IDP Children Astronomer’s Outreach

This project aims to use Astronomy as a tool to counsel, heal and educate traumatised children from conflicts related to farmers-herdsmen clashes in Kaduna State, Nigeria. According to UNICEF and National Bureau for Statistics, about 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria & over 60% of these children are in Northern Nigeria, where Kaduna State is located. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/education.html .In the midst of fragile numbers of children in school, conflicts between local farmers and cattle herdsmen in the region have made these numbers plunge deeper by virtue of the fact that over 30,000 people have been displaced from their towns. The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency acknowledges that displaced persons are camped in IDP camps in Tudun Wada, Anguwan Rimi, Nassarawa and Unguwar Muazu areas in Kaduna State. This situation has the potential to cause greater problems of inequality, poverty and reduced opportunities for children caught up in this conflict. The plan is to have an Astronomer’s outreach to cater for 500 IDP (Internally displaced persons) children & to provide a solar powered Astronomer’s learning hubs. The main aim of the astronomer’s outreach is to create awareness of astronomy with chilldren that have been displaced due to internal conflict. Project activities will include coupling a Galileoscope, Tinkering with microcontrollers/DC motors, Educative documentaries, Star gazing with Telescopes & several others.(Continued in 19.)