Read how GPE’s support to Eritrea is making a difference in the lives of students, teachers and parents in the Anseba region.
Eritrea, a GPE partner since 2013, has received close to US$45 million in grants so far for the most disadvantaged children. The 2014-2019 grant, with UNICEF as grant agent, primarily focused on building new schools, distributing learning materials and teacher training.
Read first-hand accounts of the impact of this support on students, teachers and caregivers in the Anseba region.
Determined and focused, 15-year-old Hayat Mohammed Ali Osman raises her hand to solve a mathematical question. She is in 1 of 5 new classrooms of the Qar’obel Junior and Middle School, found deep in the Anseba region of Eritrea.
Already an exceptional student, Hayat solves the equation on the blackboard that many of her peers didn’t manage to answer. She is a young girl driven by a passion to learn in a society that continues to practice early marriage.
“I am grateful for the school, which is built closer to where we live. Without it, we would have been forced to walk a considerable distance to get the education that we need. We need to make use of this opportunity that has been provided to us. Without this school, we would have been forced to marry early, because that is the fate of any girl who is not learning in our society.”
Hayat’s school, built in 2014 by Eritrea’s Ministry of Education and UNICEF through funding secured from GPE, is giving Hayat and other girls like her a chance to learn and create a future on their own terms.
Hayat wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She is hopeful other girls her age will fight traditional societal expectations and enjoy their basic right to education through additional services at her school.
“I would like for our school to be fully equipped with a library, ICT and additional classrooms so that we can receive quality education. I would also like to commend our teachers for their efforts to give us better education. If given the chance to pursue my education, I want to excel in mathematics and be a teacher that is able to teach the future generation of my community. […] When I finish here in this school, I am determined to go to another school so I can pursue my education.”
“I had a strong passion to be a teacher from an early age. My teachers in this school gave me all the support and encouragement I needed to achieve my dream. And here I am... a teacher before you all today. […] I have chosen to teach in my place of origin, which is Filfele District in Habero sub-zone.”
Nura Edrees, 35, is a 3rd Grade teacher at Filfele Primary, Middle and Secondary School, in the Habero sub-zone of Anseba region Eritrea—the same school she attended from grade 1 to 8.
Originally from Filfele, Nura’s entire education has been within the region, attending Halhal Secondary School for grades 9 to 11, and Warsay Yikealo School in Sawa later on for High School.
Nura teaches students to read and write in their mother language of Tigre—a key component to making education accessible and inclusive in remote villages within countries that have multiple national or official languages.
“I love to teach children and I treat them as if they are my own. The students also have a passion to learn, which makes my work easy. It is my aspiration that they reach the level I have reached or even perhaps excel further.”
The school where Nura teaches is a beneficiary of the first GPE grant to Eritrea, administered jointly by Eritrea’s Ministry of Education and UNICEF, that funded distribution of textbooks and teacher guides for primary and middle school grades.
Nura makes use of both daily to teach. Still, she is concerned for her students as demand for quality education grows in Filfele district.
“The school has considerable shortage of teaching materials such as blackboards, learning spaces and teachers. Students still learn sitting in stones in makeshift classes. They are constantly exposed to the harsh winds and blazing heat of the sun, which is common in this area.”
As an educator, Nura is also motivated and inspired by her community. Each member shows a commitment and readiness to provide support to the local school so that meaningful learning can happen.
“The communities in this district strongly support education. They want their children to be educated and build a future for themselves as well as for their society. For that matter, the community has come together to build additional learning spaces and are trying their best to improve the quality of education for their children.”
“We have lived all our lives as nomads scattered across the ridged mountains around us without education. It was since 1996 that life has begun to turn for the better for us. This was during the government’s resettlement program for communities to receive better access to basic social services. I am not educated, and I don’t want the same fate to befall on my children.”
A narrow 35 km-long dirt-road from Keren City, the capital of Anseba, runs into Filfele village—where Nisrit Ismael Jimmi’e and her children call home. Filfele is one of the districts formed in 1996 under Eritrea’s government resettlement program to provide better access to social services.
“I believe the educational service we have in Filfele is better than in other districts of Habero sub-zone. Like in all other districts, we get all the needed stationary supplies for our children almost free of charge. The teachers are committed and are working hard to ensure that our children receive the education they need.”
Education is center stage in all the hearts and minds of this community. With funding secured from GPE, the Ministry of Education and UNICEF have partnered closely to build 5 new classrooms at the Filfele Primary and Middle School.
Villagers here mostly do farming, but they are always ready to contribute time and skills to Filfele’s schools.
The community successfully built an additional classroom—now a library—procured supplementary reading materials and provided additional learning spaces for students – all in the name of education!
“The desire for education is high in our community and we know of its benefits. That is why we have accepted that our children learn in temporary makeshift classes. In a way, it is a step-up for us considering the previous condition we were in." says Nisrit.
One of my sons, whom I enrolled here in the Filfele School in 1996, is now a teacher at the same school. It is my desire that my other children will follow in his footsteps. It is gratifying to see that our children are having employment and making a living, which is beneficial to us all”, she continues.
Filfele is now growing into a township and the student population is increasing. To this day, there are children that learn in makeshift classrooms, using their laps for desks and rocks for seats, to get the education they desperately need.
As for Nisrit and her children, they eagerly wait for not just education, but quality education, to take them further into their future.
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