When asked what she prefers at school, Francine, 12 years old, looks up with a shy smile. What she loves above all is discovering new things — especially in science. Later, she dreams of becoming a nurse.
Francine lives at the Kigonze displaced persons site, on the outskirts of Bunia, in Ituri. Like thousands of other children, she fled violence with her family, leaving behind her school, her friends, and her landmarks. Today, she lives with her aunt and follows a catch-up school program at Saint-Luc primary school, built on the site so that learning wouldn’t become a lost memory of exile.
It’s there that she discovered Bana Education, a radio program broadcast by Radio Okapi, designed to bring school to those who no longer have easy access to it.
When Learning Comes Through the Airwaves
In one of the classrooms, the teacher adjusts the volume of a speaker connected to a mobile phone. About thirty students listen attentively. The clear voice of a radio educator resonates in the room. The day’s lesson is about gallinaceous birds.
“We use live radio or the rebroadcasts they send us. Thanks to the teacher speaking in easy-to-understand terms, the children follow the lessons. We see that they understand better. They are more motivated,” explains the teacher.
In this school, as in others located in areas with limited access to scholastic instruction, Bana Education has become a pillar of education. A precious solution where textbooks are rare and teachers are understaffed.
Implemented by Radio Okapi, this program accompanies children experiencing school dropout or living in areas affected by conflicts. It offers educational support in mathematics, science, French, and general culture, in a simple, interactive, and adapted manner.
At Saint-Luc school, which hosts 978 students, including 555 girls, children are divided into three levels according to their educational background. The radio program is integrated into classes to expand access to education.
Concrete and Encouraging Results
Loti Benoît, director of the institution, testifies: “Many children here are in precarious situations. Some have lost several years of schooling after fleeing violence. We sometimes welcome them without report cards, without clear history. Bana Education is precious support. Children want to learn. When they hear the radio, their eyes light up.“
He emphasizes the program’s impact, particularly for children in examination classes: “Several ENAFEP questions focused on concepts heard in the broadcasts, especially in general culture. This helps strengthen their level.“
Listening, Learning… and Still Dreaming
Eliya, 14 years old, is in sixth grade. He fled the territory of Djugu with his family. He confirms the program’s usefulness: “I love the science classes. On the ENAFEP, there was a question about oviparous animals. I knew how to answer because I had heard it in Bana Education!” His dream: to become a doctor to “heal people in the community.”
At the TARAJA school catch-up center, also in Bunia, Évodi, a third-level student, recounts: “This program saves me. What I don’t understand well in class, I listen to again at home during holidays. Once, I had homework on adverbial phrases, I understood nothing. Then I listened to Bana Education, I did my exercise well and got a good grade.“
Education, Even at a Distance
Bana Education is much more than a school broadcast. It’s a ray of hope broadcast daily over the airwaves. An appointment that thousands of children await, sometimes gathered around an old radio in their reception center or at home.
In a province marked by years of conflict, it gives meaning back to learning, structures days, brings continuity… and above all, dignity.
In Ituri, in a region still marked by conflicts, education remains a daily challenge.
Today, thanks to this initiative carried by Radio Okapi with MONUSCO support, aid takes another form — that of a voice, knowledge, a lesson. Because a child who learns is a child who hopes.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mission de l’Organisation des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo (MONUSCO).