Last month, we celebrated the graduation of more than 100 children from AfriKids’ School of Night Rabbits! The Night Rabbits have spent nine months attending evening classes in basic literacy and numeracy and they’re now ready to return to formal school.
The School of Night Rabbits gives children who are working and living on the streets of Bolgatanga city the chance to catch up with school, so they can continue their education. Whether they left five months or five years ago, the team help to get them back on track with their studies so they can be reintroduced to formal school, as well as ensuring they’re resettled back with their family.
This comprehensive support means these children will trade in their day-to-day lives of earning small money on the streets to get back to the classroom, whilst the team work closely with their families to make sure they have a safe home to return to.
The School of Night Rabbits has helped close to 900 children over the last 14 years. On top of the literacy and numeracy classes, children spend time with a professional counsellor who works to understand why they are living on the streets and to encourage them to return home and continue with their education.
All the students are given a health check-up and health insurance, so they can access free medical care, while their parents and family members are supported with two female goats to rear and breed from. The profits generate from the goats can then be used to pay for books, uniforms and pencils to support their children’s schooling.
This year we’ve seen 117 children return to live with their families, 79 of them have also enrolled back at school. The team will continue to monitor their progress and some children will even continue to attend the School of Night Rabbits classes to keep up with the friends they made there!
