From the Field

Zam Zam Internally Displaced Persons Camp

The Women’s Commission is undertaking a field mission to assess education in the displaced persons camps in Darfur and in the camps/settlements around Khartoum June 14 – July 4. Please watch this space for field diary updates on the mission from Megan McKenna and Jenny Perlman Robinson (as access allows).

Zam Zam Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDP), DARFUR, June 22, 2006—The makeshift tents and huts of Zam Zam IDP camp fill the desert landscape as far as the eye can see. The conditions are rough – sand and dust fills the air, the heat is oppressive and water a precious commodity. Girls walking barefoot in the sand carrying heavy water jugs and women in colorful cloth tending to their daily chores dot the landscape.

The camp, which houses tens of thousands of people displaced in the conflict, is divided into two: Zam Zam A was established in May 2004 and holds the majority of the displaced. Zam Zam B is home to those who most recently fled, in August 2005. 

Zam Zam has 6 schools with approximately 4,500 students, a nearly equal mix of girls and boys.  The good news is that some of the students had never before had an opportunity to go to school in their villages in Darfur and are being educated for the first time. But there are still a number of challenges. Many of the students come to school without eating breakfast and there is no food for them at the school. There is not much water for the children which they desperately need to stay healthy in the incredible heat. A lack of textbooks, blackboards, latrines, desks and chairs also makes it difficult for them to learn.

The Women’s Commission learned about these challenges when we met with a group of teachers from the camp, as well as members of the local parent teacher association (PTA), which helps supervise the schools.

We also met with volunteer educators who work in Zam Zam B and are helped by the International Rescue Committee. They are not paid, but as one of the teachers said, “These children are our brothers and sisters. Some of them didn’t go to school for 3 years because of the war. It is important for them to learn now.” The teachers also told us how education is lifesaving. As another said, “A child can read and see a sign that says ‘danger’ and will know how to protect himself.”

The teachers said another important need is a secondary school. When students complete grade 8, as more than 200 did last year, it is difficult for them to continue their schooling. The nearest school is in the town of El Fasher and costs money to attend.

These children will be tasked with rebuilding Darfur once peace is achieved; education is vital to ensuring that they will have the necessary skills to play a role in creating a peaceful and self-sustaining Darfur.