Annual report 2014 by Aide et Action International

ACTIVITY rePORT 2014

Latin America and the Caribbean

Africa

South Asia

Europe

South East Asia and China

Map of intervention countries on January 1st 2014

ÂŠAEAI

OBSERVATORY COUNTRIES

INTERVENTION COUNTRIES

Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Reunion Island (French overseas territory), Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.

Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Ivory Coast, Guinea (Conakry), Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Union of Comoros, Haiti, Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Vietnam, France and Switzerland.

CONTENTS Foreword ……………………………………………………

p. 6

Thematics ………………………………………………….

p. 10

Regions ………………………………………………………

p. 30

Strategy and resources ……………………………...

p. 52

Jacques Lemaréchal and Gunilla Björner

• Transformation Process / Knowledge Management / Human Resources • Communication and influence • Media

• Partnership policy

• Internal and external audits • Use and origin of funds

©AEAI / Steven Brochen

2014 Month by month ………………………………….

p. 72

International associational structure ……………

p. 82

2015 Perspectives ……………………………………….

p. 90

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education For All (EFA) objectives :

FOREWORD

• Work on co-construction with population groups and governments • Constant cooperation with local associations and multi-actor partnerships • Choice of areas of intervention that are close to the priorities defined for the post-2015 agenda : inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. Its choices having been confirmed, Aide et Action therefore continued to work on its transformation process “road map” – a process initiated in 2012 to implement the changes that had been presented in its 2014-2016 strategic planning exercise.

In 2014, more than ever before, the educational context has increased in complexity. The rapidly changing international relations and tensions between States, conflicts, the displacement of population groups, epidemics and climate-related problems amongst other issues were some of the many factors that have had an impact on the development of education. No actors have any “universal key” that can open all the doors to access to quality education for all. In fact, the many keys that make it possible to resolve these issues can be found in different hands : u Governments hold some of the keys, translated into development and education policies, with reference to the Millennium Development and Education For All Goals. Given the fast-approaching post-2015 agenda, we need to draw lessons from the past in all transparency and, for the next 15 year-period, plan activities that can meet people’s hopes and bring about changes in the world. u Some of the keys are in the hands of the people, related to their capacity to mobilise and find solutions that can deliver real changes.

The 2nd International Congress, held in October 2013, rightly affirmed the importance of retaining the international associational project’s strategic line and its relevance, given all the changes taking place in the world. Hence, the major orientations established in the 2014-2016 Three-Year plan started being implemented in 2014 : evolution towards the development of innovative key concepts promising change in the world, preparation of an adaptation of the organisation for greater efficiency, strengthening of resources and management, sharing of our knowledge and know-how, etc. In 2014, Aide et Action therefore demonstrated real trans-regional coherence, from its international strategy to the conduct of its mission in the field. The keys to access to quality education for all are therefore in everyone’s hands, and by continuing with its internal development and completing its transformation process, Aide et Action plans to offer the communities, States and partners with which it works a series of keys that promise innovative solutions and changes. So it is by constantly opening new doors that children, parents, teachers and the educational community will be able to build new prospects for the future.

u Other actors in the educational sphere, including civil society, also hold several keys, but they are scattered amongst a large number of organisations and associations that are struggling to work in a coordinated manner in the field. There is a need to sustainably harmonise their actions, while pooling their energies and their human and financial strengths.

In light of these observations, what are the answers given by Aide et Action in 2014 ? In 2014, the fast approaching post-2015 agenda deadline enabled our organisation to take part in several discussions at workshops and forums across the world and to realise that its philosophy of action and thematic choices were perfectly aligned with

Jacques Lemaréchal

Gunilla Björner

President

International Director General

Aide et Action International

SUMMARY TABLE OF REGION-WISE AND THEMATIC-WISE PROJECTS

Latin America and Caribbean

Africa

South Asia and China

Europe

Total 33

Access and quality of education

6 projects

17 projects

8 projects

2 projects

Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo

India, Nepal

Cambodia, Lao PDR

France

Early Childhood

4 projects

1 project

6 projects

Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Togo

India

Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Vietnam

Girls’ and Women’s Education

5 projects

2 projects

Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger

India

Inclusive Education

1 project

Haiti

Cambodia

Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development Education

1 project

2 projects

1 project

Dominican Republic

The Ivory Coast, Guinea

France / Senegal

Livelihood Education

2 projects

4 projects

13 projects

1 project

Dominican Republic, Haiti

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Mali, Senegal

Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka

China

France

Health Education Migration

Emergency and Post-Emergency

TOTAL

©AEAI / Andry Rialintsalama

South Asia

1 project India 1 project

5 projects

1 project

Dominican Republic / Haiti

India

China

1 project Haiti

THEMATIcS 10

©AEAI / Nancy Saint-Laurent

ACCESS AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION

For Aide et Action, this thematic covers all measures aimed at strengthening educational systems to enable every child to develop and become a responsible citizen : support for teacher training, improvements in teaching methods and the school environment, capacitybuilding of families, communities and local institutions, along with support to State authorities in charge of steering education.

n increasing number of children are gaining access to education, completing the primary education cycle and reaching the secondary education stage. Hence, since 1999, an additional 50 million children were enrolled in school1. The removal of enrolment fees, the construction of schools and the recruitment of teachers have played a major role in enhancing children’s access to school. Nevertheless, 57 million children of primary schoolgoing age and 63 million adolescents of secondary schoolgoing age are still deprived of education. According to UNESCO, 250 million children still do not know how to read, write or count, even after having spent four years on school benches2. Despite 1 EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012. Youth and skills : Putting education to work, UNESCO 2012. 2 EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013/2014. Teaching and learning : Achieving quality for all, UNESCO 2014.

Components : -

Teaching methods and content Educational system governance Management and steering of educational systems Local knowledge Educational environment

33 projeCts : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, France, India, Lao PDR, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

of Aide et Action’s priority thematics in 2014. Our action focussed essentially on educational governance3 (community capacity building, steering of educational systems, participation of families and communities, etc.), the access to quality education of the most marginalised population groups (ethnic and/or linguistic minorities, street children, etc.), the diversification of educational supply (so-called second chance schools, mobile schools, etc.) and the improvement of children’s and teachers’ learning and working conditions (school furniture, active teaching methods, curriculum reforms, teachers’ training, etc.). Since the 2000s, the gross enrolment rate in Niger increased from 41.7 % to 76.1 %. Nevertheless, a great deal still remains to be done to ensure that all the country’s children are enrolled in school and to ensure that they have access to quality education. That is why, with Aide et Action and UNICEF’s support, the Ministry of National Education, Literacy and the Promotion of National Languages initiated the implementation of a process aimed at improving equity and quality at the basic education level, since 2012. Within this framework, Quality and Equity Norms (NQE - Normes de Qualité et d’Equité) for Niger’s elementary schools were defined 3 Educational governance designates all activities that make it possible to govern the educational system, i.e. enabling its steering, management, monitoring and improvement. For Aide et Action, educational governance is based on three pillars : the steering of the educational system by national authorities, the participation of families and communities in its governance and the establishment of education monitoring systems.

in 2013 and a system for monitoring the progress made in developing Quality Schools was set up. The Sectoral Education and Training Programme (PSEF – Programme Sectoriel de l’éducation et de la Formation, 2014-2024) and the Government/ UNICEF cooperation programme for the 2014-2018 period started being implemented while extensive disparities of all kinds (between girls and boys, rural and urban, etc.) still continue in children’s access to and retention in primary school. Aide et Action provides support for the design of school projects based on the prior definition of quality and equity norms in 100 schools selected for experimentation. In Cambodia, Aide et Action’s mission is to fight against mechanisms of exclusion in education, especially to promote the inclusion of children excluded from the school system due to disabilities, coming from socially underprivileged population groups, the distance between their homes and schools, etc. Although the Cambodian Constitution recognizes every child’s right to basic education, children belonging to minority ethnic groups, girls, underprivileged children and those with disabilities remain largely excluded from the educational system. Aide et Action, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is in the process of developing a project aimed at including and incorporating, 15,000 children from disadvantaged sections by 2017.

the progress achieved, the scope of the task before the world remains immense, whereas the Millennium Development Goals’ cycle is coming to an end. So for over 15 years, States and international organisations have been working towards poverty alleviation, the improvement of maternal and child health, the eradication of hunger in the world and the fight against exclusion. One thing is certain today : in order to achieve these goals, education has to become a priority for all. Today, the educational systems in the countries in which Aide et Action works are struggling to enable each child to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to develop and bloom, so as to be able to enter the mainstream of economic and social life and better contribute to “living together in harmony”. That is why access and quality of education was one

©AEAI / Andry Rialintsalama

EARLY CHILDHOOD

For Aide et Action, this thematic designates all activities promoting the physical, psychological, social and cognitive development of children in the 0-6 year age group, taking the family and community environment as the fundamental framework for their development.

ince 1999, the number of children benefiting from early childhood care and education has increased by 50 %. However, 200 million children across the world do not have access to early childhood care, development and education programmes1. Early childhood protection and education is not a priority for the majority of countries. Investment in early childhood education programmes remains low (less than 10 % of national education budgets). Niger and Nepal devote around 0.1 % of their GDP2 to early childhood education, whereas the figure for Madagascar and Senegal is 0.02 %. However, early childhood facilities and centres play a crucial role in children’s development – physical, cognitive, emotional and social. That is why Aide et Action has selected early childhood support as a priority. A number of our projects are based on sensitising parents and communities to children’s needs (health and hygiene, interaction, early learning, etc.), 1 Source : UNESCO, Education For All Global Monitoring Report, 2015

Components : -

Neo and post-natal (0-1 year) Early childhood (“primo-enfance”) (1-3 years) Pre-school (3-6 years)

11 projeCts : Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Togo and Vietnam.

In 2014, Aide et Action initiated an access to early childhood education project (for children from minority groups and others) in Vietnam, in Hoa Hoi commune. There are very few kindergartens and those that are there do not take care of the children for the full day. Moreover, the teachers lack training, especially with regard to teaching toddlers. Serious malnutrition problems have also been observed, which could be reduced with the development of a school canteen. The project conducted by Aide et Action is based on the involvement of the community and teachers, as well as the establishment of medical monitoring and a canteen service. “I acquired a lot of interesting and useful knowledge on nutrition, I felt comfortable with the new information I received and was happy to join the two-day training”, explained Nguyên Thi Thanh Thúy, a teacher in the Hoa Tri Kindergarten. According to the World Food Programme’s report on the “State of School Feeding Worldwide”, for each dollar invested, school canteens earn three3. Providing canteens for schools in underprivileged regions also helps reassure parents, who then know that their children will get at least one meal a day.

In China, primary education has been marginalised over the last few decades due to the emphasis laid on economic development. In addition, extensive inequalities continue between rural and urban areas, especially in the Western and Central regions. For instance, in the Tiandong region, there was no nursery school before the advent of Aide et Action’s teams. As is often the case in rural areas, children were left to the grandparents to look after, while the parents migrated to cities to earn their living. The grandparents were normally busy with agricultural and household work and therefore unable to pay much attention to the children. The first nursery school strengthening project conducted in 2008-2011 was so successful that it led Aide et Action and its partners to implement another such project in the Chengdu region. The aim of the project is to enable 500 children in the 0-6 year age group to have access to education in good conditions. It also envisages the construction of three kindergartens, teacher training, fitting the premises with quality teaching material, toys and games, and the involvement of parents in their children’s education.

3 State of School Feeding Worldwide 2013, World Food Programme 2014.

as well as working with governments to develop policies and programmes devoted to early childhood. In 2014, Aide et Action targeted three priorities : - The association supported and built the capacities of early childhood development centre staff, to enable children to have access to general health monitoring and vaccination campaigns. - The association developed pre-school actions, with a teacher training in the children’s mother tongue, to familiarise children and their families with the benefits of education as early as possible. - The third and last area of intervention focused on the evolution of parental behaviour through the sensitisation and training of parents on the physical (specific nutritional needs, basic health and hygiene, prevention of communicable diseases, etc.), emotional (specific needs of toddlers in terms of dialogue and interaction between children and parents) and cognitive (early learning, initial learning, etc.) development of children.

