This page contains Education for Peace and Reconciliation
project descriptions, experiences learned and actual educational materials
(e.g. curriculum, methodologies, and handouts) developed in Burundi.
Impacting civilians on a massive scale, the war forced 1.5 million people to flee to neighbouring countries and internally displaced up to 5 million. It separated hundreds of thousands of children from their families. The war specifically targeted children. Many of the 7 million children under age 14 and 1,650,000 under 19 witnessed atrocities or were forced to commit them, causing widespread psychological trauma.
Peace officially returned on October 1992 and was reinforced by democratic elections 1994. Now the country is grappling with the relentless challenge of poverty. Mozambique is one of the world's poorest nations, and its GNP in 1994 was estimated at US$ 5.4 billion. More than 70 per cent of the 16.5 million people live in absolute poverty, which was made worse by the war and a devastating drought. On the heels of poverty comes unemployment. As many as 80,000 demobilised soldiers are facing bleak prospects as they search for work.
After 16 years of bloodshed, the people of Mozambique are healing the wounds of war. The Government, UNICEF and other partners are expanding an Education For Peace programme that prepares health workers to assist traumatised children and offers vocational training to the disabled. The war also destroyed more than 3,000 schools, or left them abandoned. Many teachers were killed. In 1995, more than half of school age children did not have access to school. Of those enrolled, only 34 per cent completed grade five.
The first initiative of the peace education project was launched in 1993 as an experimental project known as Circo da Paz, which was a mobile troupe of trainers who conveyed conflict resolution skills through theatre, art and dance.