In the city of Bweremana, North Kivu region, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than 1,000 students prepared to take the end-of-year exams. However, not all of them could access the examination centre due to the high level of insecurity in the country.

“I was afraid to take the exam because of the bombs that were being dropped in the area. I had to overcome my fear to encourage myself to come,” said Jeanne, 40, who successfully took the primary school exam. Despite the fear of being attacked on the way, Jeanne confessed that she did not want to miss this opportunity, “given my age, I could not afford not to go”.

The DRC is facing one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world, with more than half of the population living below the poverty line. Violence perpetrated by armed groups has destroyed thousands of schools and forced more than 6.3 million people to flee their homes and seek refuge within the country. This has resulted in the deprivation of children’s fundamental right to education.

In a joint effort between JRS and the authorities in the area, especially those responsible for the educational sub-province, more than half of the candidates succeeded in taking the exams without incident. The first day was dedicated to language and general culture tests, while the second focused on mathematics and science.

“I am very happy that I did not have any problems; moreover, the exam went well for me. I am waiting for the results calmly,” Jeanne commented.

The authorities took all necessary measures to reassure the participants, while JRS accompanied displaced students to the area a week before the exams. JRS teams on the ground provided the students with psychosocial support and revised the curriculum with them to ensure a better performance.

Despite the ongoing armed conflict in the North Kivu region, JRS is committed to ensuring a safe school environment and access to the right to education for students in the area. In an emergency context such as DRC, ensuring access to school reduces the risk of recruitment by armed groups and gender-based violence (GBV), enabling displaced students to choose how to build their own future.