2 GDP : Gross National Product

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Girls’ and Women’s Education

For Aide et Action, girls’ and women’s education is both a specific thematic of intervention, and also a global approach aimed at promoting the education of female children and of women in all the projects implemented or supported by the association. It contributes to the evolution of gender relations towards greater equity, while promoting women’s participation in decisions affecting their lives, their leadership and their socio-economic mainstreaming in particular.

n 2011, 54 % of the world’s out-of-school children were girls. The number of girls not enrolled at the primary education level fell from 58.9 million in 2000 to 30.7 million in 2012. And of the 161 countries for which data is available, 63 % achieved gender parity at the primary education level in 2012, as against 57 % in 1999. The progress achieved in girls’ and women’s education in the world has revealed the massive impact it has on development : a reduction in forced marriages and early pregnancies and infant mortality (a child whose mother can read has a 50 % greater chance of surviving beyond 5 years), an increase in the enrolment of girls, etc. Girls’ and women’s education – the key to their emancipation – is a core issue in all Aide et Action’s projects. The association also undertakes specific actions to remove obstacles to girls’ schooling,

Components : -

Right to education of girls and women Women’s entrepreneurship education Women’s leadership education

7 projeCts : Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, India and Niger.

encourage women’s autonomy (literacy, vocational training) and their leadership (support for women’s entrepreneurship). Every additional year of a girl’s education leads to a 5 % to 10 % reduction in infant mortality, which means that the lives of almost two million children under five years of age could be saved in Sub-Saharan Africa if all the girls there had access to secondary education1. While everyone is in agreement about the crucial role of women in development and the importance of girls’ education, and while real efforts have been made to reduce gender inequalities, it is nonetheless true that two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults and 70 % of the people living in poverty are women2. 25 % of young women fail to complete a full primary

school cycle today3. In 2014, Aide et Action took action in order to promote the access of girls and young women to education, in the following ways : improvement of the school environment, promotion of educational content favouring gender equity, women’s literacy, especially of those living in rural areas or belonging to marginalised communities and development of economic opportunities adapted to women, especially through vocational training and entrepreneurship support.

age were enrolled in school in rural area, added to which is a growing number of dropouts (+15 %). The educational system remains highly centralised and faces a major shortage of resources. In order to face these challenges, Aide et Action has set up a project aimed at improving teaching practices, promoting the concerted management of the educational system and at improving the teachers’ working environment.

In Guinea, despite the efforts made by the government and its partners, the educational system continues to face considerable difficulties. A certain stagnation – even a deterioration in the number of children enrolled in schools can be noted. In 2012, only 37 out of every 100 girls of schoolgoing

The Girl-friendly school (Ecoles Amies des Filles) project was implemented in 2011-2014 in four communities in the Boke and Kindia region. The project made it possible to bring about major changes in girls’ enrolment and retention in school : in the Boffa prefecture (Boke region), the percentage of girls enrolled in school rose from 36 % in 2010 to 51 % in 2013. This substantial increase in the girls’ enrolment rate can be seen in all the communities covered by the project. The school dropout rate stood at 7 % whereas the national average for girls stands at 15 %. Over the same period, the repeat rate for girls fell from 7 % to 4 % on an average, as against 12 % at the national level. In the areas covered by the project, over 95 out of 100 students passed to the higher class. The same rate for girls stood at 96 %. This progress can be explained by the implementation of mobilisation activities around school, the improvement of teacher qualifications and the support offered to the students. The project mobilised around 4000 parents : women teachers’ associations4 were set up to organise awareness-building caravans and to offer additional classes to 800 students, of which 320 girls. To motivate students, especially girls, scholarships consisting of school supplies were offered to 114 of the female students.

3 Op.cit., UNESCO 2014

4 Local, village-level government system

In Odisha (India), Aide et Action contributes to civil society advocacy for women’s right to education. Education in the Nabarangpur district, especially the education of tribal girls, was the subject of several workshops and consultations organised by the State. The district’s female literacy rate is one of the lowest in India (around 11 %). According to a study conducted by Aide et Action, 60 % of tribal girls are not enrolled in school. Due to the geographic location and lack of means of communication, intervention by external development agencies is extremely difficult. Aide et Action’s regional Bureau in Patna has been promoting the education of tribal girls, with the support of the Jochnick Foundation since 2011. The project focused on the ten most marginalised Gram Panchayats10 of the region. Over 1,000 pupils (majority girls) have been enrolled in the 10 panchayat schools since the beginning of the project.

1 Source : Education For All Global Monitoring Report team. 2 Source : ActionAid International

©AEAI / Andry Rialintsalama

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION For Aide et Action, this thematic of intervention designates all activities aimed at enabling children and youth, excluded from their societies due to their social or economic condition or a disability, to gain access to quality education adapted to their needs, and to promote their educational, social and economic integration.

Four training centres have been established, for 2,500 youth. Dilcia Ramirez is a 19-year old student who followed a course in fashion design and beauty care, one of the modules taught within the framework of the project being implemented in the Guaricano community. Thanks to a partnership between Aide

et Action and the Mirador Norte School Centre, Dilcia underwent practical classes (80 hours) during the 2013-2014 school year. In 2014, she also did an internship in a beauty salon. “I learnt many things, for instance, how to see my own life differently and how to value myself. I am now quite proud of myself, which enables me to be much more confident in whatever I do. The best lesson I learnt was that although we may be young, we have the potential to change things. Such motivations help us break away from fatalism. I would therefore like to personally thank Aide et Action for its work, which enabled me to envisage my future differently, with much more joy and colour.”

Components : - Exploited children - Children with disabilities - Marginalised and vulnerable children

2 projeCts : Cambodia and Haiti.

he national educational policies adopted since 2000 may have made it possible to increase access to education for a majority of children, but they have not helped in improving the situation of excluded or marginalised groups, due to the lack of adapted policies and indicators that would help in measuring progress concerning these groups. In fact, inequalities in access to quality education remain very high.

of children with physical disabilities in the 7-12 year age group have access to school as against just 10 % of those with a hearing or speaking disability2.

Poverty, ethnicity, and disability, amongst other factors, mean that millions of children and youth are deprived of their right to education. According to a review of literature undertaken by the World Health Organisation in 51 countries1, only 51 % of boys and 42 % of girls with disabilities complete a full primary school cycle. In Burkina Faso, for instance, there is a 2.5 times higher risk that children with disabilities will not go to school as compared to others : only 40 %

- the support and the strengthening of Street Children’s Centres, for instance, Evening or Afternoon Centres for child labourers, the establishment of centres or classes adapted to children with disabilities. - at the same time, the association enabled excluded children to be incorporated in the “conventional” educational system by adapting the school environment, curricula and manuals, by training teachers or by sensitising communities.

1 World Report on Disability 2011, WHO and World Bank, p. 206.

2 Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2010. Reaching the marginalised, UNESCO 2010.

In the Dominican Republic, Aide et Action is conducting a project aimed at improving the vocational skills of youth from poor and marginalised areas in northern Santo Domingo. Under one of the aspects to the project, the association provides its support to girls/women in particular, as well as to persons with disabilities, in order to enable them to earn a better living.

Enabling these children and youth to be mainstreamed in society and to have access to quality education is a long and complex task. In 2014, Aide et Action worked along two complementary lines towards this end :

©AEAI

Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development Education

For Aide et Action, this thematic designates all sensitisation, training and education activities aimed at the emergence of citizens who are actors of their own development in harmony with their environment.

Components : -

Human Rights Education Development Education Environmental Education Peace Education

As is the case in several developing countries, civil status issues are plagued by several ills in the Ivory Coast. The majority of the population is not very informed about the importance of the registration of births, marriages and deaths. The reasons are many : isolation, poverty, socio-cultural traditions, negligence, ignorance, population displacement, undesired pregnancies, migration, marginalisation of women, etc., to which may be added purely administrative problems : most civil status centres remain inaccessible in rural areas, as well as the costs that have to be incurred to obtain civil status certificates (transportation, stamp duties, several trips to and fro, etc.), as well as expenditure on “arrangements” to obtain the certificates. One of the consequences is that about 2 million Ivoirian children have not been registered – i.e. one out of every three births. This undeclared population makes it impossible to define or to plan development

activities and this situation prevents the children from gaining access to their fundamental civil rights and entitlements – including the right to education. In order to provide a sustainable response to this problem, which is very widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa, Aide et Action, Orange and its telephony partners (Sonatel and Nokia) set up and tested a birth registration by mobile phone project in Senegal in 2012. This approach made 100 % of birth registration possible by the end of the experimental period. The Ivory Coast took up the project within the framework of its Civil Status Modernisation Scheme. The latter took the registration rate for births and deaths up to 90 % in 50 civil status centres in the Tiassale, Attecoube and Korhogo communes in which a mobile application was set up to enable the remote registration of births and deaths. Today, the operation is so successful that the government intends to expand it to the rest of the country.

4 projeCts : The Ivory Coast, France/Senegal, Guinea and Dominican Republic.

onservation and sharing of natural resources, management of social consequences of climate change... The challenges raised by the environment call for our collective awareness and responsibility, as well as international solidarity, which includes civil society as a stakeholder. Aide et Action is attached to promoting education that makes it possible to develop responsible citizens. It includes this dimension in all its projects and in the training it offers to teachers. We believe that education has a fundamental role to play in the promotion of universal values, human rights and global citizenship so that children are better able to relate to, adapt to and understand local and global realities in our interconnected world. In 2014, this deep conviction of Aide et Action took shape in three major approaches promoting sustainable development and global citizenship : - the conservation of the environment and natural resource management education - the strengthening of civil society organisations,

especially youth organisations - and finally, the reconstruction of social solidarity links in time and space The association also worked towards promoting international solidarity, especially through new information and communication technologies. In 2014, the association launched an experimental media education project between France and Senegal, supported by the Google France Foundation. Schools in France and Senegal worked together to facilitate a website : the students produced written content, but also videos, audio reports, etc. For Djibril Pouyé, the Principal of the Diamaguène 2 School in M’bour, Senegal, which took part in the project, “It is essential to initiate children to the digital world very early, since that is the future.” Three hundred children in France and 600 children in Senegal are involved in the project, as well as 20 teachers. The latter work together and mutually strengthen their skills, especially with regard to the use of new technologies for education.

©AEAI / Steven Brochen

livelihood EDUCATION

This thematic of intervention groups together one of the largest numbers of projects implemented by Aide et Action. It designates all education and training activities enabling a young adult to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to live a life of dignity and take part in his or her country’s economic development.

n Senegal, 78.5 % of youth in the 15-19 year age group dropped out of school before completing the first secondary education level. In South Asia, only 1.8 % of secondary level students and just 7.9 % of those in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to technical and vocational education. Currently, 621 million youth in the 15-24 year age group across the world are not undergoing any studies or training and do not have a job1. What is the road that lies ahead for these youth – all these young people who either did not go to school or dropped out and who today do not have access to education that would enable them to be incorporated in the economic and social mainstream? Providing these youth with the means to develop, take their lives in hand and occupy a useful place in society is a priority for Aide et Action. However, the situation is a complex one : higher education systems in developing countries have proven to be inefficient, whereas vocational 1 World Development Report 2013 : Jobs, World Bank, 2012.

to the job market. Since the project was started in 2005, over a hundred training centres, – called iLead Centres – were set up, more than 150,000 youth have received vocational training and were able to find jobs. Aide et Action in South Asia recently launched a new training and socio-professional mainstreaming project : iLead in Bhutan. In this country, which has only recently started gradually opening up to the world, small in size and in population, the quest for happiness is essential and measured by the improvement in the Gross National Happiness Index, equi-

valent to the Gross National Product (GDP), generally used to measure the citizens’ level of prosperity. The project conducted by Aide et Action in collaboration with the authorities is aimed at training 50 youth in the 18-25 year age group, coming from marginalised and underprivileged sections of society. The project should endow them with vocational skills, especially in local crafts and ecotourism, enabling them to live and earn their living in the villages they come from. The project started in March 2014.

Components : - Literacy - Vocational training - Entrepreneurship development

21 projeCts : Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, France, Haiti, India, Mali, Nepal, Dominican Republic, Senegal and Sri Lanka.

training systems are facing at least two challenges : on one hand, a shortage of funding and, on the other, the mismatch between the training offered and the demand for labour. That is why Aide et Action offers literacy and second chance schools to acquire these basic skills, access to vocational training that is adapted to the job market and support for social mainstreaming. These projects are mainly aimed at youth from marginalised communities : linguistic minorities, population groups living in rural and isolated or difficult to access areas, etc. In India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Aide et Action strengthened the training it offered in 2014. Developed in association with its partners, it aimed at filling existing gaps (in reading, mathematics, writing, etc.), re-instilling confidence in youth excluded from the educational system and enabling them to have access to certified vocational education adapted

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Food insecurity

health eDUCATION

Several countries are facing a considerable increase in their food insecurity today. In order to improve the quality of children’s nutrition, Aide et Action has, for instance, developed school gardens that enable children to grow and eat the fruit and vegetables grown there. The association is also sensitising parents about the specific nutritional needs of children.

