Lessons in the classroom
Date: 12/03/2008
Classroom doors are opening for the first time to children struggling to get an education in the rainforests of Cameroon. RFUK has launched a pioneering project to help ‘Pygmy’ children overcome the barriers they face when going to school.
Language, culture, separation and lack of money are challenges ‘Pygmy’ families face when trying to send their children to school. “Parents want their children to have an education so that when they are grown up they will have the skills and tools to stand up for their rights -- and protect their lands,” says RFUK Programme Director Cath Long. “The lack of formal education leaves forest peoples open to exploitation and exclusion of the worst kind.”
Discrimination and poverty are everyday realities for ‘Pygmy’ communities. Baka, Bagyeli and Bakola ‘Pygmies’ are sometimes likened to animals.
RFUK is promoting the rights of ‘Pygmy’ communities by enabling children to access education. Twenty students are taking the first steps to shaping their futures. “We want to find ways of gaining access to education for ‘Pygmy’ children, and then helping them to stay in school,” says Cath Long. “Previous attempts to improve schooling have always failed to take ‘Pygmy’ communities’ concerns and culture into account. We are putting them right in the centre of our response.”
Britvic and its Really Wild Drinks Company is supporting the pilot project. “We are delighted to be working with the Rainforest Foundation on a project that gives young people access to education that they would not otherwise have,” said Lauretta Taupin, Corporate Responsibility Advisor at Britvic. Click here for more information about our work with Britvic
Next autumn, UK schoolchildren will see for themselves the work of RFUK in Cameroon. Winners of the Giving Nation awards will find themselves deep in the heart of the Cameroonian rainforest. Visit the Giving Nation Awards page for more details on how you can get involved.
Language, culture, separation and lack of money are challenges ‘Pygmy’ families face when trying to send their children to school. “Parents want their children to have an education so that when they are grown up they will have the skills and tools to stand up for their rights -- and protect their lands,” says RFUK Programme Director Cath Long. “The lack of formal education leaves forest peoples open to exploitation and exclusion of the worst kind.”
Discrimination and poverty are everyday realities for ‘Pygmy’ communities. Baka, Bagyeli and Bakola ‘Pygmies’ are sometimes likened to animals.
RFUK is promoting the rights of ‘Pygmy’ communities by enabling children to access education. Twenty students are taking the first steps to shaping their futures. “We want to find ways of gaining access to education for ‘Pygmy’ children, and then helping them to stay in school,” says Cath Long. “Previous attempts to improve schooling have always failed to take ‘Pygmy’ communities’ concerns and culture into account. We are putting them right in the centre of our response.”
Britvic and its Really Wild Drinks Company is supporting the pilot project. “We are delighted to be working with the Rainforest Foundation on a project that gives young people access to education that they would not otherwise have,” said Lauretta Taupin, Corporate Responsibility Advisor at Britvic. Click here for more information about our work with Britvic
Next autumn, UK schoolchildren will see for themselves the work of RFUK in Cameroon. Winners of the Giving Nation awards will find themselves deep in the heart of the Cameroonian rainforest. Visit the Giving Nation Awards page for more details on how you can get involved.
