A group of 250 children from the indigenous Huitoto, Bora and
Muinane populations in La Chorrera settlement in the heart of the
Amazon jungle now have a new school built and equipped with help
from IOM and the Colombian Ministry of Education.

"The remoteness of the area was a challenge," explains IOM Chief
of Mission in Colombia José Angel Oropeza.  "To get
construction materials to La Chorrera, it is a 15- to 20-day
journey by river."

In the past, the community often had to cancel classes because
the structure used as a school was prone to flooding.  The new
school, which also has two boarding areas where boys and girls can
stay if necessary, was built well away from flood areas.

The "Border Area Education" project, financed by the Ministry of
Education and implemented by IOM, is designed to improve the
physical infrastructure and equipment of schools in rural and
border areas in eight departments in Colombia.  It aims to
provide quality education that preserves and strengthens the
cultural identity of its students.

In the Nariño and Putumayo departments, where the project
is currently underway, more than 10,000 students attending 39
schools have already benefited.

The project has also carried out an assessment of educational
needs in the two departments, which included a census of 75,000
households to identify children not attending school and an
assessment of 742 schools.

In Putumayo the census found that 12 per cent of homes had no
means of communication with the outside world – no telephone
or radio.  It also confirmed a dropout rate of 7.4 per cent
for children under 17. Although 72 per cent 15- and 16-year olds
attend school, the number drops significantly to 43 per cent for
those aged 17 and above.

In Nariño, the families interviewed said the main reason
for not sending their children to school was economic.  While
85 per cent of children aged 11-14 attend school, only 37 per cent
of 16- and 17-year olds do; and only 24 per cent of the population
has completed secondary education. 

The majority of the schools identified for the project are close
to the Colombian-Ecuador border, where an estimated 135,000
Colombians have crossed into Ecuador, fleeing conflict and violence
perpetrated by illegal armed groups.

The Open Door School Strategy, created by IOM and financed by
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses
on the educational needs of vulnerable and displaced
populations.

For more information please contact:

Jorge Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: +57 1 622-7774

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int