At lunchtime inside the sparse cafeteria at Maria Auxiliadora School, pupils tuck into a small plate of rice, beans and chicken. For most of these children, all who have been displaced by Colombia's violence, this is their only main meal of the day.

The private school run by nuns in Soacha, a municipality on the outskirts of southeast Bogota, admits around 160 displaced children every year. The surrounding sprawling hilltop slums have become a magnet for some 3,000 displaced families escaping armed conflict that pits guerrilla groups against government armed forces and rightwing paramilitaries.

Years of brutal violence have uprooted about 3 million Colombians, making the country the world's second-worst hotspot for internal displacement after Sudan. Many families have tried to start new lives on the outskirts of teeming cities, where essential services are already stretched to the limit.

Since 2001, this school has become a haven for displaced children aged 5-14 years old and is a leading example to others in providing an integral education for displaced communities.

The pupils at Maria Auxiliadora are the lucky ones. It's estimated that roughly 20 percent of displaced children in Colombia don't attend school. While schools are legally obliged to enroll displaced children and offer government subsidies, many don't.

"Sometimes there is simply no space available in schools but often displaced children are rejected on the grounds that they don't have uniforms, books or because they don't have the right documents or can't pay the termly matriculation fee," says Sister Lucila Botelo, the school's head teacher.

"So the costs involved in sending a child to school becomes a major barrier for many displaced families, especially when bearing in mind that homes often have six children or more."

Maria Auxiliadora operates an open-door policy, and while a voluntarily annual enrollment fee costs about $12 per family, it's not mandatory.

"We don't turn children away just because they're not wearing the school uniform or haven't paid the matriculation fee," Sister Botelo says. "The important thing is that they turn up."

The biggest challenge schools face is keeping pupils at school. Drop-out rates among children from displaced families are thought to be over 50 percent higher than children from non-displaced families.

Economic needs often force parents to stop sending their children to school, particularly between the ages of 12 and 15 years, so they can work and contribute to the family income.

Providing free transport plays an important role in keeping drop-out rates low. Maria Auxiliadora has a special agreement with the local mayor that provides a free bus to transport pupils to and from school.

The school's facilities, including computers with internet access, its government-funded orchestra and extra-curricular dance and sports clubs, all contribute to keeping drop-out rates low.

But it's the school's focus on pastoral care that Sister Botelo believes keeps pupils returning year after year.

"Here teachers don't shout at pupils but listen to them. We emphasise human warmth and focus on developing close relationships between teachers and children that raise their self-esteem. They're crying out for affection," she says.

The relatively small class sizes, of up to 23 pupils, allows teachers to get to know their pupils well and concentrate on raising levels of literacy, traditionally very low among displaced children.

As part of its pastoral care programme, the school emphasises the teaching of values, such as respect and responsibility, taught through music classes, the school orchestra and afternoon prayers, which creates a safe environment that pupils appreciate.

"I don't have to worry about other kids stealing my things here," says one pupil.

What makes the school stand out from the rest is the stress it places on involving parents, which in turn helps to reduce domestic violence and child abuse, both widespread problems in IDP households.

"Poor parenting skills and the lack of a stable father figure are challenges. Stepfathers and boyfriends coming and going cause friction in households often headed by women," explains Sister Botelo.

To tackles these issues, a special "parent school" was set up. Once every two months, parents spend an afternoon at the school where they are taught parenting skills, including how to manage conflict through negotiation and setting an example rather than violence.

"We discuss how parents can get involved in their children's education, how to set boundaries and punish children that does not resort to beating children but through positive reinforcement and praise," Sister Botelo explains.

For many pupils, what's most important is having a space to run around in and not go to lessons on an empty stomach.

"The best part of the day," says one pupil "is when I can play football with my friends and the lunches at school."

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