Far North Region : UNICEF’s Lifeline To Displaced Flood Victims

“Pupils are quite at ease in the canopy-classrooms offered by UNICEF. The canopies are well ventilated, with large, airy mosquito-netted windows. Moreover, canopy roofs are padded to absorb the scorching heat. In fact, the canopy-classrooms are almost as comfortable as airconditioned rooms!” commented Mr Djonce, a teacher with Government School, Danay Nguendjeng II. On Wednesday, October 30, 2024. As a team of journalists, led by the Ministry of Communication and the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, visited the school. Which is located in Yagoua, headquarters of the flood-hit Mayo-Danay Division in the Far North Region. 

Five Schools In One 
“UNICEF offered the four large canopies in September 2024 to serve as classrooms. The four canopies are as large as normal constructed classrooms and take 160 pupils in all. The school has more than 700 pupils with only six classrooms. The situation was made worse by the heavy floods that recently hit Yagoua and other parts of Mayo Danay Division, destroying private and public facilities and displacing many. As a result, pupils from four public schools recently destroyed by floods were moved to attend classes in Government School, Danay Nguendjeng,” explains Mrs. Hayatou nee Maiawe Aurelie, a teacher with the school. 

Insufficient Desks
“We are so grateful to UNICEF. Without these additional classrooms, many pupils, especially those displaced by the recent floods, won’t be able to continue their education,” notes Djonce. Who quickly adds that the number of classrooms is still not enough. “This has obliged us to run classes from mornings to mid-day, while another set of pupils takes over in the afternoons. Moreover, there are no toilet facilities in our crowded school. Neither do we have water. Despite the offer of canopy-classrooms by UNICEF, some of the pupils studying in them still take lessons sitting on sandy floors for want of benches and desks. Also, there is no teachers’ room,” Mr. Djonce continues to make his case.

Resettlement Camp 
Some 7km further up the Yagoua-Kaele-Maroua highway is a new settlement. With 120 tents hosting hundreds of people whose homes were recently destroyed by the flash floods in Mayo Danay Division. Vroumsia Prosper, a community leader in Ourou Dabang Displaced People’s Camp, says the authorit...