BACKGROUND

Education, one of the most important components which is required for

every country to hold it in order to offer the intelligence in society, with a main
goal; to create sterling human resources. In a region like Sahel which poverty and
food crisis occurs, education that creates sterling human resources is extremely
needed. In that state, Sahel needs supports from people around the world to live.
In truth, some organizations have given them some supports, such as WFP (World
Food Program) that has given them food supports, and FAO (Food and
Agriculture Organization) that has given them off-season food and crop
production support, soil and water conservation and rehabilitation projects, and
desert locust control and monitoring1. However, they should not rely on peoples
help only because they cannot get it forever; they have to learn to live without
relying on supports only.
Abdoulaye, one of the residents in Sahel has tried to plant some crops in
his farm but he will leave empty handed in the end because droughts have plagued
Sahel. Climate scientists predict that climate change will mean more heat and less
rain in this already drought-stricken region2. However, when rain does fall, it
occurs in monsoon-like proportions which damage crops and infrastructure and
cause severe floods. For that reason, Abdoulaye cannot plant any corps in his
farm. Poverty and climate change have lead them into food crisis. 10 million
people in Sahel are starving, as an example, 8 of Abdoulayes families have died
due to food crisis.
People who live in Sahel are mostly unemployment because of their lack
of education; therefore, it leads them into poverty. In fact, there are some people
1 Andr-Michel Essoungou. 2013. The Sahel: One region, many crises.
http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-one-region-many-crises.
Accessed on 29th March 2016 at 16.00.
2 Emily Jablonski. 2014. Poverty in Africas Sahel Region.
http://www.borgenmagazine.com/poverty-africas-sahel-region/. Accessed on 29th
March 2016 at 18.40.

who have a job, but it is mostly not profitable. As an example, Ali, an 18 years old
boy, has a job to make 200 bricks a day, only to get $5 per 100 bricks. Indeed,
making bricks is considered as a job, but it is not profitable. Actually, they can
search for any job in other country, but without education they will not get the
same treatment like everyone else and they will be a servant with small salary in
the end. In contrast, with education, they can learn like everyone else in the world
and also get the same treatment like everyone else.
UNESCO

(United

Nations

Educational

Scientific

and

Cultural

Organization) is an organization that contributes in peace and security by

promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural
reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and
human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in United Nations
Charter. In this case, UNESCO can help Sahel through their education programs.
Above all, we know that education is the most important thing in Sahel in order to
develop their region, especially to eradicate the poverty and food crisis.

PROGRAMS

UNESCO together with UNICEF, World Bank and other UN departments

created a vision of the worldwide movement for education. UNESCO is entrusted
to lead sustainable development goal number 4, ensure inclusive and equitable
quality educating and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all through
education. We recognize that education is the fundamental of human right and a
basis for guaranteeing the realization of the right itself. It is essential for peace,
tolerance, human fulfillment, and sustainable development. Moreover, we surely
know that education is a key to achieve full employment and poverty eradication.
In 1970s, Sahel region captured international attention. Sahel is one of the
poorest places in the world, as the environment has suffered, the scramble for
income has intensified, ethnic lines that divided many occupations, and have
overpopulation problem until today. To overcome the Sahel region problem,
UNESCO as the frontrunner to sustainable development goal number 4 will
ensure the provision of 12 years of free, equitable quality primary and second
education, of which at least nine years are compulsory; leading to a relevant
learning outcome. We also commit to provide meaningful education and training
opportunities for the large population of children and adolescents in Sahel region
who needs immediate, targeted, and sustained action that ensuring all children are
in school and are learning.
As what we mentioned above, we commit to improve learning outcomes
and better quality education, which requires strengthening inputs, processes, and
evaluation of outcome mechanism to measure the progress. Teachers are the key
of achieving all of the Education points, so this target is critical. It requires urgent
attention, with more immediate deadlines because the equity gap in education is
exacerbated by the shortage and uneven distribution of professionally trained
teachers. Other than that, we also open a global opportunity for youth to volunteer
with some important criteria; that they are empowered, professionally qualified,

motivated, and supported to make a better education especially in Sahel. Besides,

Sahel has no appropriate place and sufficient time to carry out the education. That
is why this kind of education is a great thing to do in Sahel; because it can be done
everywhere and theres no time limit. Moreover, there are a lot of residents that
are still illiterate; most of them are an adult, thats why they cant get any
education through formal education anymore. In that case, these volunteers are
needed especially to teach the illiterate residents about basic educations such as
reading and writing.
We further commit to ensure that all youth and adults achieve relevant and
recognized functional literacy and numeracy proficiency levels and acquire life
skills, and that they are provided with adult learning, education and training
opportunities. These programs can be applied by bringing professionals to Sahel
to give the residents education. The education itself needs to be specific. One of
the examples is education about irrigation. This kind of education is made in order
to give them more applicable knowledge. Experts or professionals are able to
assist the residents in managing the specific things that has not been understood
by the residents. The results of this program are:
1.The Sahel residents can overcome their problems that require special
skills, such as:

2.

a.

