This morning Khalifa, one of the sisters of the family, took me to the centre of Smara to visit various organisations. Firstly we went to the AFAD, the Association of Algerian Women for Development, where I talked to Fanna, one of the women who works there, about the organisation.
It was founded in 2001, to educate women in the camps about sociology and their rights, and to provide them with psychological and legal support. Fanna explained that there are many people with psychological problems due to the situation: the conflict, the situation of neither peace nor war brought on by the 1991 ceasefire and 33 years spent exiled in refugee camps. In order to let women know about the services they run, AFAD broadcasts programmes over the radio, and holds many local meetings. Due to popular demand, in 2003 they started to run practical classes on information technology, photography, tailoring and English language.
Afterwards we visited Smara´s school for disabled children, the first school of its kind to be opened in a refugee camps anywhere in the world. Castro, the man who founded and now runs the centre explained its three aims: “education, integration and autonomy”.
Castro started the school in 1995, as a way to combat the traditional mentality that having a child who is disabled is a punishment from God, a belief that has often led to children’s marginalisation within the family and in society. Now, thanks to the work of the school, this mentality is changing.
Whilst some children are taught basic skills such as getting dressed, brushing one’s hair etc. to give them autonomy, others are taught woodwork and painting allowing them to produce art which can be sold. When the children make money from this initiative, they are encouraged to go to the market to buy some fruit or meat for their family. This way the family will see that their child is not a burden; they can be useful like any other child and shouldn’t be marginalised.
Finally we paid a visit to Smara English centre. It was opened 4 years ago by an American organisation called “Christ the Rock” although they just teach English language, not the Christian religion. For the Americans who founded the organisation, one of the aims was to raise awareness in the USA about the Saharawi conflict. For the students, there is the additional motivation of English being an international language, and will therefore be useful if they get the chance to travel abroad.
 |  | Western Sahara: 30 Years is Enough:
For 30 years the Saharawi people of Western Sahara have lived in refugee camps in some of the harshest conditions on earth, while their country remains under occupation by Morocco. |
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