An MAF flight helped children in a remote desert oasis to receive schooling in their local language – a small but effective step towards peace and development in northern Chad.
Story by Annet Nabbanja
The Sahara Desert fills the scene below the MAF aircraft heading north from N'Djamena toward the remote oasis of Gouro. What would take two to three days by road across sandy terrain and through areas at risk of armed robberies, takes just four hours with MAF.
Anja Neuhaus and Hissein Tahar Adeli are on board. They are both development workers, improving life of communities in northern Chad through education and community development.
The MAF aircraft is not only efficient but also necessary because it saves them the trouble of going through a long gruelling journey across the sandy desert.
“Travelling with MAF makes our task much easier, as we reach our destination in just four hours,” says Hissein.
“The road trip is not only very time consuming, but it includes many dangerous aspects that can be avoided by flying with MAF,” says Anja.
Anja is from Switzerland and works for ADP (Association pour le Développement et la Paix) in northern Chad. She is responsible for the school manuals and teacher training in the local language, Dazaga.
Hissein is the General Coordinator of the NGO Nimè Tombà.
“Our organisation aims to contribute to socio-economic development, education, health, agriculture, sanitation and water as well as peace and peaceful coexistence,” says Hissein.
On this visit to Gouro, ADP have been asked by Nimè Tombà to assist with the education project there. For Anja, language is at the heart of development.
“We are trying to bring peace and development through language work,” she says.
“We're doing many different things to help people where they need help, but our focus is always pushing the language forward.”
Gouro is a large oasis in the heart of the Sahara. During this visit, they will spend four nights there, assessing schools participating in the local language education programme. But the challenges facing the people of Gouro are significant.
“They are very isolated and very far away from anything else,” says Anja. “They have only a very underequipped health centre in their village and they have a hard time getting enough teachers for their children.”
We’re very thankful for being able to partner with MAF. They really make our life easier and allow us to regularly be present in the different places where we work, which makes our effort much more effective.
Over three days, the team visited three schools located in different parts of the oasis. They assessed children in the first three grades to compare different approaches to teaching.
In the schools established through Nimè Tombà's programme, local community members have been trained as teachers.
“When students are taught in their mother tongue, they actually understand what the teacher is explaining,” says MAF pilot Joost Gerritsen, the pilot on this flight. “This has proven to be much more efficient, and the students actually enjoy going to school.”
While the education team carried out their assessments, Joost took the opportunity to work on the solar power in the local clinic.
“The system is now working, and for the first time in three years the computer in the clinic can be used again,” says Joost.
“We’re very thankful for being able to partner with MAF,” said Anja. “They really make our life easier and allow us to regularly be present in the different places where we work, which makes our effort much more effective.”