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Enrollment for the 2024/25 school year has closed with 230 children enrolled. The start of the school year at Maison de la Réconciliation it is always a special moment, made up of small big goals, both for children and for us teachers.
In Central Africa, the school system has deep roots in religious missions, since many schools were founded by missionaries during the colonial period and later. Even today, private schools are managed by the Catholic association ECAC (Écoles Catholiques Associées Centrafricaines). La Maison de la Réconciliation, despite being an evangelical school, is part of this network of schools of excellence, thanks to a collaboration agreement that reflects its spirit of interreligious reconciliation. This project not only aims to educate, but also to build bridges between the country's different religious communities, in a context marked by tensions and conflicts. The goal is to create a school environment where differences are respected and overcome, forming a new generation ready to promote peace and unity in Central Africa.
Our program follows a draft provided by the ECAC, but we have developed it to make it richer and more complete.
Every year, we add a new class and with it a new program. This year we opened the third grade, and the program is divided into five sequences, each of which lasts six weeks. After four weeks of teaching, the fifth is dedicated to review and the sixth to evaluation, in order to verify how much the children have learned.
The subjects taught range from language and communication, to scientific and social education, to artistic education. Through this approach, children not only learn to read, write, and count, but they also gain fundamental skills to live in harmony in their community.
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In the first few months, our priority for younger children is to teach them how to use the restrooms properly. For many of them, this is a big change because they are used to living in huts where access to bathrooms is not a given. This process, which may seem simple, is a fundamental step for their growth and integration into the school environment. From September to December, we accompany them and help them to make this gesture a part of their daily routine.
Starting in January, children in the first kindergarten class begin to hold the chalk in their hands. We don't have the ability to provide notebooks to everyone, so every child uses a personal whiteboard. It is a simple but effective system: while they learn to draw the first lines, circles and shapes, they develop the manual skills necessary to face the next school path.
In the second year of kindergarten, children begin to draw more complex shapes and, in the third year, to write vowels and count to 5. These progressive steps are fundamental because, children are like sponges: the more we give them, the more they absorb.
A key element of our educational method is the use of songs and nursery rhymes to teach French. Since the official language of instruction in Central Africa is French, it is essential that children learn it right away. Every day we sing together, we learn the days of the week, the months and even the year. For many of them, the concept of a calendar is something completely new, so we repeat these notions daily, integrating them into every activity.
In a country marked by years of war and violence, social education plays a fundamental role in our school. We teach children the importance of respect for the environment and for people. We encourage them not to throw waste on the floor, to keep their space clean and to respect the rules of civil coexistence. These values, if learned at an early age, can influence not only their school life, but also their family and, in the future, social life.
One of the fundamental pillars of our school is non-violence. Teachers sign a regulation that categorically prohibits the use of physical or verbal violence. The pedagogy we adopt is not based on authoritarianism, but on building mutual respect between teachers and students, and between the children themselves.
Every school year at Maison de la Réconciliation represents a new chapter for children and for the entire community. Despite the difficulties related to the lack of resources and the challenges of our environment, we continue to work with the goal of providing our children not only with an education, but also with a vision of a better future.
Our daily commitment is aimed at creating an environment in which every child can feel safe, learn and develop their skills. In a country marked by conflicts, we firmly believe that education can be the key to building a more peaceful and just society. And this new school year represents, as always, another step towards that hope.