As time passes and the crisis in Darfur continues, an increasing number of refugees in Chad are advancing through the educational system established in the camps and reaching secondary school. Successful completion of secondary school means that they might be able to attend university and find a future outside the camps, but a simple fact stands in the way of their success: they don’t have enough textbooks.

Our on-the-ground partner CORD, managing the secondary school programs in Bredjing and Treguine Camps, has requested funds to make 50 photocopies of each of the 17 textbooks being used, to supply current and future students. The 17 textbooks are part of the official Sudanese curriculum used by the Ministry of Education in all the State schools in Sudan, and the students need to master this material in order to pass their exams and obtain the certificate needed to attend university (e.g., the University of Juba, in Southern Sudan). Subjects include mathematics, English, Arabic language & grammar, science, trade, agriculture, family, history, geography, religion, computers, and sports. Two levels of these books are needed: Year 1, for two classes in Bredjing and two classes in Treguine, and Year 2, for one class in Bredjing. Each year, it is estimated that 30-40 new students will enter the secondary school programs, and the textbooks will be passed from one year’s students to the next.

The estimated cost of photocopying each textbook in Chad is about $11.25, and we are working on a less expensive way to copy the books in the UK, which will make your donations accomplish even more. For the cost of lunch out or a few cups of coffee, you can put knowledge in the hands of these students, and help prepare them for a university education.

Please earmark your donation for “Secondary school textbooks” to support this cause. Let’s make sure the crisis in Darfur does not stop the education of a generation.