Hygiene and sanitation

The construction of adapted sanitation blocs (latrines, wash basis, etc.), access to drinking water and sensitisation to the basic rules of hygiene (drinking water,

For Aide et Action, this thematic of intervention concerns all educational activities aimed at sensitisation and prevention contributing to the improvement of health and the health environment.

ealth and education are fundamentally linked. The cognitive development of children is largely based on their nutrition. Even just access to adequate food, hygiene and basic health care significantly increases their chances to complete primary school. Moreover, education remains the best prevention against disease and epidemics. However, in 2013, 171 million children under 5 years of age still suffer from malnutrition1, which is likely to lead to irreversible negative effects on their physical and cognitive development in the long term. That is why Aide et Action places an emphasis on informing and sensitising parents, but also the authorities, so that they incorporate health into the education provided.

Components : - HIV/AIDS and preventive action - Education for a healthy life

1 projeCt : India.

HIV/AIDS

In high prevalence countries, such as Kenya or Haiti, less than half of the young women in the 15-24 year age group have enough knowledge about HIV, especially its modes of transmission or preventive means, whereas youth henceforth constitute the majority of new victims2. HIV and STIs prevention and education therefore remain an important subject for the association.

In 2014, Aide et Action developed its health education actions, especially with regard to HIV/AIDS and STD (sexually transmitted diseases), food security, and hygiene and sanitation.

Since 2010, Aide et Action has conducted a project aimed at injectable drug users in Jalandhar in partnership with the Punjab State Anti-AIDS body. The latter’s aim is to identify drug consumers and offer them regular support and medical services to minimise the propagation of HIV infections. The project, which is aimed both at drug users and their friends and families, is based on the supply of sterile syringes and/or needles, HIV screening measures and drug de-addiction and prevention activities.

1 Source : UNESCO, Education For All Global Education For All Report 2013

2 Source : Population Reference Bureau http //www.prb.org/Publications/ Datasheets/2014/kenya-aids-indicator-survey-child-data.aspx

modes of transmission of water borne communicable diseases, etc.) remain major factors for the improvement of children’s health. Sanitation facilities are particularly important to ensure regular attendance by girls, as parents often hesitate to send them to school in the absence of separate toilets. A safe, healthy and inclusive school environment with access to latrines, the supply of drinking water and electricity, the existence of school canteens, bearing in mind accessibility conditions both for girls and boys as well as children with disabilities are all assets that contribute to the success and regular attendance of children while reassuring their parents about their well being.

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MIGRATION

For Aide et Action, this thematic designates all activities aimed at providing support to population groups that may or may not be constrained to migrate for economic, political or environmental reasons or due to job insecurity or because they belong to nomadic groups, by facilitating their interaction with the host population.

he world is increasingly characterised by unprecedented human mobility : in 2010, there were an estimated 214 million international migrants1. Three-quarters of them were from countries of the South2. Meeting migrants’ needs, providing them support and enabling them to lead a life of dignity have become major concerns in all regions across the world. Whether they are regional or international migrants, they are rarely the subject of projects enabling them to acquire the knowledge and skills they need for everyday life. Migrants also face several difficulties in terms of their children’s education, due to their precarious situation and linguistic barriers. Access to education is not always guaranteed to these groups, especially if their situation is illegal.

In partnership with the Bernard Van Leer Foundation (BvLF), Aide et Action has been implementing a project on migrant youth working in construction sites in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhopal and Patna, since 2014. As state capitals, these cities are witnessing a vast influx of migrants who are going there to work on different construction sites. The majority of them come with their families and children.

They live temporarily or permanently in the semiurban areas within or outside their workplace. The project offers minimum education to young migrants there who are either forced to work or left to themselves. It also envisages the improvement of the living conditions of the families as well as their access to basic and health services.

Components : - Education on migration rights and multiculturalism/inter-culturalism - Minority and migrant population education

7 projeCtS : China, Haiti, India and Dominican Republic.

In 2014, Aide et Action provided support for the education of migrant children by improving their living conditions (cleanliness of habitat, access to drinking water, access to basic health care) by developing educational projects accessible to them (bridge schools aimed at enabling migrant and working children to gradually rejoin the formal educational system, alternative educational centres for older children and young out of school children, or pre-school education centres for children under 5 years of age) and by sensitising the local authorities and people about the need and advantages of living together harmoniously (sensitisation about different communities and promotion of migrants’ rights vis-à-vis local authorities).

1 Source : International Organisation for Migration 2 Source : International Organisation for Migration

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Emergency and Post-Emergency

This thematic of intervention refers to the activities conducted by Aide et Action before, during and after an emergency, in order to prevent and prepare people for emergency situations, but also to maintain or restore the educational system and family assets after an emergency.

n 2014, Aide et Action, a development NGO, has not intervened in emergency situations as such : natural disasters, conflicts or security crises. On the other hand, it continued to deploy a

Components :

Crisis prevention and management education Emergency response and sustainable reconstruction

1 projeCt : Haiti.

project in Haiti within the framework of the reconstruction programme launched after the January 2010 earthquake.

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REGIONS 30

Regional context

AFRIca

In the socio-political sphere

2014 was marked by relative calm u There was some tension and uncertainty in some countries during the pre-electoral period (Burundi, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, etc.). u The expansion and radicalisation of fundamentalist movements (AQMI-Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram) and socio-political conflicts (in Libya, Central African Republic) pushed these countries into a civil war.

In the health sphere

13 countries of INTERVENTION : Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Ivory Coast, Guinea (Conakry), Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Union of Comoros.

3 OBSERVATORY COUNTRIES : Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Reunion Island (French overseas territory).

5 thematics broached : - Access and Quality of Education : 6 projects - Early Childhood : 4 projects - Girls’ and Women’s Education : 5 projects - Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Education : 2 projects - Livelihood Education : 4 projects Number of employees : 141 Number of volunteers : 406 Number of projects : 21

Number of schools concerned : 1,343 Number of persons concerned (directly and indirectly) : 597,216 (including 452,820 children) Number of sponsorships : 13,268

The Ebola virus strongly affected the population in 2014 : the Ebola virus epidemic has so far been concentrated within a belt including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The epidemic caused a large number of deaths, especially amongst women and health personnel. The pandemic endangered the economy, but also the social stability and continuity of basic social services, including education.

In economic terms

Despite the fact that it is not closely linked to the international financial system, Africa has started to feel the repercussions of the global economic crisis. However, the growth rate was maintained at a relatively high level, with some stagnation, even a reduction in certain countries dependent on their exports.

In the educational sphere

Although analyses and evaluations show that only a few African countries will manage to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), school coverage has improved considerably. At the same time, certain countries benefited from a renewal of the education sector support fund by the World Partnership for Education. These countries, which recently underwent a social and/or political crisis, have initiated emergency programmes to catch up on their accumulated delays, while others have adopted an extension of basic education to cover the first cycle of secondary education as a goal (Burkina Faso, Burundi), thereby anticipating the Post-2015 Agenda recommendations for Africa.

Project Focus Improvement in the coverage of early childhood in the family milieu POUPEE-Mali or Malian Doll • Location : Senou, a suburban district of Bamako (Mali) • Project cost : 298,513 € • Duration : 3 years (October 2013 to September 2016) • Number of children, adults, persons concerned, schools : - 200 children in the 3-6 year age group - 150 children in the 6-7 year age group - 140 parents - 4 educational facilitators - 40 tutors/parental reference persons

Issue In Mali, the national pre-schooling rate for children in the 3-6 year age group stands at 5-6 %. Of the country’s 1,902,100 children in the 3-6 age group, only 95,000 have access to preschooling and most of them are in Bamako. The low coverage of early childhood is related less to the parents’ poverty than to the lack of organisation of community and commune-level administration actors. In fact, with the decentralisation of education in Mali, preschooling and primary schooling powers have been transferred to the communes. But the latter prioritise the primary level (where needs remain very high) to the detriment of preschooling.

Significant progress 149 children in the 3-5 age group were covered in 2014 thanks to the project set up by Aide et Action. It envisaged the schooling of children in 40 courtyards of village houses.

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AFRIca

the end of each quarter, an award for the best tutor is handed over (2 for the best women tutors and 2 for the best male tutors).

Testimonies Achievements u Study on traditional family care for children in the 3-5 age group in the Senou district : family early childhood care practices were analysed in 67 households. Most of the children were left on their own and were not involved in any early learning activities. u Identification of families that agreed to entrust their children to semi-professional tutors trained by Aide et Action. 55 home courtyards were visited and a census of 199 children done. u Drafting of a manual for the 40 tutors, responsible for taking care of the children. The manual was translated into the national language and audio training media were developed. u Recruitment and training of facilitators whose task was to train 40 tutors. u Facilitation of early learning activities with the children : 149 children benefit from 3 hour facilitation per day, 5 days a week, in 40 home courtyards. u Continuous training of tutors by facilitators : the 4 facilitators organise visits for 10 hours per week to train tutors and sensitise parents. u Establishment of an award for the best tutor : at

Burkina Faso : Testimony of an Aide et Action sponsor, Sylvie Richaud, following a visit to the market gardening-agriculture-microcredit project (MAM - maraichage - agriculture – microcredit) :

ciation’s support, they all live in extremely poor and insecure conditions. A literacy and training programme in different agricultural techniques is being offered to them, along with the possibility of obtaining microcredits to initiate production (purchase of seeds, equipment and other production factors : diesel water pump). These women really impressed me with their strength and courage, I was sincerely touched by this meeting. They deserve to be strongly encouraged in their project and supported for greater autonomy. In Burkina Faso, this project covers almost 2,400 women and, indirectly, their children, i.e. more than 10,000 persons”.

Togo : Kpatcho Kodjo, a former Aide et Action sponsored child :

“I travelled to Burkina Faso and a field visit was organised on my arrival in Koundougou, a village of shea producers. The women really need the asso-

“It is truly a great pleasure to be able to testify. I was looking for a way to tell people how Aide et Action has turned me into a useful citizen for my people and the nation. After my secondary school studies, I became a voluntary teacher. I have just succeeded in the recruitment competition for a government post and I have been posted to the same school in which I had been a sponsored child. It is with great pride that I speak of Aide et Action to my students and colleagues. Thanks to the association, I have become a responsible man today, at the service of my community.”

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Focus New approaches Preschooling For All in Madagascar : A profitable multi-actor partnership : State - Aide et Action – Universities and Research Institute – Local Actors The Preschool For All project achieved preschool educational activities in 30 localities within 4 regions in Madagascar between 2011 and 2014. It mainly covers children in the 3-5 year age group. The project’s aim is to sensitise the community to preschool education, to establishing preschool environmental standards and to improve State coverage of preschool services.

Focus on partners Aide et Action – African Union Commission partnership agreement On 17 September 2014, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the head office of the African Union in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), between the African Union Commission, Aide et Action International Africa and its partner, People TV, within the framework of the preparation and implementation of the Africa+Education project. The partnership, built since the end of 2012, was formalised in 2014, thereby offering Aide et Action the opportunity to : u Share its experiences at the scale of the continent to enrich government practices and policies in terms of education in the 55 member countries. u Use the African Union’s network of partners (especially the African Development Bank) for funding certain projects, such as the Africa+Education project. u Being invited to international discussion forums at the scale of the continent, such as the annual conference of education ministers of the member countries (COMEDAF). Following the signing of the partnership agreement, an official funding request for the Africa+Education project was submitted to the African Development Bank and the governments of each of the 8 pilot countries for the project. The partnership enabled Aide et Action to gain access to the preferred influence and lobbying spaces on the African continent.

Regional context

LATIN AMERIca

The Latin America and Caribbean region is perceived as one of the most inegalitarian in the world, with growing poverty and a constantly increasing inflation rate. Its very young population suffers from high unemployment and job insecurity. Violence and delinquency remain high, especially with regard to women and children.

and CARiBbEan

In the Dominican Republic, a “Pact for education” was implemented ; it envisaged the decentralisation of the educational system, the creation and strengthening of citizens’ participation bodies, from schools to the National Education Council. The pact incorporates surveillance and control mechanisms for the implementation of the goals set and a gradual increase in education budgets. Moreover, teachers have claimed a 60 % salary increase.

5 thematics broached : 22PAYS countries D’INTERVENTION : of INTERVENTION : Haiti, Haiti, République Dominican Republic. dominicaine.

Number of employees : 20 Number of volunteers : 180 Number of projects : 6

- Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development Education : 1 project - Livelihood Education : 2 projects - Inclusive Education : 1 project - Emergency and Post-Emergency : 1 project - Migration : 1 project

In Haiti, public sector teachers’ unions went on so-called unlimited strike several times, calling for the regularisation of the administrative situation of government teachers, an increase in their salaries, as well as the payment of salary arrears for the last 5 years.

