Colombia: hostel helps reduce school drop-out rate in conflict area
16-10-2012 Photo gallery
The village children of El Camuya, Caquetá, in the south of Colombia, now have a hostel beside their school where they can sleep, so they don’t have to walk for over two hours in order to study. Because of the armed conflict, the long distance between their homes and the school was exposing them to serious risks, such as weapon contamination and the possibility of ending up in the middle of a confrontation. It was also causing high drop-out rates: sometimes it was harder to get to school than to do well in maths lessons. Now, thanks to a school hostel built by the ICRC, the children from this village are sure of a place where they can sleep, wash, eat and attend school every day, strengthening them to face the risks posed by the armed conflict in their area.