|Children of the Ngobe-Bugle tribe attend class in Chiriqi, a
rural area in Panama| CHIRIQI, Panama, 17 February 2005 - For
many indigenous children in the Mironó district in rural Panama,
education is a challenge that goes far beyond the demands of the
classroom. Every morning, they leave their farms and walk great
distances, over hills and through rivers, to the nearest
government school. It is an exhausting and often dangerous trek.
During the rainy season, parents stop sending their children to
school because the rivers become too treacherous to cross. These
conditions have caused attendance in rural schools to plummet,
with 45 per cent of indigenous children not even enrolled.
Because many children simply cannot make it to school, UNICEF is
bringing school to them. As part of an education initiative,
UNICEF is helping to set up small schools in rural communities.
These “community schools” are staffed by a single teacher and
average anywhere from 10-30 students. They are a convenient and
safe alternative