On 19 September 2024, the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Erbil (CG) inaugurated and handed over the renovated school building of the small classroom in Qafar village. Part of the project included the renovation of a brick fence, which gives the young students a feeling of greater security.

The NGO Rwanga Foundation, our partner, repaired classrooms, repair the brick fence and added a new lawn. So that at least some greenery is on the school grounds. 

If you happen to be browsing a map looking for the village of Qafar, you might be surprised at how close it is to Erbil. It's only a few dozen minutes away. However, this village is located in the middle of a vast plain. Historically, the village was affected by forced displacement during Saddam Hussein's regime and after 2004 the original inhabitants returned to their home village. Unfortunately, not all of them did. Another negative factor is that Erbil is close by, and so the local town hall is really struggling to find every dinar to develop its village. Therefore, the reconstruction of this small classroom was a very important help. Even though this small classroom is attended by less than a dozen pupils, for a village where electricity only goes for a few hours a day, where water is not a given and where the teachers are real heartbreakers, any such material help is a stepping stone to being able to provide a better education for the children.  

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the local regional government, local authorities and the Rwanga Foundation. The head of the village repeatedly emphasized how important this assistance in the form of the SSP is and thanked the Czech Republic for @CzechAid.    

CG Erbil thanks all those who participated in this SSP. We wish them a successful new school year and look forward to further cooperation.