Migration is a School for Mobile Pastoralist Children (Day 8)

Apr 23, 2019 | In the Field, Photo Stories

The spring migration taking place between April & June, and the fall migration taking place between September & October, coincides with school calendar and mobile pastoralists find themselves forced to leave their children with settled relatives or in dormitories. Sometimes the eldest members decide to settle simple to look after the children during this period. As it should be the case with other areas, education policies should be developed in devotion to the best interests of mobile pastoralist children and adapted to the needs of their mobile lifestyle – examples of which exist in different countries.

In 1967 a directive on mobile schools was issued, addressing the need for an adaptive education system for these communities in Turkey. However, this directive has never been enforced and was unfortunately repealed in 2011. Another major issue affecting mobile pastoralist children adversely is social isolation and lack of communication with other mobile pastoralist children. In the past, 10-15 tents would migrate together. Now the maximum number of tents is 2 as traditional lands, including migration routes, are being grabbed (either by expropriation or privatization) by the state and agriculture, industry and other sectors, restricting their mobility strategies and customs – aided by the hostility of settled communities towards mobile pastoralists. It’s not only migration routes being seized, but also winter and summer pastures, causing a sharp decrease in the number of tents and increasing the distances between them, damaging social interaction mechanisms and preventing mobile pastoralist children from socialize and playing with each other.

Yolda Initiative is a nature conservation NGO based in Turkey and operating at international level. Yolda works for the conservation of biodiversity through research, advocacy, communications and partnerships. Recognizing that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of ecosystems, traditional cultural practises that benefits biodiversity are a particular focus of Yolda.
Yasin, Muharrem and Berat – these 3 young members of the Bacak family of Sarıkeçili nomadic pastoralists are the embodiment of joy of life. Jumping up and down like newborn goat kids, they enjoy their freedom in nature. Muharrem, the one standing in front of the tent, will be separated from his cousins for a while as he and his parents are staying with the newborn goat kids that are not yet strong enough to walk long distances. He will join his cousins in 10 days.

Migration is the most important experience for mobile pastoralist children during which they acquire fundamental information needed to survive and maintain their lifestyle, learn about nature and all the living beings they share their life with, develop relationships and socialize and play with other families and children. Yet, education policies developed with a settled perspective keep these children from experiencing these vital and life defining moments, separating them from their families.

Read our stories from partners and practitioners.

Read our stories from partners and practitioners.

Mobile Pastoralism and Nature (Day 4)

Mobile Pastoralism and Nature (Day 4)

Apr 19, 2019 | ,

Mobile pastoralism has persisted over the centuries thanks to its harmonious existence with nature. Relying on a constant interaction and interdependency with the nature has led practitioners to cultivate a rich body of traditional ecological knowledge, which in turn...

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