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HIRDA workshop Africa day 

 “Enabling education in conflict-affected African countries: delivering quality education, is it possible?”

Education is a basic human right for all children, including those in conflict affected countries. Education is not a relief activity; it is central to human and national development. Armed conflict creates large populations of displaced people and exposes children to serious risks. These premises formed the basis on which HIRDA organized the workshop entitled “Enabling education in conflict-affected African countries: delivering quality education, is it possible?”during the just ended Africa Day 2010, in Den Haag, The Netherlands.

The Africa day is the largest national public event on Africa and development cooperation in The Netherlands, with more than 50 political debates, workshops, lectures, and cultural programs. Evert vermeer stichting (EVS) organizes this event yearly and it attracts over 2,000 visitors each year. The Africa Day is organized to draw attention to development cooperation and the problems and opportunities that comes with it in Africa as well as try to find possible solutions to addressing the problems.
This years Africa Day which was well attended began with an opening speech by Max van der Berg (president EVS) and Bert Koenders (former Minister of Development Cooperation) and also featured prominent personalities including George Weah who is the African soccerplayer of the century and a presidential candidate in Liberia, Lovemore Matombo (Zimbabwean Trade Union Leader) and Paul Victor Obeng, a prominent politician in Ghana.
With a theme on education in conflict countries in Africa, HIRDA,s workshop aimed at disussing the education system in a stateless country and the challenges that comes with it. It was also focused on dicussing the role of female teachers in girls education in conflict countries. Discussions were focused on Somalia in particular.

The workshop began with a brief introduction by Fatumo Farah (Director, HIRDA). Four guest speakers were invited to speak at the workshop. The first speaker Alessandra Tranquilli (African Educational Trust) spoke on the significant impact her organization is contributing to education in Somalia. She also enumerated on the different forms of support Africa Education Trust (AET) is providing to secondary schools, examination centers as well as the Ministry of Education. Her presentation also brought out some of the challenges that faces the education system in Somalia. Maria Abkow (UNICEF,Somalia), the second speaker of the day also spoke on the UNICEF Central and Southern Zone (CSZ) Education Programme in Somalia. Maria began her speech by giving an overview on the situation of women and children in the CSZ and also some of the risks that one faces in working in this zone. She elaborated on the main areas of priority in which UNCIEF work in Somalia is focused in terms of basic education. She also spoke on the educational system in the CSZ as well as challenges such as the lack of vision on education for development, national education policy and legislation, inadequate and lack of highly trained teachers as well as the lack of infrastructure that faces education in Somalia. Maria again enumerated on the socio-economic challenges and the factors that affects girls education such as the lack of advocacy and lobbying measures aimed at girls education as well as a decrease in motivation and affirmative actions adopted to increase access to basic education for girls. Maria ended her presentation by suggesting strategies which could help improve girls education in Somalia.

The thir presentation was given by Ineke Aquarius from Butterfly Works. This Dutch NGO has a new partnership with HIRDA and thereby starts working in Somalia. This NGO develops tools for education; short IT training and health-programs. They work with local partners, providing the trainees with computers and specially designed programs for e-learning, games and m-learning; training programs for mobile phones.

The last speaker Vincent Snijder (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands) spoke on the position of the Ministry on fragile states in terms of education and the role the Minsitry is playing in ensuring that education is used as an effective tool in building peace and stability in fragile states. Vincent elaborated on the main focus of education aid as well as the approaches the ministry uses in carrying out its developmental activities in developing countries.
Participants after the presentations asked questions on the activities been carried out by the organizations of the invited speakers and other local NGO,s in Somalia. Questions were also asked on what happens when the development aid dedicated to projects are finished. These questions were addressed by each of the speakers accordingly.
The workshop was facilitated by Andrew Makkinga (TV Presentor).

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