Think Creative - Issue 5

Supporting students, teachers and communities in crisis to find a way forward in Conflict Learning

By Ashley Williams. Illustration by Paul Hostetler

The once brightly painted yellow walls of a classroom in northeastern Nigeria are pock- marked with bullet holes from fighting between the Nigerian Army and Boko Haram, which roughly translates to “Western Education is Forbidden.” The terrorists captured the school and used the classrooms as a camp. Boko Ha- ram’s violent messages and graffiti, including drawings of an automatic weapon, replaced the school’s educational posters. After Boko Haramwas pushed out of the capi- tal of Yobe State, a few of the classrooms were patched up. Uneven bricks now fill a hole in the wall after a rocket-propelled grenade punched through it. The scarred buildings remain and many new classrooms were added, but the threat is ongoing as Boko Haram occasionally attacks the city of Damaturu and continues to focus on schools, teachers and students. Conflict causes education to spin out of con- trol. Instability sets in, schools close and are often damaged, families flee their homes and

become displaced, and students may be absent for part of or the entire school year. Providing a basic education to these children becomes si- multaneously more difficult and more critical. “Conflict disrupts the entire education setting,” says Semere Solomon, Creative’s Senior Direc- tor of Africa Strategy, who led an innovative pro- gram in northeasternNigeria that successfully supportedmore than 88,000 displaced children. Solomon’s knowledge of conflict extends beyond his professional career. As a young man, he participated in the EritreanWar of Independence and, as the war was ending, he was reassigned to develop the education vision for post-independence. He had never been a teacher and had no background in education. To meet the challenge, Solomon read vora- ciously and listened to experts in the sector to learn how to build a system in the wake of a 30-year-war. He went on to earn advanced education de- grees and devote himself to a calling that has

spanned decades, continents and conflicts. Combining firsthand experience with extensive technical expertise is part of what has driven Creative’s education programming in conflict zones for more than 25 years. The result is an approach that engages stake- holders at all levels of society, creates stability in communities and puts the well-being of students and teachers first. It establishes local ownership, creates hope and defines a roadmap to self-reliance. Bringing back normal Conflict amplifies the importance of stability for families and communities. Whether fami- lies are displaced or trying to move forward in their places of origin, one way to bring a sense of normalcy is to get school-aged children back to learning. “We shouldn’t only give education within the four walls of a classroom,” says Solomon. “Edu-

14 | Think Creative | Fall 2018