Number of schools concerned : 28 Number of persons concerned (directly and indirectly) : 12,868 (including 7,000 children) Number of sponsorships : 3,525

The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training of Haiti announced 12 measures for the improvement of the quality of their working conditions, such as the grant of teaching permits, the vocational training of teachers, the establishment of mechanisms to provide social support to teachers, etc. The Ministry witnessed the nomination of Mr. Nesmy Manigat, the former Aide et Action International Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, to the post of Minister of National Education and Vocational Training in Haiti in April 2014.

Project focus Adelante • Project location : Guaricano, Duquesa, Jacagua and Los Casabes in Santo Domingo North in the Dominican Republic • Total project cost : 102,000 € • Duration : 5 years (2012-2016) • Number of youth concerned : 670 • Number of persons concerned : 3,661

The Adelante Project is aimed at youth in the 18-24 age group from the most poor and marginalised areas in Santo Domingo North. The main objective of the project is to strengthen the capacities and technical skills that would enable them to find a job and live a life of dignity. In the course of 2014, thanks to the signing of collaboration agreements with the Institut de Technologie Industrielle (ITI), Microsoft, UNAPEC University and a master training team trained by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for the implementation of the Start and Improve your Enterprise objective, Aide et Action developed training programmes aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and the development of technical skills amongst youth. To give an example, 120 training managers of over 18 years of age were trained in entrepreneurship skills for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Los Casabes, Duquesa and Guaricano. Jointly with Cicatelli-IDCP and community bodies, sensitisation activities were organised for youth, parents and women with low educational levels, to prevent social risks (violence, HIV/AIDS, etc).

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latin america and caribbean

Focus on Partners Governments

• Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training of Haiti (MENFP) • Central Haitian Departmental Directorate of Education (DDEC) • Ministry of Education of the Republic (MINERD) • Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic • Institute of Technical and Professional Training of the Dominican Republic (INFOTEP)

Institutions • • • • • • • • • • •

European Union (EU) Embassy of France in Haiti World Bank Universities and research centres Quisqueya University, Haiti (UNIQ) State University, Haiti (UEH) University for Action For Education and Culture (UNAPEC) Ibero-American University (UNIBE) Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) XXI Century Institute

Foundations and companies • Microsoft Foundation • CICATELLI Foundation

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Regional context

South asia

The South Asia region witnessed notable events in the year 2014. The General Elections held in India led to a real change in guard : this is the first time in 30 years that any single party won the elections with clear majority (the Bhartiya Janata Party). The state of Andhra Pradesh was divided to form the 29th state of India called Telangana. The new government in India made efforts to improve relations with its immediate neighbours, and with regional organisations. On the primary/elementary education front, it is heartening to note that 96.7 % of children (in the age group 6-14 years) are enrolled in schools in rural India. However, the quality of education is far too low. According to ASER1 2014, only a fourth of grade 3 students could read grade 2 books. Similarly, pupils from the higher classes are unable to perform basic mathematical operations. There is an increasing concern about retention of children in school.

6 thematics broached : 4 countries of INTERVENTION : India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan .

1 OBSERVATORY COUNTRY : Bangladesh.

- Access and Quality of Education : 17 projects - Early Childhood : 1 project - Girls’ and Women’s Education : 2 projects - Livelihood Education : 13 projects - Health Education : 1 project - Migration : 5 projects

Following months of political deadlock, Nepal elected its new Prime Minister. In the Educational context, it is poignant to note that 72 % of students in Nepal failed to clear their secondary school examination in the year 2014. Also to be precise, if 100 children enrol in grade one, only 30 % of them stay in school. In this context, there is a need to improve the quality of education at the school level to retain the children in schools. Another priority is to strengthen the livelihood support mechanism to help the out-of-school youth avail of immediate livelihood opportunities.

Number of employees : 322 Number of volunteers : 13,233 Number of projects : 39 Number of schools covered : 994 Number of persons concerned (directly and indirectly) : 731,695 (including 255,619 children) Total number of sponsorships : 3,756

With the youth constituting approximately 26 per cent of the Sri Lankan population, there is a need for the government to devise policies to transform them as the future contributors of economic development to the country. The political system of Bhutan has evolved over time together with its tradition and culture. It has developed from a fragmented and a disoriented rule of the different regions by local chieftains, lords and clans into the parliamentary democracy we have in place today. However the most important challenge to be addressed by the country is youth unemployment which stands at 7.3 %, one of the highest in the region.

1 Annual Status of Education Report

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Project focus Amar Nani Project (Tribal girls’ education project)

• Project area : Nabarangpur, Odisha, India • Project cost : 110,027 € • Project duration : 3 years

Issue According to the 2001 Census, the literacy rate in Nabarangpur district is 33.93 % while the state average is 74 % and the literacy rate amongst the tribal population which is in majority in the district, is 11.12 %. Out of the 10 blocks in the district 4 of them have tribal female literacy rate below 10 % and that of Jharigaon block it is just 6 %. We also find that socio-cultural norms were not favourable for the girl child and especially in case of education. The Amar Nani – Our Girl Child project was initiated in the year 2011 with resource support from the Jocknik Foundation. The project engaged directly with a total population of 62,720 (49.80 % women) across 215 villages/hamlets in 10 Gram Panchayats (local village government) and 15,326 children (48.36 % girls) in the Jharigoan block of Nabarangpur district. The project also engaged with 102 schools and 240 teachers apart from the School Management Committee members and Panchayat (local self-governance council) members in the project location.

Significant progress achieved The Jharigaon block is located deep inside a hilly and forest ridden terrain with no proper roads or transport or communication infrastructure available. During the monsoon season the area was almost unreachable. Several villages do not have electric supply. The area was politically disturbed with armed Maoists

south asia

group’s active presence. The entire project was implemented by representatives from the community and especially by the adolescent girls. The Amar Nani project has been selected as one of the 17 best practices across the globe by the United Nations Girl’s Education Initiative Fund (UNGEI). It is the only project in India that was selected by the UNO among 300 competing projects across the world. Resource support has been provided to document the Good Practices applied in the project.

Achievements u 1,065 new children have been enrolled in the formal schools of 10 operational Gram Panchayats (GPs) u All 618 dropout children regularized through the project activities u 60 school teachers reallocated amongst the schools due to previous shortage of teachers u 69 new school building sanctioned for operational villages of 10 Gram Panchayats u A block level forum of Aamar Nani Committee formed with 25 executive members representing the 10 Gram Panchayats u Officials of block level line departments got aware on Aamar Nani project activities and committed for their proactive action on the issues raised by Amar Nani Committee u District level Civil Society Organisations were active in assessing the status of the Right To Education in Nabrangpur for further advocacy action.

Testimonies “We felt sad when girls of Bhavani’s age were going to school and more importantly, our other two children were also going school, but not Bhavani. Bhavani as the eldest daughter had to look after household chores and her brothers and sisters”, explained Rukmini Majhi, Bhavani’s mother. Thanks to the Aide et Action project, Bhavani is going to school today. The Amar Nani project animator in the village and the school teachers, with the help

of educational material, enabled Bhavani Khem Singh, who had dropped out of school, to regain confidence in herself. “I am going to be a police officer and severely punish the men who harass their families after consuming alcohol”, she explains enthusiastically. Bhavani’s father cannot read and repeated that he can’t say what his daughter learns in school. But he nonetheless recognised that she has changed a lot : “The way she talks and takes care of herself has changed,” he says.

Companies and Foundations

American India Foundation, Accenture Services, Chanel Foundation, Cognizant Foundation, HCL Technologies, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, HSBC - Canara life Insurance, India Cements, L’Oreal India,

Schneider Electric, Tech Mahindra, Microsoft Corporation - Youth Spark, Concern India, Jocknick Foundation, Bernard Van Leer Foundation, Tax Free World Association (TFWA), Google Foundation, Hemendra Kothari Foundation.

Focus on new approaches The project titled Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya was initiated in partnership with Asian Development Bank & Government of Meghalaya. This is a unique project in which INGOs (Aide et Action, British Council), Corporates (Accenture, Lea Associates and IMR), Multi-lateral Organisations (ADB) and the Government of Meghalaya join hands. Aide et Action’s role would be primarily to engage with the community and improve learning at the secondary and higher secondary levels and employment-linked skills training in Meghalaya, India. This means engaging with the community in order to create an enabling environment likely to lead to the promotion and development of human capital, through better teaching, combining “soft skills” and “knowhow”, both at secondary and higher secondary levels, along with skill-based employability training : learning to learn, learning to be, learning to know , learning to live together harmoniously, etc.

Focus on Partners Government

Bihar Rural Livelihood Project, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Development Support Agency of Gujarat (DSAG), Gujarat Urban Development Mission (GUDM), International Fund for Agricultural Development, Mahila Samakhiya, Ministry of Rural Development (SGSY Himayat), Rajasthan State Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC), Punjab State Aids Control Society, Government of Meghalaya.

Institutions

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), World Vision, Asian Development Bank.

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Regional context

south east asia and china

South East Asia and China have enjoyed remarkable economic progress in recent years, although the pace has begun to falter now. In 2014, the economic growth of the region slowed down slightly to 7.4 % in China, the slowest growth seen in more than 2 decades, and an average rate of 4.6 % (ADB) in comparison to 5 % in 2013 amongst Southeast Asian countries. The extreme poverty in South East Asia has been halved over the last decade. However, South East Asian countries still need more efforts to “further reduce poverty, tackle poor health and hygiene, gender inequality and lack of access to education and clean water, environmental degradation, and foster development effectiveness through cooperation“1. Although the region has made it possible for a much larger number of children to access basic education, a large number of children are still deprived of this right.

5 thematics broached : 4 countries of INTERVENTION : Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Vietnam.

2 OBSERVATOry countries : Myanmar, Thailand.

- Access and Quality of Education : 8 projects - Early Childhood : 6 projects - Inclusive Education : 1 project - Livelihood education : 1 project - Migration : 1 project

There are major concerns about the quality of their education and many drop-out after primary school. Government spending on education, relative to other sectors, is lower in Asia than in the world’s low-income and lower-middle income countries2.

Number of employees : 56 Number of volunteers : 92 Number of projects : 17 Number of schools concerned : 495 Number of persons covered (directly and indirectly) : 249,996 (including 105,311 children) Number of sponsorships : 3,674

In 2014, Aide et Action International continued its activities in partnership with local governments and involving communities to ensure the success of our projects and to guarantee their sustainability.

Project Focus Prevention of malnutrition through parenting education in Vietnam • Project areas : 4 communes of Bao Cuong, Phu Tien, Phuc Chu and Trung Hoi, Dinh Hoa district, Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam • Number of children : 1,372 • Number of adults/people involved : 14,436 • Number of schools : 4

Issue Vietnam is amongst the countries that have the highest malnutrition rate in the world with 25 % of children below 5 years old suffering from different forms and degrees of malnutrition. The Aide et Action project sites are poor, mountainous communes with high rates of child malnutrition. On an average, 24.68 % of the children in the four communes identified suffer from malnutrition. There are several factors that contribute to the high malnutrition rates, such as the lack of knowledge of child care amongst parents, combined with high poverty.

Significant advances

1 Millennium Development Goals Report 2014 2 UNDP, Asia-Pacific Aspirations : Perspectives for a Post-2015 Development Agenda, 2013

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Some major advances in 2014 include : u The average malnutrition rate of project communes fell from 21 % to 16.5 % and the average enrolment rate in four project preschools rose from 54 % to 59 %. u Local authorities are now fully aware of the project’s objectives and the malnutrition issue and strongly support the implementation of project activities through extensive communication to community members, and by integrating project activities in their local implementation plan. They successfully mobilized financial contribution from community

south east asia and china members to buy land for the pre-school to build a kitchen, develop the land, build a fence and develop a vegetable garden for the pre-school, etc.

Achievements u 1,372 children below 6 years got a new school canteen and better care from teachers, parents/ care givers. u 120 teachers improved their knowledge and skills regarding child health care, child growth and health monitoring, by participating in 3 training sessions u 492 parents and members of local authorities improved their awareness and knowledge by attending 17 training sessions on child rights/protection, parenting skills, transition period to primary school, child health care, food preparation, and food hygiene. u Around a 100 children and adults came and enjoyed the celebration of the mid-autumn festival to communicate the project activities organised in four communes.

Testimonies

the kitchen, to develop the land and build a fence, prepare a vegetable garden, etc. Recently, they brought a lot of recycled newspapers to help the school in creative art development activities for the children.” said, Ms. Thuy Ly, a teacher of Phu Tien pre-school, Dinh Hoa district, Thai Nguyen province. Thuy Ly and her children are busy with a creative art activity, tearing up newspaper and sticking it together to make different things at the Phu Tien nursery school, Dinh Hoa district, Thai Nguyen province.

