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A day out with 'MRE 2'

  • By Catherine Mahony, MAG Project Manager, North Sudan


Today I join MRE 2 on a Mine Risk Education (MRE) session that is held at a Kurmuk Model School, a secondary school in the centre of town in Kurmuk. [Why does MAG work in Sudan?]

Students gather for morning registration in the playground.

The MRE team present the session using visual aids.

Hand-drawn MRE posters.

At 8am I meet the team, led by Team Leader Kojali Ahmed and MRE/Community Liaison Officers Shadrak Mousa and David Ali Barouk. They hold a briefing to prepare themselves for the session to come, checking materials and running through tasks that each team member will carry out.

They explain that they have been tasked to this school by the United Nations and that they have visited the school before, but follow-up visits are usual to ensure full coverage and make sure that sessions are not forgotten by children.

The school is run-down but densely populated. Children aged between eight and 16 in school uniforms mill about in the playground before the start of the school day. The school yard is dusty and bare, so the shade beneath one of the few trees is a popular spot.

At around half-past eight, Rawiya Sherif Ahmed, the school’s director arrives. She welcomes us and invites us to her office. The session has been pre-organised, yet arrangements seem quite relaxed. In her office she tells us that there are currently 592 children enrolled in the school, in a town with a population of 110,815.

Among the various posters in her office are a number of MRE posters, some of which have been hand drawn. Rawiya tells us that the previous director had drawn them two years ago. Some other MRE posters have been supplied by MAG and others provided by the Ministry of Education.

As we wait for the classroom to be prepared, Rawiya tells us that there have been MRE sessions held in the school before, in 2006, 2007 and 2008, mainly by MAG. She believes it is very important for her students to receive MRE as they need to be able to recognise the threats in the locality, and know what to do when they find them.

She mentions that it is good to speak to children, not just because it helps them, but because they tell their parents about what they learnt and spread the message.

The MRE team tell me about how they tailor their sessions for different audiences. They explain that when they work with young people they make sure that their sessions will hold their attention. “We use simple words and do things they will enjoy, like role plays,” says Kojali. The team tell me that they try to encourage the children to get involved with the lesson, because they remember more when it’s interactive.

At about 9am the classroom is ready and we go through to a basic school room (there's no electricity or glass in the windows) with long benches for desks. There are 17 students aged between nine and 17, one of whom is a girl. The team ask the students to move to the front of the classroom so they can see.


Kurmuk in Blue Nile State. The town is contaminated by landmines and UXO from the conflict between the Sudan People's Liberation Army and Government of Sudan armed forces.
View larger map		  

Firstly, the team ask in both Arabic and English in which language the students would prefer to hold the session, and all students say they prefer Arabic. Whilst these are the main languages spoken, in Blue Nile State there are a number of other local dialects, the majority of which are covered by at least one of the MRE team. The team introduce themselves personally and explain that they are from MAG and give some background to what MAG does and what they do with MAG.

The session begins with the unfurling of a large canvas banner on which are printed a variety of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, specifically those found in this region. There are symbols of people and vehicles to indicate size and location and a background design to show how the mines may be laid.

The team explain how mines work, what they do and how they may be recognised. I notice that the students are captivated by the presentation and I expect that in a school so resource poor this colourful banner is quite a novelty. After around eight minutes they ask for questions, and I am surprised by the number of hands that are raised and how many questions prompt others to ask more.

Two similar banners are shown, this time showing unexploded ordnance (UXO) that might be found. The team change presenters for each one, which breaks up the session, and also enables them to observe one another. The presentation is dynamic, as the presenter leads but other team members interject to elaborate or emphasise a point.

     
 

Bilal, aged 17
"I enjoyed the session very much, now I know about the dangers of mines and I want to know what the dangers are. It’s best to know how mines are dangerous and where they are. I have seen a landmine before, near the road, I saw some local markers so I noticed it and knew what it was. If I saw it now I know I would not touch it or go near it, I would tell my brothers or parents about it.

"I have had an MRE lesson before, with MAG last year at school. We learned about anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, it was like this one. Most of all I remember what they said about the effects of mines, what can happen to people. I liked playing the game."

Suraj Ismail, aged 16
"I liked the lesson because I want to be one of the MRE team, I want to take care of the community like them. I have had MRE before in Grade 4 [this is Grade 5]. It’s the same as before, but this time we played games with the cards and I liked that.

"I’ve never seen a landmine but I think I would know one if I saw it in future. If I saw one I would take care of myself. I wouldn’t go near it because it’s dangerous."

  
     

The presenters make jokes with the students who seem to relax and it doesn’t feel like a standard lesson. By the end of the presentation, the students have been briefed on landmine and UXO recognition, minefield marking, and what to do if they come across a landmine or item of UXO.

Actual landmine warning signs are circulated, as well as photos of local markers, such as patterns of stones and bags on sticks, that may indicate that mines have been identified.

After the presentation session, and more questions and discussions, the team bring out three sets of memory cards and split the class into three groups. Each team member assists a group, explaining that they must lay the photos and symbols face down and take it in turns to turn them over and try to find matching pairs.

The groups are soon enthralled, and the MRE team members encourage them to say what they remember about the symbols, mines or UXO, asking questions about what each picture is and what it does.

The class continue playing animatedly for another 10 minutes until the end of the lesson and I ask if students will volunteer for an interview with me. Bilal and Suraj volunteer [see panel, right], keen to practice their English.

14 July 09

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