Education a Lifeline for Children With Disabilities in Central African Republic
On the front lines of one of Africa’s forgotten crises, Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF and other strategic partners are providing adaptive learning materials, dedicated resources and trained teachers for girls and boys with disabilities.
Every child has the right to a quality education
Many families in the Central African Republic (CAR) struggle to meet their basic needs. Insecurity, natural disasters, epidemics, poverty, forced displacement and other humanitarian crises limit access to essential services such as education.
In all, about 1.3 million children need urgent humanitarian assistance in CAR. Girls are falling even further behind, with only 38 percent of girls reaching secondary school, raising the specter of child marriage, abuse and neglect.
For children living with disabilities, like 13-year-old Davilaine, who is blind, the challenges are even more severe. Without support, these girls and boys face a lifetime of dashed dreams and lost hope.
This is their story. A story of resilience, courage and fortitude on the front lines of one of Africa’s forgotten crises. Through an innovative multi-year program funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), UNICEF and other strategic partners, including national Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, are working to keep hope alive for the children of the Central African Republic — with additional dedicated support that is building a lifeline for girls and boys with disabilities.
More than 500,000 children have benefited from investments in education in CAR
Since 2017, ECW and its strategic donors have provided over $70 million in funding toward quality, holistic and inclusive education in CAR. These investments have now reached over half a million children.
Nevertheless, the needs are far outstripping the funds available. According to the UN's Financial Tracking Service, only 13 percent of the humanitarian appeal for education is currently funded.
To build an impactful program that responds to the unique needs of children with disabilities, ECW and UNICEF are supporting the Central African Republic government with an “Inclusive Education Pilot Project.”
Started in 2023 and continuing its work today, this pilot project targets children with disabilities, particularly children with mobility issues, children with visual impairments, and deaf-and-non-speaking children. In the urban areas of Bangui, homeless children who live on the streets also benefit from the dedicated resources, catch-up classes and unique learning environments delivered through the investment.
Learn more about UNICEF's work for children in the Central African Republic
Partnering to support young learners with disabilities
Even though Davilaine has lost her eyesight, she retains a clear vision for the future.
“I'm really happy to be going to school!" Davilaine says. "I'm with my friends and I'm learning to read and write. When I was in first grade, I went blind. I started getting pimples and then sores on my head, and finally I lost my sight. It wasn't easy. I stopped going to school, I stayed at home all day.”
UNICEF is working with a number of national and international partners to ensure disability inclusion for girls and boys like Davilaine in CAR. Partners including Humanity and Inclusion, the Centre d’Alphabétisation et de Formation en Braille pour les Aveugles en Centrafrique and the Association Nationale des Déficients Auditifs de Centrafrique are coming together to offer adapted learning pathways for diverse learners with specific needs and to increase the demand for education for children with disabilities.
This includes training on adaptive learning for teachers, classes in Braille and sign language, raising awareness and mobilization interventions at the community level, with strong involvement of communities and local educational authorities.
Today I'm very happy to be back at school. I work well, I'm top of my class and my dream is to one day work in an office, for example at UNICEF. — Davilaine, 13
Davilaine started her journey back to school in a specialized class where she learned Braille and other adaptive skills, like how to tell time with her new watch designed for people with a visual impairment. With those new skills in hand, she has now integrated into a mainstream class and is thriving in her new environment.
“Today I'm very happy to be back at school. I work well, I'm top of my class and my dream is to one day work in an office, for example at UNICEF,” says Davilaine.
Davilaine’s mother and father are taking an active role in her learning journey.
“Before, Davilaine stayed at home all day and was sad in the morning to see her brothers and sisters off to school," says her mother, Raïssa Agboren. "I wanted her to be able to continue her studies despite her blindness, but there was no suitable school. Then one day, her father heard on the radio that a school for the blind had been set up in Bambari and he told me about it.”
Learn more about UNICEF's inclusive programs for children with disabilities
Crisis-affected children with disabilities are among the most disadvantaged
Community outreach is an essential component of the ECW investment in CAR, with dedicated efforts to get out-of-school children back to the safety, protection and opportunity of the classroom.
“My husband goes to the parents' association meetings at Davilaine's school and always reports back to me," says Agboren. "The school gave Davilaine a sports outfit, a walking stick, a watch and learning materials. When she comes back from school, she enthusiastically recounts everything she has learned, reciting the multiplication table and the national anthem. That brings me a lot of joy and hope for her future!”
This is a global crisis with local impact. Across the world, there are about 240 million children living with disabilities, that amounts to about 1 out of every 10 children. According to Education Cannot Wait’s latest Global Estimates Report, “crisis-affected children with disabilities are among the most disadvantaged. Over 20 percent of out-of-school crisis-affected children — that is over 17 million out of the 85 million — are children with disabilities.”
Imagine a world where 17 million children are denied their right to a quality education simply because they are living with a disability. Now is the time we all see the light. Join UNICEF, Education Cannot Wait and our strategic global partners to #KeepHopeAlive for girls like Davilaine. Our investment in their education is our investment in a better future for all humanity.
Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.
HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.