Focus on new approach Large scale cooperation, one of our foundation stones to achieve our objective of access to quality education for all. To contribute to the achievement of the Education For All goal in Cambodia, Aide et Action and 16 other organisations joined forces to ensure the schooling of 57,000 out of school children across the country, over a three and a half year period. This initiative, called the Cambodian Consortium for Out of School Children (CCOSC), was officially launched on 29 January 2015 in Phnom Penh by the Ministry of Education. “The new consortium is based on the current knowledge of the organisations involved in order to target children who are the most likely to stay out of school – i.e. the children of the poorest, children with disabilities, those from ethnic minorities or living in isolated areas or in the streets”, says Samphors Vorn, Aide et Action Cambodia Manager. The initiative, based on collaboration between the different organisations and the sharing of knowledge should enable the inclusion of all the children in the Cambodian educational system, including those with disabilities, street children, poor and isolated children, as well as those belonging to ethnic minorities.

Focus on Partners Institutional partners

• Cambodian Ministry of Education Youth, and Sports • Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation • Laos Ministry of Education and Sports • National Research Educational Sciences, Laos • Education Department of Thai Nguyen Province • Union of Friendship Organization of Phu Yen province • PACCOM, Vietnam • Chengdu Civil Bureau • People’s Government of Jiaguan County • Juanzishu Community in Chengdu • Dongjie Community in Chengdu • Hualin Community in Chengdu • Chengdu Women’s Federation • Chengdu Women’s Research Society • Sichuan Women’s Federation • Women’s Studies Institute of Sichuan Women’s Federation • Sunglory Education Institute

Institutional Donors, Foundations and Corporate

• Asia Capital Reinsurance Group (ACR) • Air France Foundation • China Nonprofit Network for Disaster Risk Management • China Charities Aid Foundation for Children • Chengdu Jinjiang District Social Organization Development Foundation • Chengdu Cloud Public Welfare Development Association

• • • • • • • • •

District of Meyrin District of Lancy District of Grand-Saconnex European Union Gertrude Hirzel Foundation Hoi Meng Foundation Le Fonds d’Aide Migros Shanghai United Foundation The UBS Optimus Foundation

NGOs Partners

• Buddhism for Social • Care International • Cambodia Organisation for Children and Development (COCD) • Chengdu Xin Jia Yuan Social Work Service Center • China Association of Social Work • Development Action (BSDA) • Disability for Development Service program • Epic Arts (EA) • Friend International (FI) • Goutte d’eau/Damnok Toek (DT) • KAPE • Komar Pikar Foundation (KPF) • Mith Samlanh (MS) • NGO education Partnership (NEP) • Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) • Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE) • PLAN • Qingshen Rural Women and Children Development Center • Rabbit School Organisation (RSO) • Save the Children (SC) • Tiandong Chenxi Center for Child Development

“The project brings parents closer to the school, because they understand the importance of child care and education now. They feel more engaged in early childhood care and are no longer reluctant to give support to the school – that rarely happened before. They contributed to buying land for building

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Regional context

europe

2014 was a year in which the aftermath of the economic crisis continued to weigh heavily on several European countries. In Switzerland, although the unemployment rate remained extraordinarily low (3 %), the country witnessed a slowdown in its growth rate, declining from 2.3 % in 2013 to 1.4 % at the end of 2014. In this context, the youth were the worst affected 21.6 %, i.e. almost 5 million people under 25 years of age were unemployed in 28 European Union countries. Some countries recorded dizzying unemployment rates (54 % in Spain, 49 % in Greece and 43 % in Italy). Young people without any degrees or certificates were the most vulnerable ; in France, for example, 48 % of them do not find a job. For families, this stressful situation had several repercussions on education. For example, amongst adolescents, who face the most difficulties, a decline in the credibility of schools as a means to access employment has been observed, leading to them dropping out increasingly earlier.

3 thematics broached : 2 countries of INTERVENTION : France, Switzerland.

- Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development Education : 1 project - Access and Quality of Education : 2 projects - Livelihood Education : 1 project

Number of employees : 36 in France and 5 in Switzerland Number of volunteers : 243 Number of projects : 4 (France)

In several countries, inequalities continue to grow from the primary level itself, in the case of children from underprivileged social groups. In France, 20.5 % of children from underprivileged environments had to repeat at least one year when they reach the sixth grade, i.e. six times more than children from better-off backgrounds (3.6 %) and a third of pupils of foreign nationality (32.4 %). In Switzerland, immigrant children were also particularly affected, as noted in the Canton of Geneva, where 51 % of out-ofschool youth were of foreign origin. Hence, for Aide et Action, two aspects need to be strengthened in particular : success at the primary level and in vocational training and professional integration.

Number of schools concerned : 33 Number of persons covered (directly and indirectly) : 8,911 (including 5,841 children) Number of sponsorships : 47,564

International solidarity and sustainable development education is more than ever necessary and actions continue to be taken both in Switzerland and France vis-à-vis different target groups. Finally, Aide et Action France’s participation in the Global Campaign for Education and the registration of the SOLIDE (Solidarité Locale et Internationale pour le Développement par l’Education or Local and international solidarity for development through education) project by the French development agency, Agence Française de Développement, constituted strong features for the promotion of education and international solidarity.

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Project focus Identité(s) en Scène(s) Le théâtre à l’école (Identities on Stage Theatre in school) • Project location : Villiers-le-bel in Val d’Oise - France • Project cost in 2014 : 25,000 € • Duration : 2013–2015

Issue The project, which is being conducted in an elementary school in Villiers-le-bel, the Gérard Philipe School, covers 50 children directly and 210 children, 10 teachers and parents indirectly. In Villiers-le-bel, children belong to very different ethnic and cultural groups, which may lead to difficulties in understanding French or constitute an obstacle to real social inclusion. Artistic and cultural activities are not always promoted as a means for building soft skills, promoting self-development and self-esteem. And yet, these practices could be a powerful lever for quality education.

europe

Significant progress The project consists of the organisation of writing and theatre workshops for children at the primary level. All the children are asked to write a play together and to act in it at the end of the school year. The project uses the workshops to strengthen the children’s self-confidence and encourage the development of social and citizenship skills (including the ability to communicate, help each other and keep each other under control). It also enhances autonomy and promotes fundamental learning from schooling (writing, memorisation, vocabulary, theatre styles, etc.).

Achievements Action-research was undertaken in 2014 by Aide et Action : reflection and analyses by the project’s educational actors also made it possible to highlight the positive effects of theatrical practices (and artistic practice more generally), in terms of a liking for learning, school re-mobilisation and learning to live together in harmony. A report and a summary were produced and shared with teachers’ networks and educational actors (publication, testimonies, and site).

Testimonies Extracts from the acting books of the children who took part in the project “It helped me open up, avoid having stage fright and show what I can do in public. Theatre can help us learn more phrases, enrich our vocabulary and concentrate on what we do. I thought I would not be able to remember the sentences I had to say, but in fact, I remembered my part fully and learnt not to be scared of going on stage.” A teacher who participated in the project said : “In vocabulary, we are able to work on the emotional lexicon – in fact, they said it themselves : this will help us write a play. It makes their learning more concrete, and without action-research, I don’t think I would have been as conscious of this”.

Focus on a new approach Support through action-research makes it possible for a project’s actors to reflect together on a difficult situation in order to find innovative solutions and capitalise on the knowledge jointly developed. It invites actors to take a look at their context and their practices from a certain distance in order to improve them. Aide et Action encourages and facilitates this research group by providing contents and tools. It organises and regulates meetings, and holds itself responsible for the follow-up and formalisation of discussions. The association produces a final document that is faithful to the contributions made by different members of the group, and which has to be approved by the project actors before sharing it.

NGOs and associations

Centre de Recherche et d’information pour le développement (CRID), Coordination Sud, Educasol, Fonds pour la promotion des études préalables, des études transversales et des évaluations (F3E), Kurioz, Semaine de la Solidarité internationale (SSI), Collectif Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l’Enfant (AEDE), Collectif CME, Association des femmes africaines du Val d’Oise (AFAVO), Ecole et Famille, DeciDelà, La Case, Théâtre de la Fugue, Association de la fondation étudiante pour la ville (AFEV), Groupe français d’éducation nouvelle, Association Pères de la Négritude Universal Vision (PNUV), Association Sénégalaise de l’Ecole Moderne.

Focus on Partnership in switzerland Universities and Research Institutes

Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the University of Geneva.

Foundations and companies

The Aide Migros Fund, Anne Frank Foundation, Gertrude Hirzel Foundation, Fondation Irini Foundation, Medicor Foundation (Liechtenstein), UBS Optimus Foundation, Symphasis Foundation.

Focus on Partnerships in france Institutions

Maison départementale de l’éducation du Val d’Oise (Val d’Oise departmental education centre).

Universities and Research Institutes

Institut de Formation et d’Appui aux initiatives de Développement (IFAID or Institute for Training and Support for Development initiatives), Institut Supérieur de Formation de l’Enseignement Catholique (ISFEC La Salle Mounier or Higher Institute for Catholic Education and Training), CIRCEFT Laboratory in the Paris 8 University.

Companies and Foundations

Projects in France : EDF and service providers (CFI : Compagnie Française d’informatique/SCC/ Computacenter), France TV Foundation, SNCF Foundation, Recyclivre, Tralalère. Projects in other regions : L’Occitane Foundation, Air France Foundation, France Télévisions Foundation, TFWA (Tax Free World Association), Lyreco, Ralph Lauren, Renault Retail Group, Wimdu, Beez, Elisefaitsavalise, IfYou, Editions Ivoire, Terracycle, Telligo, Webdokid, Les Etrangers, Corrélation, Transicia, Raindance, l’Aile du Papillon, les Bobines, la Ruche Solidaire, Comparethic, Microdon, Mindset, France 2.

©AEAI / Steven Brochen

stratEgY and resources 52

Aide et Action’s transformation process : The changes continue

©AEAI / Julie Pudlowski

he quest for greater impact, efficiency and visibility are the three main goals that shall guide Aide et Action’s entire transformation process till the end of 2016, with the ambition to optimise the use of its resources and skills to achieve its social mission. Aide et Action initiated a transformation process in 2012, which has brought about deep-seated changes in terms of its intervention rationale. The association will now be deploying its educational mission on the basis of international key concepts. These key concepts are the responses that we propose to address major issues under our thematics of intervention. For instance, there are many challenges and issues faced under the thematic of access and quality of education. In the course of its experiences in all the regions, Aide et Action has identified the importance for all actors in the education sphere (teachers, parents, village authorities, etc.) to be involved to improve the welfare and development of children. This is a key concept that we call “Local Participatory Governance and School Projects”. To strengthen this “Local Participatory Governance and School Projects” key concept, Aide et Action has experimented with ways and means of working with various actors, the key stages to be followed, and so on. Hence, these are the inescapable elements that constitute the essence of this key concept and enable it to trigger the desired changes, irrespective of the context. These ideas and concepts have therefore been tested on the ground. They have demonstrated their impact and can henceforth be deployed at a larger scale and in other contexts. The change in the rationale behind our interventions also makes it possible for Aide et Action to enhance its efficiency, by further pooling its experiences and learnings. The transformation process should enable our association to stand out much more amongst other NGOs and enhance its visibility within the international solidarity milieu, while better demonstrating the impacts of its action. So the process covers all our organisation’s “trades” and concerns all its teams. From this perspective, it has been possible to define the 9 in-house projects at the international level and their road map in 2013. Each in-house project brings together employees from all the regions to focus on their “trade” and the team must make a certain number of changes necessary for the association’s development. This work continued in 2014, leading to some concrete achievements initially in the process,

which shall be completed by end 2016. The essential objectives of these in-house projects and their initial achievements in 2014 are given below in a few words.

Our key concepts Through an analysis of all its projects, Aide et Action identified the following 9 key concepts that have demonstrated their effectiveness : u Lifelong learning u Local participatory governance and school projects u Development of civil status through NICTs (New Information and Communication Technologies) u Integrated early childhood development u Support for involuntary migration u Women’s autonomy and leadership u Resilience to change u International solidarity at the service of a civil society that is an actor of change u The “Golden Triangle” States and Universities, Aide et Action’s partners. To date, all the projects conducted by Aide et Action across the world are linked to one or several of these key concepts. The “Key Concept Development” in-house project should enable us to define the “core universal features” of each key concept, i.e. the indispensable elements that would ensure that the key concepts bring about the changes expected, irrespective of the context. The work was initiated in 2014 and shall be finalised in 2015. Our key concepts shall be presented in our various communication media so as to enable our different audiences to better understand the changes in our intervention rationale and its concrete impacts in the field.

