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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

9 years of conflict in CAR: EU helps displaced children get back to school

Since the December 2020 presidential elections, the protracted crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been aggravated by renewed violence, with armed groups opposing government forces.

As of spring 2022, the situation remains highly volatile, as all parties commit severe human rights violations and international humanitarian law violations.

While some areas are conducive to development initiatives, almost no region is spared by the violence. As a result, prospects for the resumption of basic public services and income opportunities are slim.

In 2022, 3.1 million people (60% of the population) require humanitarian assistance. The population is constantly exposed to and displaced by violence by all parties to the conflict.

Going to school is not an option for many children. Due to the widespread violence in the country, children drop out of school and some are even recruited by armed groups.

In 2022, the EU is allocating €17 million in humanitarian aid, including €3.6 million earmarked for education programmes. In pictures, see how EU humanitarian funding supports projects helping displaced children get back to school.

Family in front of their house
Displaced people in the CAR are affected by the widespread hostilities and the limited access to humanitarian aid. In the Lazare displacement camp, Astride and 25,000 people living there have not received food assistance for months.
© Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A man searches for his belongings among the ruins of his home
A man searches for his belongings among the ruins of his home, burnt in a fire in a camp for internally displaced people in Bambari. Violence in CAR has displaced more than 240,000 people since mid-December.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A woman washes her kitchen utensils
A woman washes her kitchen utensils on 12 March, 2021, in a camp for internally displaced people in Bambari, Central African Republic.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
4 children walking to school, in the background a tree and a house
Going to school is just a dream for many children in CAR. In 2021 alone, at least 2,977 children have been recruited by armed groups. One former child soldier told NRC that they received 20,000 CFA (30$) and a weapon and were ordered to attack villages.
© Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
children and women sheltering in an abandoned warehouse
Internally displaced children and women due to the latest flooding are seen sheltering in an abandoned warehouse on 9 March 2021, in the capital Bangui, Central African Republic.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A child sleeps on the floor
A child sleeps on the floor of a church used to shelter internally displaced families due to the latest wave of unrest on 17 March 2021, in the capital, Bangui, Central African Republic.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Children wash kitchen utensils by the banks of the river Oubangui
Children wash kitchen utensils by the banks of the river Oubangui on 9 March 2021, in the capital Bangui, Central African Republic.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Women build a traditional home
Women build a traditional home in an internally displaced camp on 11 March 2021, in Bambari, Central African Republic.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A brick maker looks at a distance to a pile of bricks
A brick maker looks at a distance on 11 March 2021, in Bambari, Central African Republic.
© Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Boy sitting behind a desk in school
Due to the many years of violence and insecurity in CAR, many children drop out of school and others never had the opportunity to begin in the first place. With support from the EU, NRC is running a project to help children get back to the classrooms.
© Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Photos: Tom Peyre-Costa/Norwegian Refugee Council ; © Siegfried Modola/UNOCHA
Publication date: 09/09/2022

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