Photo credit: Aide et Action
On Tuesday 13 April, a fire broke out in a school in Niamey, Niger, destroying 25 classrooms in a straw hut, killing around 20 young children. Aide et Action, which intervenes in this school via The PassEduc project mobilises with victims and adapts its activities to respond to the emergency.
It is an absolute tragedy. Twenty pupils, including 19 in the kindergarten class, died in the fire that ravaged the Netherlands School in Niamey, Niger. The fire that broke out on Tuesday afternoon, April 13, spread very quickly to 25 classrooms in a straw hut, which were completely destroyed. Aide et Action is deeply saddened by this tragic event and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the teachers and the more than 2,000 students in the school.
Supporting the community and ensuring educational continuity
Present in this school via the PassEduc project, which consists of offering 38 young people excluded from the school system an educational bridge to reintegrate into the education system, our association is fully mobilised to respond to the demands of the situation for these young people and their families. We will adapt our activities to ensure educational continuity for these young people. This will involve finding a safer place in consultation with the educational authorities and stakeholders, re-mobilising the teachers involved, raising the awareness of the parents of these young people and meeting them for psychological support to build confidence after this traumatic event.
For its part, the state plans to relocate pupils from the burnt classes to the nearest schools to ensure educational continuity. We take this sad opportunity to reaffirm that all educational and state actors must redouble their efforts to normalise schools and reinforce the safety of children in places of learning.
