A classroom needing basic teaching tools
The primary school in Denan is below government standards for education. Classroom sizes sometimes exceed 100 children. Students have no books, desks, or curriculum. Some of the teachers have the equivalent of only an 8th-grade education. The Denan Project has sent 10 of these teachers over 700 kilometers away to receive teacher update training.
To help alleviate the problem of large classes, The Denan Project hired 2 new, qualified elementary-school teachers at the additional cost of USD350 each per month.
Up until 2011, the kids who finished the 8th grade had no way to further their schooling. Thanks to the efforts of The Denan Project, a new high school was formed in Denan for the first time ever. With the cooperation of the Regional Educational Bureau, we are now providing the curriculum for both schools.
This is just a beginning, we know. We also know that, without education, nothing will change in Denan. The children are the hope for the future of Denan. Here is a look at The Denan Project’s education goals:
• Hire qualified elementary-school teachers every year, raising USD4,620 per year for each teacher.
• Raise enough money to buy desks and necessary school equipment for the elementary and high schools.
• Provide one hot meal a day for all students.
• Provide financial assistance to send the most promising, needy high school graduates on to college.
Education session for anti female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation is commonly practiced in the area. The practice is carried out on young girls, usually around the age of 9, by local women who are not trained in any medical procedures. It is often done with no anesthetic and under unsanitary conditions using razor blades or scissors. The young girls are often stitched up with thorns. Complications frequently result from this practice. The Denan Project and OWDA support a program of classes to put a halt to this custom. Medical personnel as well as local religious figures are used to point out that it is a cultural rather than religious practice that has evolved over time and that it is dangerous to the young girls’ health. Just as many men as women attend the classes resulting in a reduction of this practice in the greater Denan area.