Their water and environmental sanitation problems;

b.

Problems about planting corps in drought area;

c.

Problems about managing the water;

d.

Agricultural Problems, such as irrigation; and

e.

Health issues.

The Sahel residents can manage their environment and natural

resources more effectively and optimally.

Scholarship program can play a vital role in providing opportunities for

young people and adults in Sahel region. They also offer an important

contribution to the internationalization of tertiary education and research systems.

They can help increasing access to global knowledge and build capacity to
transfer and adapt knowledge and technology to local conditions to their region.
From that program, we hope that they can determine their requirements to
improve their learning as active students and become responsible learners. Efforts
need to be made to ensure their active representation and participation. After they
get back to their region, they can encourage governments to develop their own
region, notably with vulnerable and marginalized youth, in order to get better
responds to their needs and aspirations; help shape policies that foster relevant and
responsive education and governmental systems and enable a smooth transition
from education and training to decent work and adult life to come out from
poverty itself.

Points
-

Formal education

Training

Young volunteers

Scholarship after education

CONCLUSION

The primary key of a Nations development is education. Moreover,

education creates sterling human resources that needed in every country. Thus the
utilization of the human resources is indispensable for their nations development.
One of the examples is in Sahel which is a drought-stricken region; the young
generation is needed to eradicate the poverty and food crisis through education.
They believe that they will get through the problems through education.
UNESCO

(United

Nations

Educational

Scientific

and

Cultural

Organization) is entrusted to lead sustainable development goal number 4, ensure

inclusive and equitable quality educating and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all through education. It can help Sahel to overcome their
problems through education programs. There are 4 programs that we create and
suggest in order to overcome the poverty and food crisis in Sahel through
education. Our programs are formal education, training, youth volunteer, and
scholarship.
UNESCO as the frontrunner to sustainable development goal number 4
will ensure the provision of 12 years of free, equitable quality primary and second
education, of which at least nine years are compulsory. 12 years or at least 9 years
are needed to get the knowledge equally with other students in the world. We will
improve learning outcome as well, with that, our target is teachers. Other than
that, we also open a global opportunity for youth to volunteer with some
important criteria; that they are empowered, professionally qualified, motivated,
and supported to make a better education especially in Sahel. The volunteers are
needed to teach the illiterate residents.
We further commit to ensure that all youth and adults achieve relevant and
recognized functional literacy and numeracy proficiency levels and acquire life
skills, and that they are provided with adult learning, education and training
opportunities. This kind of education is made in order to give them more
6

applicable knowledge. This applicable knowledge will develop their region

quicker than formal education, besides, the adults can learn this and then they can
apply it to their region as soon as possible. The results of this program are:
1.

The Sahel residents can overcome their problems that require

special skills

2.

The Sahel residents can manage their environment and natural

resources more effectively and optimally.

Other than that, theres scholarship program as well. From this scholarship
program, we hope that they can determine their requirements to improve their
learning as active students and become responsible learners. After they get back,
they can encourage governments to develop their own region, notably with
vulnerable and marginalized youth, in order to get better responds to their needs
and aspirations; help shape policies that foster relevant and responsive education
and governmental systems and enable a smooth transition from education and
training to decent work and adult life to come out from poverty itself.
To get a better life, residents in Sahel need to get educations that we
offered above. With those 4 educational programs, we hope that residents in Sahel
can overcome the poverty and food crisis. Moreover, education can help them not
only to overcome the poverty and food crisis, but to develop their region as well.
They will get the same treatment with other people in the world as educational
people too. Above all, we hope that our programs will work properly in Sahel in
order to give them a better life.

SOURCE

Andr-Michel Essoungou. 2013. The Sahel: One region, many crises.

http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-oneregion-many-crises. Accessed on 29th March 2016 at 16.00.
Emily Jablonski. 2014. Poverty in Africas Sahel

Region.

http://www.borgenmagazine.com/poverty-africas-sahel-region/.
Accessed on 29th March 2016 at 18.40.
http://en.unesco.org/
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/africa/

JOB DESK
8

Leader
Jobs

:
:

Natalia Ayu Rizki Asti

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Analysts

Coordinating the group

Making programs together with the group
Making the background
Checking the paper
Editing the paper

:
1) Maydiane Handina
2) Stefanie Waringga
3) Dorvinando Bonanta

Jobs

:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Researchers

Analyzing Sahels situation

Making programs together with the group
Analyzing the programs
Analyzing the results of the programs

:
1.) Bernadetha Aurelia
2.) Matthew Marcelinno

Jobs

:
a) Searching for information about Sahel
b) Searching about UNESCO through their
official website
c) Making programs together with the group