**Displaced children deprived of education in North Kivu camps**
The precarious situation faced by thousands of displaced children in the North Kivu camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo is alarming. These young people, forced to flee the horrors of war and insecurity, now find themselves deprived of access to education, thus compromising their future and development.
In the displaced persons camps in the city of Goma and its surroundings, children face extremely difficult living conditions. Not only are they unable to attend school due to their parents’ inability to pay school fees and provide them with the necessary materials, but they are also deprived of other essential needs such as access to food, quality health care and adequate protection against violence and forced recruitment by local armed groups.
The poignant testimony of Jérémie Katembo, an 8th grade student at the Kamuronza Institute in Lushagala camp, highlights the desperate situation of these displaced children. Unable to meet their most basic needs, these young people aspire to a better life, marked by security, health and education.
The situation is alarming: classrooms are overflowing with students, learning conditions are precarious and many children study in unsanitary conditions, without desks or school supplies. Some are even exposed to forced recruitment by armed groups, thus compromising their free development and their future.
Faced with this critical situation, it is imperative that the competent authorities take urgent measures to guarantee access to education for these displaced children. It is necessary to set up emergency education programs, ensure appropriate psychosocial monitoring and protect these young people from the dangers that await them.
On this Universal Children’s Day, it is essential to remember that every child has the fundamental right to education, protection and a better future. It is time to act, to put an end to the war and insecurity that are affecting the region, and to guarantee these displaced children a dignified and promising future. Education is an inalienable right for all children, even those who find themselves in the most precarious situations.
It is imperative that the international community, humanitarian actors and local authorities join forces to help these displaced children, to offer them a future of peace, security and education. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, protective environment that is conducive to their development. It is our duty to ensure that these fundamental rights are respected and guaranteed for all, without distinction or exclusion..
Together, let us commit to protecting the future of these displaced children, to providing them with the opportunities they deserve, and to building a better world for future generations. Education is the key to their future, let us not deprive them of this essential right to their development and success.