Knowledge Management The changes in our organisation – towards a better sharing of our experiences between regions and countries – have naturally led Aide et Action to develop a “Knowledge Management” strategy. An in-house project was therefore established to test out “knowledge sharing” methodologies. In 2014, two working groups, called “Communities of Practice” were formed. These “communities” bring together employees working on the same mission concept but in different contexts. The groups’ aim is to share experiences and knowledge, as well as to produce common tools. This method

is currently being tested and shall be assessed at the end of 2015 so that adjustments can be made and it can be expanded more widely across the organisation.

Full Project Cost In order to ensure an optimum use of its resources, Aide et Action initiated an analysis of project costs a few years ago. Indeed, a project is not limited to implementing project activities alone. In order to ensure the quality and efficiency of this phase, a great deal of work needs to be done upstream of a project to inform different actors and involve them in developing the project. Once a project has been implemented, its impact and capitalisation work make it possible to share the experience with other actors so that they can take the work forward. However, these actions, before and after a project’s implementation, also involve a cost. Hence, this in-house project aims at defining a method for calculating these costs within Aide et Action, which would be common to all the regions. In 2014, for the first time, Aide et Action’s budget was prepared in accordance with these rules.

Brand strategy The brand strategy should make it possible for the association to communicate globally – no longer in a “fragmented, region by region” manner – but with a single voice, while respecting regional specificities and providing for local adaptation. This in-house project would make it possible to enhance our visibility, reputation and efficiency. In September 2014, work was initiated with the Communication Managers in all regions for the development of a common brand design. They also took note of the work that had already been done on common editorial guidelines, graphic standards, an international communication process and, finally, an international communication plan for the association. The workshop also made it possible to form a motivated international communication team, which is already working in a cross-cutting manner on major events such as the RUN – the vast, physical and virtual international race for education – conducted in all regions in 2013 and 2014.

International Advocacy This in-house project enables us to speak in one voice at the global level on subjects related to our mission on the basis of a well-defined process for the formulation of our discourse and stand taken. Hence, in 2014, a process was developed for taking a public stand on substantive subjects and topical issues. Developing such a method for the association was a crucial challenge because in 2015, the entire international community was working and focusing on the post-2015 agenda. Standing out amongst other actors in our area of activity is a major challenge. Aide et Action addresses this challenge by communicating “A SINGLE” discourse which enables the association to be heard and understood.

Sponsorship development Sponsorship is one of the fundamentals of the Aide et Action association. It is therefore indispensable for sponsorship to be at the heart of its development. The 2011 Estates General had made it possible for the association to reflect once again on

©AEAI

communication and influence

sponsorship, in order to further strengthen the solidarity link, making it more reciprocal and an integral part of our social mission. Our priority is to implement new sponsorship “formulas” by testing them out before implementing them, to strengthen the solidarity link, imagine new forms of the link and, finally, to strengthen our processes and international synergies within our sponsorship “trade”. In 2014, the team was formed to work on this international in-house project and a road map was defined, so that this vision for sponsorship development could take concrete shape in 2015.

International Fundraising Strategy In order to safeguard its independence and the flexibility necessary for the development of its mission, Aide et Action has to develop its fundraising. This in-house project seeks to identify and test out new fundraising modalities that would allow the association to diversify its funding sources. In 2014, as a first crucial step, the fundraising strategies of all the entities were consolidated to provide Aide et Action with an overall vision, allowing it to define a common fundraising investment strategy. (See the section on partnership strategy).

Founding texts Finally, the development of our mission and of our organisation implies changes in some of our operating rules. Thus, a specific in-house project was set up to finalise the work on these founding texts, particularly the procedures that would emerge from the various ongoing in-house projects. Hence, the work initiated in the preceding years was continued in 2014 with the approval of 4 new international procedures.

Human Resource Development To be more efficient, Aide et Action needs to establish an international executive organisational structure that is adapted to its mission’s current and future development needs. It is therefore necessary to have a shared global vision of its current and future needs in terms of shared skills and principles with regard to management, HR management, mobility, etc. The roadmap and activities for this in-house project were defined in 2014 so that work could be initiated in 2015. In 2014, along with preparing for this in-house project, some reorganisation was done in several regions, particularly Africa and France, so as to optimise the deployment of our skills at the service of the mission.

Total No. of employees International Direction

2013

Europe

Africa

141

184

Latin America and the Caribbean

South Asia

322

308

South East Asia and China

597

615

TOTAL

2014

n 2014, more than ever before, Aide et Action prioritised its online communication activities. Different tasks were initiated to develop a refined, harmonised and efficient strategy for establishing its positioning on different issues on the web.

An international working group was formed : in September 2014, a workshop in

Jaipur brought the Communication Managers from all regions together and helped form a working group on international communication. The working group came up with a strategy, set priorities and defined a roadmap for the forthcoming two years. Amongst the tools and resources updated during the workshop – an outcome of the international group, which has since been working in a cross-cutting manner on subjects for strategic communication – were a “Tool Box”, a plan of action as well as a process for the analysis of the effectiveness of our communication on Internet. The group also approved the launch of a study on our Internet strategy. The dual study : A Web-Intelligence study. The idea was to “listen in” to conversations amongst groups discussing education on the Internet, more specifically on the 4 major thematics as defined by the various Aide et Action regions : Access and Quality of Education, Lifelong Learning, Early Childhood and Girls’ and Women’s Education. The objective is to identify the elements of language used by these groups and the places where they express themselves (blogs, forums, websites, social networks, etc.), discover their importance and circles of influence. Thanks to this study, we will be able build a real strategy for taking a stand vis-à-vis net surfers who have shown their interest in subjects related to education. A Web-Reputation study. The idea here is to measure our association’s reputation on the web. This study will help us build a reputation that is in line with the level of our activities on the ground and the commitment of our teams, in a transparent manner but in line with reality.

Continuation of work on the harmonisation of regional websites : the association is working to harmonise Aide et Action’s various websites in its regions of intervention. The aim is to increase our impact and enhance our visibility on the Internet. Ultimately, everyone should have the same management system in terms of content, the same information navigation system and the same site architecture, as well as identical graphic norms. Their “URLs” (domain names) will all be formulated as per the same model. This harmonisation exercise will be completed in the summer of 2015 for all entities having a website. At the same time, links will be established with all the social networks currently being used (mainly Facebook and YouTube).

Launch of the International Run : the large-scale international

Chief Minister of the Southeast province in Sri Lanka gives the start

MeDIA

“Run against Exclusion”, initiated in 2013, was once again a great success in 2014 in all our regions of intervention. Begun in France at the Paris Half-Marathon, it was completed in India with a tremendous “Run for Inclusion”, which drew over 100,000 persons, particularly from all the iLead vocational training centres.

All the regions were therefore able to communicate on the same issue through solidarity runs for education, by encouraging people to run in person, but also virtually through the use of the online app launched on Facebook for virtual runs.

Preparation of a report on the basis of data collected in 2013 : as 2015 was a year for reviewing

the efforts made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Aide et Action had already initiated a survey in 9 different countries in 2013 to review the situation of education across the world. Overall, over 4,500 parents, children and teachers were interviewed. In 2014, these testimonies were analysed. The results of the study will be published in March 2015, under the title “The Voices of the Unheard” (available free of cost on www.aide-et-action.org). These will be followed by thematic-wise and countywise papers emerging from this study in 2015.

Creation of a project catalogue : in 2014, Aide et Action was able to consolidate its

Project Portfolio and conduct joint reflections on the development and opening up of this mechanism for external communication of its information. Set up in 2008, the Portfolio underwent significant changes before becoming the primary mechanism for the exchange of and access to information on projects. An integral part of the Knowledge Management approach, the Portfolio team worked on making the projects more visible and more comprehensible for external communication.

In addition, a process was initiated between Aide et Action’s Executive and Governing Body members in 2014 for expressing the Association’s stand within the framework of advocacy. The process enables the organisation to define the subjects on which it wishes to express its views in the course of the debates being held on the post2015 Agenda.

South Asia The Amar Nani project in Jharigam was selected by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI).

Aide et Action’s international project, Amar Nani, developed in Jharigam in Nabarangpur (a district in the Indian state of Odisha), was recognized as one of the 17 best practices across the world by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). It was the only project selected in India.

A Run for society’s most vulnerable population groups

The initiative, based on the international theme of a “RUN”, sought to promote and provide the best employment possibilities for youth belonging to the most underprivileged sections of society. In this framework, Aide et Action simultaneously organised a solidarity run against the exclusion of certain population groups in 25 cities across India (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi and Assam). “Our country is developing fast. However, as long as marginalised population groups are not mainstreamed, true development would not have taken place”, explained Aadhi, one of the runners waving the “Run’s” flag, “Run for Inclusion” on Marina Beach, not far from Gandhi’s statue in Chennai. “Parents and the authorities must ensure quality education for all children”, added Aadhi. A corporate manager who participated in the Run said : “Those who work in construction, prostitutes and refugees are just some of the numerous communities

that are still marginalised in India. Without any real inclusion policy, we cannot dream of progress”. The resources mobilised by this mega-event will be used to fund projects that will benefit underprivileged children. Published in New Indian Express, Chennai, 25 November 2014.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Microsoft, Aide action and UNAPEC get together for education in the Dominican Republic.

Microsoft, Aide et Action and the UNAPEC University signed a collaboration agreement to promote the inclusion and learning of New Information and Communication Technologies in the Escolar 1001–Villa Mella district, in Santo Domingo North. The agreement covers 20,000 students in 9 schools.

Aide et action conducted a vast study on the involvement of women in development in the Dominican Republic.

The involvement of women and their participation in the Dominican Republic’s economic development was the subject of a study. Women who had pursued training at the Oscus San Valero Foundation gave their testimonies. The main aim was to learn about how women’s skills could be improved so that they could play a sustainable role in the commune’s development process. In the light of the results, Aide et Action hopes to be able to initiate a vocational training project in the “Los Cazabes” district in Santo Domingo North.

France Ebola : Isolate the virus, not the countries! By 249 GUINEAN AND FRENCH ASSOCIATIONS

Ebola – the word itself makes citizens, companies and even governments shudder with irrational fear – and for a good reason. Furthermore, the kind of communication to which national and international media succumb stigmatises the issue more than explaining it. The lack of clear explanations on the virus feeds fantasies and psychoses. In countries affected by Ebola, people – who fear being banished from society and see hospitals as a place where people are left to die – balk at going to health centres, thereby increasing the spread of the disease (…). That is why 249 French and Guinean organisations, amongst one is Aide et Action, have joined together to demand governments, the media, NGOs and the authorities to assume their responsibilities so as to help overcome this health crisis before an economic, social and political disaster would further worsen the situation. We request the concerned governments abide by the commitment made in 2001 in Abuja to allocate 15 % of their overall budget to health (…). We request donors to coordinate their activities, ensure that their support arrives in time, corresponds to needs and helps strengthen these fragile health systems. The International Community, which did not react in time, must accelerate its actions. Finally, we request the media, governments and NGOs to actively adopt an educational approach in their communication, and do so urgently, so as to avoid the stigmatisation of the disease and be able to instil faith in the medical care being provided.

©AEAI / Ariel Arias

PARTNERSHIP POLICIES

The Global Campaign for Education is a vast international civil society coalition that was established in 1999, before the Dakar Education for All Forum (2000).

It brings together 25 international organisations, 46 national and regional coalitions and 120 countries, all wishing to bring about changes in the sphere of education. Since 2004, Solidarité Laïque has been France’s representative in the coalition, which is based on four principles : Education is a universal human right, education is a key to fight against poverty and in favour of sustainable human development, education is a fundamental responsibility of governments and education is an achievable goal if sufficient political will is mobilised. The Global Campaign for Education informs public opinion about issues relating to quality education for all, particularly on the occasion of the Global Action Week, which is held every year at the end of April, bringing these issues to the attention of national and international forums. www.campaignforeducation.org/fr and www.educationpourtous.com

A subdued development aid context Aid for developing countries in 2014 was not for everyone…

Aid for developing countries remained stable in 2014 after having reached unprecedented levels in 2013. However, the aid provided to the poorest of countries continued to decline, as per the official data collected by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Bilateral aid to the least developed countries declined by 16 % in real terms in 2014. Such aid is directly allocated by donors to partner countries and accounts for about two-thirds of the total official development aid. “I am encouraged to see that development aid remains at a historic high at a time when donor countries are still emerging from the toughest economic crisis of our lifetime,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. “Our challenge as we finalise post-2015 development goals this year will be to find ways to get more of this aid to the countries that need it most and to ensure we are getting as much as we can out of every dollar spent1”.

In this context, Aide et Action has established different partnership policies, depending on the regions and needs concerned. Regional autonomy will make it possible to fund and implement the strategy for the deployment of the 9 key projects that have the potential to bring about changes in the world, as they have demonstrated their relevance in the face of educational challenges, as well as their local adaptation capacity.

