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Assessment Report on Pastoralist education - Kapoeta North County, September 2020

Países
Sudán del Sur
Fuentes
AVSI
+ 5
Fecha de publicación
Origen
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Introduction

Kapoeta North County is one of the counties in Eastern Equatoria state where AVSI is implementing Education Cannot Wait project entirely. This county is divided into 7 payams (Paringa, Lomeyen, Najie, Musingo, Naakwa, Chumakori and wokubu,), the county is of Toposa tribe divided into two clans: Paringa and Riwoto clans. The two communities live in harmony through sharing same social and cultural events like Gkorot and Akidam dam dance, inter marriage even share same grazing land. The community live purely pastoralist life where they value their livestock (cattle, goats, and sheep) more than anything even own lives.

Just like other counties in Greater Kapoeta, the county is experiencing long dry season (semi-arid) in most cases from November to May. In these months, the communities move their livestock in search of water to what is known as ‘Cattle camp’ and return once rain starts falling around May or June each year. It should be noted that during this time, children, youth, women and men move to stay in cattle camps, thus many people established themselves permanently.

The county is facing myriad challenges in education despite nice permanent schools, furnished with infrastructure like classrooms, latrines and kitchens. Barriers in accessibility remain a major problem to children especially girls considering community adoration for cultural norms and social practices.

Focus group discussion methodology

The assessment on pastoralist education in Kapoeta North started with focus group discussions conducted by AVSI with funding from Education Cannot Wait. This assessment was carried out in three payam of the county; Paringa, Najjie and Lomoyen respectively, focus on small groups of people (5-8) segregated by gender/sex, age. The categories of people targeted were; men, women, boys, girls, religious leaders and education actors/ leaders in the community as outlined below;

  • 3 Women groups of 8 representatives (24 members)

  • 3 Men groups of 8 representatives (24 members)

  • 3 Boys/youth groups of 5-8 representatives (24 members)

  • 3 girls/ youth groups of 5-8 representatives (24 members)

  • 1 Religious leaders of 3 representatives (3 members)

  • 1 Local leaders of 8 representatives (8 members)

  • 1 County officials of 8 representatives (8 members)

✓ 115 members were met during FGD

The groups were divided according to age and sex purposely to give freedom in expression of views and avoid superiority complex and suppression of views by men. The approach was useful because young girls, women and boys intensely discussed challenges facing education in pastoralist community.