Inside Zam: Where Violence Follows Children Into the Classroom

Photo: Children Looking through classroom window

This month, we walked the dusty paths of Zam, a community in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, with Kassoum Morgo, our Program Manager on the ground. He showed us what it means to live in a place where armed conflict uproots families into a place of fear and uncertainty.

Battling against the breaking point  

For nearly a decade, terrorists have been tearing through the region — attacking villages, forcing families to flee with nothing. Many displaced people have come to the relative safety of Zam, attempting to start over in makeshift shelters on the edges of the community. The people of Zam have welcomed the newcomers, but their own resources are already stretched far too thin.

Zam has been overwhelmed by the flood of new arrivals. The school system, for example, is stretched beyond it’s limits and schools are struggling to keep running. Classrooms are teeming with children who crowd together with limited desk space and school materials.

Photo: Kassoum Morgo from selfie video

“Because of displacement, the number of students increased very fast. But the number of classrooms did not increase. So classrooms meant for 40 students now have double that number,” Kassoum says.

There is no clean water. No toilets. When children need to go, they go outside, in the open. So do the teachers.

Different ages, different levels, some learning in a different language they don’t understand — all in the hands of a single teacher. Without help, some drop out. Their education and their futures at risk.

The obstacle: Conflict creates a  national education crisis

Zam is at the front lines of an education crisis in Burkina Faso, where conflict has forced thousands of schools to shut down, putting the education of nearly 2 million children at serious risk.

Here, the crisis crept in and just kept growing. Many children who were able to escape the armed men who stormed into their villages now stare at lessons they can’t follow. Some can’t concentrate. Some flinch at sounds — still carrying what they fled. Even for those who make it back to school, survival pulls some out again — vulnerable to work in gold mines or child marriage.

A child’s voice

This month Fidèle, aged 9, showed us the home his family built after fleeing attacks on their village, the new friends he’s made, and the classroom where he is beginning again.

“We had to leave because of the terrorists, but God has been gracious — once here, I was able to go back to school.” — Fidèle, 9

Photo: Fidèle, 9, selfie video still                                                                                                                 

Project in progress: Bringing safety back to the classroom

Research confirms that when children have been subjected to the emotional trauma of violence, returning to school is one of the best ways to preserve their mental health and their childhood.  The structure, routine, and peer connection all buffer against lasting psychological harm.

Through CommRISE, Children Believe, and local partner OCED are working with local leaders, teachers and families to meet the pressing needs in Zam. Together, we’re doing everything we can to ensure every child has what they need to be able to go to school and stay there.

Program Impact:

•  600 children now have school kits — pencils, notebooks, everything they need to start again.

•  A new borehole brings clean water to one school for the first time, and five new latrines mean girls no longer have to leave school grounds.

•  80 teachers have been trained to help children feel safe — so routine and connection can begin to heal what conflict broke.

What’s next: The need continues to grow as more families arrive. Classrooms remain overcrowded, and many children are still at risk of dropping out.

We’ll continue walking with Zam, alongside OCED and community leaders, until every child who arrives has a safe place to learn.

Photo: Children at water source

Made possible by our CommRISE community

CommRISE is a community of Canadians who show up every month where help rarely reaches — and where conflict and poverty keep children from school.

Each month, we bring you inside a new community. You see, hear, and feel what life is really like through:

• A short monthly dispatch with a child-led selfie video
• A live session from the field — including a community walk-through and Q&A
• Honest updates — the wins, the setbacks, the reality

You step into places few people ever get to see. As close as you can get to being there yourself.

If you want to follow the work as it happens — and be part of what comes next — you’re invited to join us.

Learn more about CommRISE here.