In France, this strategy took the form of opening up to sectors other than education, such as justice, health, youth and sports, amongst others.

The association’s stand emphasizes the shared responsibility of all actors (parents, teachers, local associations, etc.), bringing them together in a collective dynamic. In 2014, France Télévisions’ corporate foundation, in collaboration with the Apprendre ensemble par la coopération et les medias (AECEM or Learning together through cooperation and the media) made it possible to undertake activities in French schools : provision of multimedia equipment, training of teachers in journalistic practices, creation of media education tools. The Foundation also funded the various production stages of the 100 % Junior magazine (organisation of editorial committees, graphics, distribution of the magazine, etc.). 1 Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD-DAC) – OECD 2015.

©AEAI / Steven Brochen

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUDITS

In Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, the strategy consisted of pursuing and

strengthening partnerships with universities, such as the University of UNAPEC, as well as with private sector companies, such as Microsoft.

In South Asia, which enjoys a wealth of experience in historical multi-actor partnerships with NGOs1, governments and companies, Aide et Action further increased its capacity to act so as to provide youth with a means of livelihood and support for their education. The project was directed specially at youth who were obliged to interrupt their schooling in India. The total value of these project partnerships is of 126,860 €, distributed over three years. The programme seeks to cover students both in the public as well as private sector, i.e. over 9,000 marginalised youth.

In Africa, the organisation has positioned itself since 2012 in African forums that

Internal Audit

bring together several countries, at a level at which decisions pertaining to educational policies are taken. These are also privileged forums for influence and lobbying.

In 2014, the Internal Audit cell undertook 3 support missions (2 to Latin America and the Caribbean for the closure of the 2014 accounts and the implementation of a transitional mechanism after the departure of the Regional Director, 1 to Cambodia for the launch of the “Cambodian Consortium for Out-of-School Children” project), 1 advisory audit mission to the International Direction with regard to the security of the Information System and 5 “insurance” audit missions, including 3 on the “management of operational processes” in South Asia, South East Asia and Africa and 2 on the “management of financial resources” audit cycle in Africa and France.

In South East Asia and China, our partnerships continue to develop towards the

involvement of an ever increasing number of stakeholders on the issue of education. Joint efforts have made it possible to enhance the impact of our projects. Partners include international development agencies, companies, foundations, individuals and volunteers. In 2014, a partnership between Aide et Action Cambodia, Educate A Child (EAC) and the Cambodian Ministry of Education was signed with the aim of reducing the number of children, whose right to education is denied. This agreement led to the birth of the Cambodian Consortium for Out Of School Children – CCOSC). It is a consortium of over 17 organisations, with Aide et Action as its leader, with a budget of USD 9,5 million, for mainstreaming over 57,000 out-of-school children in a period of three years.

During this period, the International Audit Committee met thrice to monitor the activities of the external auditors after the closure of the 2013 accounts, along with those of the internal audit, on the basis of the annual audit plan and the half-yearly follow-up status with regard to audits and recommendations. As on 30 September 2014, it transpired that 37 audit missions were followed up in 2014. These missions corresponded to 241 recommendations, of which 69 % have been implemented. The implementation rate rises to 86 % if partially-imple© Mohit Chandrashekhar mented recommendations are also taken into account.

1 Aajeevika Skills (Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India), American India Foundation, Accenture (Pvt Ltd. Zenta Services), Hemendra Kothari Foundation, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Canara HSBC Insurance, Chanel Foundation, Concern India, Cauvery Wild Life Sanctuary, HCL Chennai and Delhi, HDFC Bank, Sir Jamshedji Tata Trust, Free World Association, Tech Mahindra and World Vision.

External Audit The Ernst & Young network, as well as the Experts conseil et associés (chartered accountants and associates) firm in Latin America and the Caribbean, Mpanazava in Madagascar and Firel Berney in Switzerland audited the accounts of the Aide et Action Network for the 2014 financial year. The statutory auditors of the Ernst & Young network and those of the other firms certified the accounts of Aide et Action France.

©AEAI

USE AND ORIGIN OF RESOURCES

conomic difficulties, conflicts between States and population displacement have made human development through education even more difficult. While aid to developing countries has remained stable, assistance to the poorest countries has declined, according to the official data collected by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAV). In 2014, Aide et Action witnessed an overall decrease in its resources, both in terms of public generosity donations as well as private and institutional funding. After initiating a study on the condition of donations in its different regions in 2013, Aide et Action defined a new fundraising strategy, which will be implemented as of this year.

Public generosity In 2014, as was the case in 2013, street marketing remained one of the best means in Europe to raise resources, raise awareness amongst donors and establish a strong link between sponsors and the association, from the very first contact. Other initiatives made it possible to achieve the same objectives : the “Run” in South Asia, France, South East Asia and China. While they make it possible to raise funds, events directed at the general public have also proved to be an effective means for spreading awareness about Aide et Action’s activities, especially amongst companies, and for sensitising them about educational issues. Finally, Aide et Action continued with the deployment of the Integrated Management Software Package (ERP), which will enable it to manage its relations with its donors more dynamically. In 2014, public generosity donations accounted for 75 % of our resources as against 66 % in 2013 (perimeter of Aide et Action France and its integrated programmes).

Institutional funding Aide et Action International-Africa reviewed its institutional partnership strategy and its organisational structure, supported by a high-level of mobilisation on the part of its governing body. The growing power of certain countries in South and South East Asia, including the increasing importance of China in development assistance, has created new opportunities for Aide et Action in Asia. Thus, in 2014, Aide et

©AEAI

Action gathered together a consortium of 17 international and local associations in Cambodia, in order to respond to a call for projects by the Qatari Foundation called “Education Above All Foundation”, within the “Educate A Child” (EAC) programme. An agreement was therefore signed for 42 months for a total amount of USD 9.5 million. In 2014, institutional resources accounted for 14 % of our total resources as against 19 % in 2013 (perimeter of Aide et Action France and its integrated programmes).

Social Mission

In 2014, Aide et Action devoted 15.2 M€ to its social mission activities, i.e. 80 % of the total use of funds (stable vs. 2013). Up to 70 % of the funds used were funded by the general public’s generosity, distributed as follows :

Geographical distribution of the Social Mission in 2014 :

Companies and Foundations The number of Aide et Action International’s partner companies and foundations declined in 2014. Our partners support us in different ways. We note a greater involvement by their employees, either through donations deducted from their salaries, or through the contribution of their skills in support of projects. In 2014, these types of funding accounted for 8 % of our resources (12 % in 2013) (perimeter of Aide et Action France and its integrated programmes).

Africa

Use of funds ratio

In order to faithfully demonstrate the expenses incurred, the ratios are calculated on the basis of the total funds used (excluding dedicated funds and provisions), in accordance with the 21 December 2008 decree on the ratification of the French Accounts Regulation Committee’s regulation (Comate de la réglementation comptable – CRC) with regard to the use of funds chart (Compte d’emploi des resources – CER).

The use of funds’ break-up was as follows in 2014 :

11% 80%

South Asia

France

11%

South East Asia and China

10%

International

Switzerland

Fundraising costs

These costs, amounting to 2.1 M€, account for 11 % of our use of funds. They are devoted to the search for new financial partners and to building the loyalty of those who are currently contributing to the development of our activities. The increase in investments in fundraising will continue over the next two years to enable the Aide et Action Network to have more substantial resources available for deploying its social mission activities.

Operating costs

Social Mission

Latin America and the Caribbean

54%

In this context of strained resources, Aide et Action is trying to optimise the funds allocated to its social mission by enhancing its efficiency. Moreover, in order to strengthen its financial capacities, an investment plan for fundraising was initiated in 2014. Thus, in 2014, within the Aide et Action France and integrated programmes perimeter, Aide et Action had an amount of 18.92 M€ available to conduct its activities.

Operating costs

Fundraising costs

Once again continuing their downward trend, operating costs accounted for 1.6 M€ (9 % of resource usage) in 2014. They mainly consist of management costs (1.2 M€) and communication costs (0.2 M€). The amounts provided above represent the Aide et Action France perimeter, along with the programmes integrated within it, which constitutes the majority of Aide et Action’s activities. This data does not include local activities by the Aide et Action India and Aide et Action International Africa Associations, which published their own accounts for the first time in 2014. The establishment of the Aide et Action Network through the establishment of distinct legal entities in the regions will continue in the forthcoming accounting years, as per the Aide et Action Network’s internationalisation strategy. The combined accounts of the Aide et Action Network should be available as of 2015.

2014 Use of funds statement

(in euros)

USE OF FUNDS 1 - development activities

USE OF FUNDS in 2014

15,171,477

Allocation per use of resources raised from the general public, used in 2014

10,556,160

(in euros)

RESOURCES Carry-forward of resources raised from the public non restricted and not used at the start of the financial year 1 - RESOURCES RAISED FROM THE PUBLIC

2 - FUNDRAISING EXPENSES

3 - OPERATING COSTS

I - TOTAL USES OF FUNDS IN FINANCIAL YEAR RECORDED IN INCOME STATEMENT

2,119,734

1,629,599

2,103,409

1,093,844

3 - GRANTS AND OTHER PUBLIC AID

2,317,470

II - WRITE-BACK OF PROVISIONS II - PROVISIONS

III - COMMITMENTS TO BE REALISED AGAINST RESTRICTED RESOURCES

438,476

III - CARRY-FORWARD OF UNUSED RESTRICTED RESOURCES OF PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEARS

1,510,006

V - Share of gross fixed assets in the financial year funded by resources raised from the public

V - SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR

16,706,386 408,700 2,444,109 6,222 1,310,095

20,869,292 179,324

VI - Reversal of amortization charges of fixed assets funded as of the first application of payment with resources raised from the publi

491,850

VII - Total uses funded by resources raised from the public

13,440,887

12,593,296

442,097

IV - VARIATION OF DEDICATED FUNDS RAISED FROM THE PUBLIC

IV - SURPLUS RESOURCES OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR

V - GENERAL TOTAL

12,593,296 1,353,523

4 - OTHER INCOME

Follow-up of resources raised from the public and used in 2014

2,988,032

2 - OTHER PRIVATE FUNDS

I - TOTAL RESOURCES OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR RECORDED IN INCOME STATEMENT

18,920,810

RESOURCES RAISED in 2014 = Income statement

VI - GENERAL TOTAL VI - Total uses funded by resources raised from the public Balance of non restricted and unused resources raised from the public at the end of the financial year

20,869,291

12,599,518 13,440,887

2,146,663

Balance sheet as on 31th december 2014

(in euros)

2014

2013

ASSETS

(in euros)

Liabilities

2014

2013

Associative funds

4,690,254

4,923,373

Result of the period

-1,310,095

-233,119

Gross

Amort. Prov.

Net

Intangible assets

1,209,692

529,542

680,149

713,608

Tangible assets

3,462,622

1,766,142

1,696,481

1,805,073

Financial assets

170,444

230,701

Associative funds

3,380,158

4,690,254

Totax fixed assets

4,842,758

2,295,684

2,547,073

2,749,383

Provisions for risks & charges

640,160

335,595

Stocks & Work in Progress

27,467

20,936

6,530

5,905

Provisions for currency effects

846,822

702,062

Advances & Deposits paid on orders

2,716

87,212

Provisions

1,486,983

1,037,657

Institutionnal fundings

8,958,438

4,976,871

Dedicated funds

2,848,267

3,689,010

Other receivables

2,325,168

141,026

2,184,142

1,778,587

Income receivable

8,497

3,634

Suppliersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; debts & associated charges

1,349,577

2,248,585

Short term investments

1,241,549

159,604

1,081,945

1,813,612

Other liabilities

6,183,257

1,152,288

Cash on hand & in banks

2,696,409

3,430,410

Tax and social liabilities

639,307

727,262

Deffered expenses

6,157,122

1,203,997

Debts

8,172,141

4,128,135

Total current assets

21,417,366

321,566

21,095,800

13,300,227

Deferred income

8,407,573

3,126,700

Unrealized exchange losses

846,822

702,062

Unrealized exchange gains

194,574

79,917

ASSETS

27,106,946

2,617,250

24,489,696

16,751,671

liabilities

24,489,696

16,751,671

month by month 76

ÂŠAEAI

January France : Aide et Action initiated its mobilisation

campaign “A child who does not go to school is a missed opportunity for tomorrow’s world”. This was done through a TV spot and web banners in which Frédéric Bouraly, an actor in the TV series, “Scènes de Ménages”, and an Aide et Action sponsor for over 20 years, appealed to citizens to get mobilised for education by becoming sponsors ; a mini-campaign website related children’s dreams and examples of projects ; and through a powerful visual that will be taken up by France’s print media throughout the year. Through the campaign, Aide et Action recalled the fundamental role of education in helping children flourish, develop, explore their creativity and reflection, train in a trade, build their own future and help build tomorrow’s society and world.

