From their early years, every child needs an education that fosters the development of their cognitive abilities while nurturing their emotions and social skills, preparing them to face life’s challenges with resilience and creativity. However, in many rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, childcare facilities are often inadequate and don’t provide a safe and stimulating environment where each child can develop and reach their full potential.
The lack of such facilities jeopardises not only their educational journey but also their future ability to integrate, actively contribute to the development of the community and build an independent life.
The competition rises from this vital need. The challenge is to create an architectural model for a nursery school that safeguards and promotes the rights of every child, while nurturing their skills and igniting their curiosity about the world.
We are seeking a school that helps children discover and build their own identity
The aim of the competition is to find an architectural model for a nursery school that promotes the well-rounded development of children by providing a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment. Architecture should support the right to education and well-being by creating the ideal psycho-physical conditions for the development of each child. It should provide a space that goes beyond a mere educational function, integrating opportunities for play, socialisation and exploration, and serving as a focal point for the entire community.
We seek an architecture that inspires trust and serenity in children, families and the community – an inviting, unique and symbolic environment where every child can feel valued and supported in their growth.
The proposal must include the following areas or spaces, which can be developed in one or more architectural blocks at the discretion of the competitor:
1. Classrooms: 5 classrooms, each capable of accommodating around 20 children.
2. Offices: Spaces for administration and parent meetings.
3. Educational play area: Versatile space for playing, creative workshops and physical activities.
4. Infirmary: A space dedicated to attending injuries and illnesses.
5. Dining area: A space for serving meals.
6. Storage: A space for storing educational materials, toys and equipment.
7. Toilets: Toilets for both children and school staff.
The project is to be designed for the rural areas of southern Senegal. This is a country in western Sub-Saharan Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania, Mali, Gambia and Guinea. The national population is almost 18 million, concentrated mainly in the major urban centres and the capital, Dakar. The territory, mostly flat, stretches over about 200,000 km², on the hydrographic left of the river of the same name and the catchment areas of some smaller rivers such as the Gambia and the Casamance in the south, where lagoons develop. The territory also extends into the so-called 'Sahel': the transition zone between the arid Saharan and humid regions of Guinean Africa.
The south of Senegal
The southern region, beyond the Gambia enclave, is called Casamance, after the river of the same name, and is divided into three administrative regions: Ziguinchor, Sedhiou and Kolda, totalling about 1.5 million inhabitants. It is one of the least developed areas in the country, with an average urbanisation rate in rural areas of 8% and an average poverty rate of around 90%. The location is purely agricultural and the rural villages have an average of 1,500 inhabitants. The main towns of Ziguinchor, Kolda and Sedhiou have populations of 200,000, 65,000 and 30,000, respectively. In the rural areas of Casamance, the quality of life is among the worst in the country, due to lack of development, lack of resources and infrastructure, and climate change, which severely affect agro-pastoral activities that are the primary source of self-sufficiency. Here, poverty is at its highest with 97% of the population; 88% of families have no access to drinking water; 60% of the population lives in dwellings without direct access to electricity and 98% of the dwellings have no sewage system; 60% of children leave school before high school
Education is the basis for improving the lives of people and communities, and is the necessary tool to make them self-sufficient. With the UN 2030 Agenda, one of the fundamental goals is indeed to enable quality education for all children. In recent years, there have been significant global achievements in school enrolment. The basic level of literacy has improved significantly and equality between girls and boys in primary education has been achieved. However, few countries have achieved this at all educational levels. However, what has been done so far is not enough, and even today millions of children in the world do not enjoy the right to education. Although school enrolment in developing countries has reached 91%, 57 million children are still excluded, and more than half of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Also aggravating the situation is the lack of adequate teaching materials and infrastructure compatible with an ever-increasing need. In other situations, however, many students arrive to class hungry, sick or exhausted from child labour or household chores and, often, school facilities are not equipped to provide food or health support. The majority of schools in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have toilets, changing rooms, or canteens, and the school infrastructure is reduced to a succession of walls and classrooms, often made of concrete bricks. In such environments, it is difficult to stimulate the students' psyche and develop their full potential, as well as to protect their right to education, life and health. Education is the fundamental tool for acquiring the analytical, technical, organisational and decision-making skills, as well as strengthening one's self-confidence and determination necessary to make life's important decisions on the basis of awareness and knowledge. An uneducated adult may, in fact, not be able to understand, and thus resolve everyday situations with repercussions that may affect the health, economy and future of the family, as well as the entire community.
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