On 15 September 2012, Annie-Gisèle Nam, the Central African Republics Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Literacy, launched Operation Clean Schools, a week of activities to encourage the public to voluntarily clean-up school grounds throughout the nation.
On 15 September 2012, Annie-Gisèle Nam, the Central African Republics Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Literacy, launched Operation Clean Schools, a week of activities to encourage the public to voluntarily clean-up school grounds throughout the nation.
This operation aims to make Central African people understand that the local school belongs to the community and the students parents as well as the local administrative authorities. Active forces in the neighborhood ought to voluntarily mobilize to maintain it and keep it clean, the Minister told those gathered.
Operation Clean Schools is a voluntary public health initiative being undertaken by parents of school children, educators and the public to coincide with the first day of the 2012-2013 academic year on 17 September 2012. Minister Nams visit to the Lycée Marie-Jeanne Caron in Bangui launched the week-long initiative which involves more than 15 selected public primary and secondary schools and colleges in the capital.
"We call on parents and teachers to demonstrate their responsibility to ensure that all children will return to school on the scheduled date in serenity, said Mrs. Nam during the press conference held afterwards.
Hamadou Amadou Oumarou, UNV Program Officer in CAR, spearheaded the campaign and explained that it was jointly organized with the National Federation of Parents of Students in Central Africa (FENAPEC) and the Network of Non-government Organizations for Voluntary Action in Central Africa. The clean-up was the first major foray for the relatively new network which was initiated with the support of UNV CAR in July 2012.
The clean-up also rallied the support of the Mayor of Bangui, the Sahel-Sahara Bank for Investment and Commerce (BSIC), the Organization of Central African Women (OFCA), UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
"It is all of the agencies of the United Nations system, convinced of the contribution of volunteerism to sustainable socio-economic development, that are involved along with UNV to make the clean-up operation of the public schools a success," said Hamadou, an International UN Volunteer from Niger. They want to ensure the children have a good quality education in a healthy environment."
Hamadou said he expected the campaign to extend to the cities of Mbaiki and Batalimo.
Ive urged parents associations in every school in the Central African Republic to continue these public health actions throughout the entire week, he said. He congratulated all local partners for their commitment to make the schools clean and healthy for the children of the Central African Republic.