«There was a time when our school was the object of mockery. But today, thanks to the actions of UNOCI and its partners, we can finally say that we too have a school and we go to school," This statement was made on Wednesday, 14 August 2013 in Yassuikro, in the department of Dimbokro, by the pupils' spokesperson, Konan Anderson.



He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a building comprising three classrooms which was entirely renovated and equipped with tables and benches and office material by the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) as part of its Quick Impact Projects (QIPS) programme to help small communities.



The ceremony took place in the presence of Rabet Noelle Adou, sous-préfet of Nofou, traditional and political authorities and a high-level UNOCI delegation led by Robert Ngangué, Coordinator of the Regional Office of Yamoussoukro.



Recalling the objective of the project, Mr. Ngangué said it had been funded "to promote a good school environment for the 55 children in CP1, CP2 and CEI who will be taught there."



The rehabilitation and provision of equipment is proof of UNOCI's willingness to offer a radiant future to the children of Côte d'Ivoire, who constitute potential development.



The sous-préfet of Nofou, Rabet Noelle and the secretary-general of the society for development of the village, Kouadio Félicien, each expressed their gratitude to UNOCI and assured the Mission that the new building will be put to good use and well looked after.



"This jewel will make a real difference to our lives. In the past pupils and teachers alike were regularly disturbed by bad weather because the classrooms were shoddily built with no toilets. Today that is all in the past. We thank you," said Mr. Kouadio Félicien.



It should be noted that apart from the renovation work on the three classrooms which started in March 2013, the primary school also benefitted from 50 tables and benches, five toilets, an office for the director, as well as furniture for the office. The project cost 12 million FCFA (approximately $24,000) in total.