Central African Republic - This week (15/09) community members and local leaders celebrated the rehabilitation of a special needs school in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) under IOM’s EU-funded Community Stabilization programme.

The special needs school which serves children and young people who are hearing or visually impaired, and/or have other special education needs, had its perimeter wall and classrooms rehabilitated and access to electricity reinstalled. It is the only special needs school in CAR, where the average number of years of education is a meagre 3.5 according to UNDP’s 2012 Human Development Index.

The rehabilitation of the school forms part of the programme’s main objective to revitalize communities heavily affected by the recent conflict. Since March 2014, IOM has engaged with the community in the 5th district to identify and prioritize community needs. Through a series of community meetings, each attended by several hundred community members, six infrastructure projects in urgent need of rehabilitation were identified. The special needs school is the first project to be finalized.

The rehabilitation of the school was undertaken by the youth in the district, who participated through a cash-for-work scheme in a vocational training programme.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Action, several community leaders, cash-for-work beneficiaries, as well as students.  The ceremony was designed to bring together authorities, beneficiaries who supported the rehabilitation, students and community members. A traditional dance troupe and a theatre group provided a festive environment for the official handover ceremony, which was interrupted by a rainstorm.

“The rain is a good sign. It means we have the blessing from above as well as from below. We feel very hopeful for the future,” said Rufin Ngoumba, the school’s director, who also referred to support from UNICEF, the French Embassy and REMOD.

The handover ceremony is one of several taking place in the coming weeks as part of the Community Stabilization programme. Today’s ceremony will mark the completion of a perimeter wall at Yakite School, work done in partnership with Save the Children.

Next week, a handover ceremony will celebrate the completion of several projects in Bangui’s 3rd District, including the Mayor’s Office, a maternity ward, several bridges, public water fountains, and the establishment of a public waste management system. Also next week (24/09), IOM will officially hand over the rehabilitated building to the mayor of the 5th District. The infrastructure rehabilitations represent projects that community members and local leaders agreed would help bring stability to their community.

Since the start of the programme in March 2014, 37 infrastructure projects – including the rehabilitation of schools, medical facilities, and social centres – have contributed to the revitalization and stabilization of conflict-affected communities. More than 17,400 people, including 44 per cent women, have participated in cash for work activities such as cleaning canals and roads. In addition, 98,000 community members have benefited from socialization campaign activities including community theatre, dance workshops for children and radio shows.

For further information, please contact Anne Schaefer, IOM CAR, Tel: +23672187635, Email: aschaefer@iom.int