Core sectors
Education
Education is a fundamental human right for all children and youth as stipulated by the United Nations Charter of Human Right (UNCHR). Quality education provides children and youths with the skills and confidence they need to live a life of value. Education generates the voice through which other rights can be head. BHODEV firmly believes that education empowers and helps people reach their full potential.
Humanitarian crisis has caused a lot of displacement that has led to a devastating impact on learning leading to educational disruption and closure. It has caused many children and youth to suffer from traumatic experiences and a loss of the social networks that provide protection and support. Naturally, the capacity of educational bodies to deliver good quality education is significantly reduced during crisis period due to the displacement of many children and young people. As such, the host communities often find it difficult to integrate the displaced children and young people into the existing educational systems.
Our Expertise in Education
BHODEV's aim is to ensure that all displaced children and youths (boys and girls, refugees, returnees, IDPs and vulnerable host communities) affected by the Socio-Political Crisis in Cameroon enjoy high-quality, safe and inclusive learning opportunities relevant to their psychosocial, emotional and cognitive development and needs.
With respect to Sustainable Development Goal 5, BHODEV works to promote quality education for vulnerable groups, especially women and children through back-to-school scholarship activities, donation of learning materials and payment of school fees. BHODEV also promote and support the transition and inclusion of all the internally displaced children and youth into formal education systems, so they can benefit from an accredited education. We ensure to do this by providing opportunities for school-aged children (between 4 and 18 years old) and youth (between 15 and 25 years old) in the Crisis affected regions of Cameroon to exercise their right to education and enhance their wellbeing. Our major focus is on the children who are out of school or have had their education interrupted. We support them by providing opportunities for completing a full cycle of education for effective learning outcomes.
We work in collaboration with other educational institutions to ensure a safe learning environment for women and children through sensitisation, orientation on the importance of allowing girls to make educational choices free of gender stereotypes, promotion of adult learning and literacy through ICT training. We provide youths with opportunities for post-primary education, accredited non-formal education opportunities relevant to children's individual learning needs, including technical and vocational education, supporting them to engage meaningfully in their communities and access livelihood opportunities as not all children and youth are able to participate in formal education.
Although recognising that the government is the primary duty-bearer, BHODEV stands to support them to uphold their duties by assisting in carrying out curriculum development for children and professional teacher development because professional teacher development is key to achieving quality education through the provision of continuous training and follow-up.
Our education activities primarily focus on four response areas:
- First-Line Education Response
- Non-Formal Education Opportunities
- Transition to and Retention in Formal Education
- Youth Education and Wellbeing
All our educational programmes are designed following the Minimum Standard for Education by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE).