Energia per i Diritti Umani established a nursery school there. The aim was to improve the rate of school participation of children at an early age, and to compensate for the scarcity of public nursery schools. However, the building had become too small to accommodate all the children who wanted to participate. In 2017/2018 we implemented the project Scuola Luisa Lorena Caputo: una nuova scuola per Bandoulou (Luisa Lorena Caputo School: a new school for Bandoulou), implemented by Energia per i Diritti Umani with the support of the architecture studio Babel.

The school has:

• 2 indoor classrooms. Each classroom holds 50 children (63 sqm per classroom)
• 2 outdoor classrooms. Each classroom holds 50 children (54 sqm per classroom = 162 sqm)
• Toilets (3 male and 3 female)
• Areas for outdoor and indoor play
• Areas for the creation of a sustainable vegetable garden, within the framework of the project Energia dalla Terra (Energy from the Earth), which provides for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables for childrens.
• A kitchen for the school canteen
• A fence of the whole land (about 5000 sqm)

The project was the result of a careful research by the architects of Babel to reach:

• Ease of implementation by the local workforce;
• Use of local materials;
• Compliance with cost-effectiveness criteria
• Expandability without upheaval, in case of future needs;
• Reproducibility in other geographical and social contexts.

Construction phase of the nursery school

The project received the support of the municipality of Massa Lubrense (Naples), the “Istituto comprensivo Bozzaotra” of Massa Lubrense and the citizens of Nerano and Sorrento. The school was named after Luisa Lorena Caputo, a young citizen of Massa Lubrense who passed away at the age of 12 due to a lethal form of leukemia.

 

For info and to donate: info@energiaperidirittiumani.it

 

In Senegal and Gambia, the number of students who can access school decreases as education level increases. This is due to strong selections and rising costs. Our scholarships are meant as a response to this problem, offering the opportunity to deserving students to continue their education and to be independent.

Why:

The percentage of students who enter Senegalese Universities does not reach 10% of those who start their school career. The number is even lower in the following years due to difficulties in covering the costs of study materials, food, and accommodation.

Objective:

We believe that “every human being has the right to be happy and to live life to the fullest”. We would like that poor students could determine their future and follow their aspirations. This is exactly the aim of the university support program in Senegal. Additionally, it also contributes to the training of conscious and prepared citizens, capable of enhancing their territory and their cultural heritage. We believe that students can improve the life of entire communities through education. Educated people have the opportunity and the tools to play a key role in the development of their country.

To whom it is addressed: 

The scholarships are addressed to the students involved in the project “Sostieni a distanza un bambino e il suo villaggio” (Sponsor a child and her/his village) who are highly motivated to continue their education in their Country.

How: 

We are setting up a scholarship fund to support students with university expenses (books, enrolment fees, transports, etc.). Scholarship holders will receive monthly financial support for the entire academic year. This sum will be reconfirmed for the following years if the students have taken all the exams required by the degree course for each year.

How much does it cost?

An annual scholarship costs approximatively 500 euros.

Let’s help raising talented and capable students to develop the community in which they live, triggering a virtuous circle in their country!

For information: info@sostegnoadistanza.eu