U.N. runs clubs for Libyan children, after conflict disrupts schools

Record ID: 1432612

  • Title: U.N. runs clubs for Libyan children, after conflict disrupts schools
  • Date: 24th September 2019
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRINCIPAL OF BEN ASHOUR PRIMARY SCHOOL, GHADA FAGHI HASSAN, SAYING: "The way it was set up is through donations from the teachers at the school. We promised parents to cover (cost of) breakfast that is served at the middle of the day - at around 10:30 am. The support was from the teachers because the club is for free, and the teachers provided breakfast, along with visits, excursions and entertainment programmes inside and outside the school." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN RECEIVING UNICEF SCHOOL BAGS AND OTHER ITEMS VARIOUS OF SUITCASE CONTAINING UNICEF SCHOOL ITEMS TO BE DELIVERED TO CHILDREN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST AT UNICEF, IBRAHIM FARAH, SAYING: "We started by approaching the ministry of education to reach as many children as possible, specifically during the summer holiday. Why the summer holiday? Due to the current circumstances in Tripoli, recreational places were limited for children, and they found themselves with a lot of free time while at home. This is why we agreed with the education ministry on opening some of the schools during summer and carrying out some activities in them." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN IN CLASS BEING TAUGHT BASIC MEDICINAL TRAINING VARIOUS OF CHILDREN IN LABORATORY DOING SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOTHER OF 7-YEAR-OLD CHILD, HALIMA AL-MILADI, SAYING: "I pushed my son to participate in the summer club to keep him away from the pressures of what the country is going through in general. And also because it will be beneficial for him, he'll be able to occupy his time with something useful, and for a child his age, it'll give him a push to integrate with other students so as when he starts school it'll be a smooth transition for him." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING WITH LARGE CLOTH VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING FOOTBALL
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2019 12:20
  • Keywords: Summer school Libya War Children UNICEF
  • Location: TRIPOLI, LIBYA
  • City: TRIPOLI, LIBYA
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA003AY0P7X1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Libyan mother Halima al-Miladi wants to keep her 7-year-old son distracted from the fighting in and around the capital Tripoli where they live.
    So she jumped at a chance for him to play football, draw, and play with other children at special clubs organised in the city's schools by the United Nations.
    "I pushed my son to participate in the club away from the conditions that the country is going through," she said.
    This year, many classes were disrupted by the conflict as some school buildings were used as shelters for thousands of displaced people, leaving many children with nowhere to go.
    Around 1,000 Libyan children now attend such clubs, located in the centre of Tripoli, which is calmer than the south.
    In April, commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a military offensive to take control of Tripoli, home to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), which was set up in 2016 after a U.N.-backed political deal.
    At al-Jihad primary school in the Sooq Juma municipality, students practiced music and sports. A group of young children sat around a table, busy with handicrafts.
    "The children are affected by what is happening, and through these activities we have tried to integrate them and they have improved," said Amal Ben Sasi, a counsellor at another school, the Ben Ashour school.
    Ghada Faghi Hassan, the school principal, said teachers were giving donations to support the summer clubs.
    "We promised parents to cover the cost of breakfast and the teachers supported it because the club is for free," Hassan said. Teachers are also financing entertainment and trips for the children.
    Ibrahim Farah, an educational specialist at UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, said the summer club programme targeted 1,000 pupils in two municipalities.
    In a briefing to the Security Council on Sept. 4, U.N. Libya Envoy Ghassan Salame said more than 100 civilians had been killed and over 300 injured, while 120,000 civilians had been displaced in the conflict since April 4.
    (Production: Ayman Sahely, Seham Eloraby)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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