Mobile classrooms across Africa are teaching survival skills while preserving culture, proving education adapts faster than policy.
When Grasslands Vanish
Zahara was ten when she stopped attending school. In a small village in southern Niger, rising heat, dry wells, and dying animals forced her to help her parents search for food and water. Art class, her favorite, became a memory. Things began to change when CARE Climate Change stepped in, offering new ways for families to survive.
In Niger and across the Sahel, rains no longer come when expected. Temperatures climb. Droughts repeat. Grasslands vanish as invasive weeds take over. These changes aren’t just hard on the land, they’re reshaping lives, especially for nomadic communities that rely on movement, livestock, and seasonal knowledge.
Zahara’s story isn’t unique. It reflects how the climate crisis affects education, especially for children on the move. But when schools adapt, so can the children. Teaching nomadic kids about the environment does more than fill classrooms. It builds understanding, sparks action, and helps protect fragile ecosystems. Education here isn’t a side issue. It’s central to survival. Nomadic schools can be a direct response to a changing climate.
These shifts aren’t just about access to education, they’re about how life itself is being restructured. In the Sahel, families that have depended on . . .
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