Madagascar : Investiture of the President of the 4th Republic of Madagascar, Mr. Hery Rajaonarimampianina.

the Institute of Technology of Cambodia. This is the first library-based programme available on smart phones (Android-based) in Cambodia. It was established in order to encourage reading habits amongst Cambodians. The library, which offers 3 categories of books – for children, adolescents and adults – brings together books on literacy & numeracy, myths & legends, novels, guides on hygiene and health, information on laws, vocational training, technologies, etc. Readers can upload the app on their smart phone or tablet. The books are available for reading online and offline. Aide et Action is now working on expanding the availability of this app on IOS (iPhone).

February India : Aide et Action, in partnership with Microsoft

Youth Spark, officially launched the “Lab on Wheels” in Patna. Soon after its launch, the Lab on Wheels vehicle was operational in several strategic locations in the city of Patna.

Guinea : Installation of the Guinean National France : The documentary film, “On the way to Assembly, which marked an end to the transition period initiated in 2010.

Sri Lanka : Three new iLEAD centres were opened

school” (Sur le Chemin de l’école), produced by Pascal Plisson, with Aide et Action as a partner, was awarded the César Award for the Best Documentary in 2014 on 28th February 2014. The film, which has been viewed by over 1.2 million people, retraces the route taken by 4 children who face harsh difficulties in reaching school every day.

India : In partnership with the Ministry of Rural Deve-

March

in the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts in the conflict-affected region in Northern Sri Lanka. The cost of setting up these centres, 20,000 €, was borne by the Sri Lankan government.

lopment and the state government of Jammu and Kashmir, Aide et Action implemented the Himayat project. The project sought to provide training and skill development for underprivileged youth and school and college drop-outs.

Guinea : Acknowledgement by the authorities of

India : The Catholic Relief Society and Aide et

Togo : Organisation of the signing of the agreement

Action signed a partnership for providing vocational training to 350 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu (India). There are at present 112 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. Training will be provided in 45 of such camps, located in 7 districts of Tamil Nadu.

Cambodia : “Khmer Library” on mobile phones.

Aide et Action Cambodia presented its new e-reader app to the public on the occasion of the Mobile Apps Exhibition that took place on 18th January 2014 at

the presence of the Ebola virus, which caused the death of over 2,500 persons.

on the new head office. This event was the occasion for bringing together the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s authorities, partner NGOs, actors and all the Aide et Action International-Africa’s employees in Togo.

Switzerland : Highly sensitive to difficulties in access

to school, the Pédibus-ATE coordination organised projections of the documentary film, “On the way to school” (Sur le Chemin de l’Ecole), both in Geneva and Fribourg. In collaboration with the International Direction, Aide et Action brought together over

300 persons, who then discussed the subject of Education in a friendly atmosphere around snacks and drinks.

France : For the fifth year running, Aide et Action

invited sportspersons to join its team of “solidarity runners” in the Paris Half-Marathon. Over more than three months, the latter were trained by a coach and exchanged views on a dedicated blog called “I am moving for education”. On 2nd March 2014, almost 100 solidarity sportspersons, wearing Aide et Action’s yellow jersey, ran 21 kilometres in the streets of the capital city. In all, over 13,000 Euros were raised for Aide et Action.

April Bhutan : An innovative iLEAD project called “My

Gakidh Village” was launched in Bhutan, in partnership with the Youth Development Fund. The project was inaugurated by Her Majesty, Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck, in the presence of Claire Calosci, Aide et Action International’s International Director General and Gunilla Björner, the International Director General (designate). The project shall be implemented by the Youth Development Fund with the financial and strategic support of Aide et Action. The project will cover youth in 25 villages and seeks to promote ecotourism, thereby enabling the youth to earn their livelihood from ecotourism.

France : A coalition of about hundred NGOs and

on 27th and 28th May, the Youth Network organised a workshop to sensitise people on the prevention, treatment and vaccinations against Chikungunya.

Sri Lanka : Aide et Action prepared and shared a report called Voices of Youth from the Margins for the Colombo Declaration on Youth at the 2014 Global Youth Conference held in Colombo. The publication, which is an outcome of consultations held with underprivileged youth in the regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, will be one of the contributions to the UN post-2015 Agenda discussions.

France : Desirous of supporting innovative projects

that promote access to culture in all its forms, access to artistic practices and audiovisual trades for youth that are distanced from them, the France Télévisions Foundation was appreciative of the media education project conducted by Aide et Action France. The project enables children from primary schools in France and Senegal to work together on media.

June France : 3rd day of study organised by Aide et Action France at the Maison de l’Education (Education Centre) in Val d’Oise on the subject of the “School climate”. Over 100 educational actors were present for this day of exchanges of views and discussions.

associations rallies together to promote the right to education every year. In 2014, Aide et Action associated with the Global Campaign for Education, which focussed on the theme of Education and Disabilities in order to put a stop to the exclusion of children with disabilities.

Aide et Action France has issued its first petition on the occasion of reforms in school timetables. It invited local authorities, elected representatives and teachers to look at this reform, not as a constraint, but as a real lever for the educational success of all children. The petition was signed by over 13,200 persons.

May

India : The Patna regional bureau aims at developing

Switzerland : “Race For Gift”, the first inter-asso-

ciational solidarity run, was held at the end of May, bringing together about a dozen associations and NGOs. The dual challenge – solidarity and sports – enabled Aide et Action to highlight its activities, meet its sponsors and donors, exchange views with other associations and raise funds for our projects.

©AEAI

Latin America and the Caribbean : In Guayabo,

a model for the Youth Development Plan. The goal is to come up with a practical and detailed reference document for appropriate planning and the holistic development of youth in Bihar. This could be consulted by political decision-makers as well as other organisations so as to plan, implement and strengthen youth-related programmes and policies.

August India : In 2014, Aide et Action-South Asia became

one of the beneficiaries of the UNGEI Fund aimed at capitalising Best Practices. The Amar Nani project was recognized as one of the 17 best programmes in the world by the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI).

September France : On 18 September 2014, for the very first time, Altermondes, the citizens’ media devoted to international solidarity issues and a preferred space for civil society actors to express their views, was available on the newsstands. Aide et Action, which has often partnered this review, is henceforth a member of the Cooperative Society for Collective Interests (Société Coopérative d’Intérêt Collectif), which edits this new production. th

Guinea : The establishment of the Bilateral

Committee for the Steering and Monitoring of the implementation of the first “Development Debt Paydown Contract (C2D – Contrat Désendettement Développement) after the cancellation of over 75 % of the Guinean public debt. Le contract is for 75 million Euros of which 38 million are allocated to education. Four members of the French and Guinean civil societies will be part of this Contract, along with four representatives of French and Guinean authorities.

Morocco : Signing of the tripartite agreement : Aide

July Switzerland : At one of the meetings organised by

the Centre for Lake Geneva’s coastline entrepreneurs (Centre pour entrepreneurs de la côte lémanique), Aide et Action presented the “Malian Doll” project. This innovative project, which is in line with the country’s lifestyle and socio-cultural habits, meets the preschooling needs of the poorest of the poor children in Sénou in the suburbs of Bamako.

amongst the country’s youth. They highlighted the value of “inclusion”, particularly with a performance by Kamlesh Patel, a dancer with disabilities.

India : The International Thematic Committee

Workshop brought together governing body thematic referents as well as executive referents for a meeting in New Delhi from 10-12th July 2014. The objective was to instigate a new dynamic and formulate a roadmap for the Thematic Committees.

France : Aide et Action France put its new website Sri Lanka : Aide et Action organised a “Bollywood online. Focussing on the human, less institutional Night” in Sri Lanka. A few of the most talented young Indian artists took part and showed how music and dance could promote peace and reconciliation

than the previous website, the association’s new site gives more space to testimonies by educational actors involved in our development projects.

et Action-RIM/ the commune of Asni/ Future Generation Association (Association Génération Futur), which brings together 24 local associations in Asni. The agreement deals with the modalities and conditions for the coverage of preschools in 19 villages of the Asni commune.

Switzerland : Organised by the International Geneva

Reception Centre (Centre d’Accueil de Genève International), the “At the crossroads of cultures” (Au croisement des Cultures) event brought together about sixty associations and was conducted around interactive activities for children and adults, short films, shows and traditional dances, etc. It was a highly engaging look at human existence at which Aide et Action organised drawing and colouring workshops for Bamako’s children (Mali).

Switzerland : On the occasion of Legacy Day, on

13th September, Aide et Action, through the MyHappyEnd Foundation of which it is a member, became a representative for the interactive artistic campaign organised in Basel. With this participatory action, which enabled everyone to pass on an object of their choice, as a symbol of what we inherit, bequeath, take and carry with us, the issue mainly concerned the act of passing things and memories on. It was an occasion aimed at making the act of bequeathing visible and showing its importance in our society.

India : Aide et Action International’s International

Board met in Bandipur, Karnataka. The International Board members visited three schools, which are part of the Development of schools in the Tiger Reserve project. They exchanged views with teachers, children, Mothers’ Committee members and those of the School Development and Monitoring Committees on the subject of the programmes implemented.

India : Aide et Action hosted the Global Compact

Network India (GCNI) during a workshop held in New Delhi. The workshop was inaugurated by Gunilla Björner, International Director General (Aide et Action), in the presence of NGO, government and corporate representatives. Aide et Action shared its approaches to promote the inclusion and education of the girl child.

China : In 2014, Aide et Action China continued

with its mission of supporting vulnerable urban communities and established preschool education services. In September, the first Children’s Activity and Care Centre was opened full time for the Juanzishu community. The activities aim at promoting the growth and development of children from vulnerable communities, while sensitising parents to the importance of education.

October Africa : Establishment of the new Aide et Action International-Africa organisation.

Madagascar : Formulation of the Education Ministry’s national agreement to improve the quality of education, promote inclusive education and highlight the teaching profession’s value.

Burkina Faso : After an uprising and the consequent

departure of the President of the Republic, a transitional government was established.

November Madagascar : Production of ministerial notes on

France : Thanks to the mobilisation of Aide et scaling-up pedagogical tools developed with the

Action’s sponsors and volunteers, as well as that of MicroDon and Monoprix, our partners, over 1,500 € were raised on 10th and 11th October 2014 for the cause of education. The activities were conducted in the two Monoprix located on the Champs Elysées Avenue, where customers interested in the cause of education made a donation while making their payments at the cash counters.

Switzerland/Madagascar : An international seminar

for the development of preschooling marked the closure of the Preschool for all in Madagascar project (2011-2014) in Antananarivo (Madagascar). The outcome of a long, four-year collaboration between the Department of Preschool and Literacy Education (Direction de l’Education Préscolaire et de l’Alphabétisation - DEPA/MEN), the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the Geneva University and Action et Action, the project had sought to define a preschooling model adapted to the Malagasy context. At the seminar, a joint presentation on the results of activities and the research project led to the formulation of 16 recommendations for quality preschooling in Madagascar.

support of Aide et Action in Madagascar (catalogue of games and collection of Malagasy songs) within the experimental framework of the new educational programme in all Malagasy preschool centres.

Switzerland : On the occasion of a thematic day

organised by the Swiss International Education and Cooperation Network (Réseau Suisse Education et Coopération Internationale - RECI) on “2nd chance education”, Aide et Action conducted a “world café” on educational alternatives making it possible to offer youth deprived of basic education the possibility of accessing vocational training. The subject was further developed around the IDEX project in Togo, supported by the Canton of Geneva.

Latin America and the Caribbean On 5th November

2014, Aide et Action organised the first congress on the subject of “Youth, entrepreneurship and vocational training” with the support of the School of Economics and Sociology at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (Université Autonome de Santo Domingo – UASD), as well as the university’s Centre for support to small and medium enterprises (Centre d’Appui aux petites et moyennes enterprises – CAPYME).

children (notably girls), persons with disabilities, migrants, unemployed youth and women, by offering quality education and better job prospects.

of early childhood development, including better nutrition and hygiene practices. The programme made it possible to achieve national targets in terms of Millennium Development and Education Goals.

December

France : Aide et Action was present every day in

Lao PDR : In collaboration with the Ministry of Educa-

tion and Sports, Aide et Action Lao PDR developed and implemented a three-year Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) project between 2011 - 2014. In December the project was officially ended. During the project duration, 9,094 children under 6 years of age, 7,945 primary school children and 3000 parents from 35 communities benefitted from this project. It was discovered through external evaluation that the project had a remarkable impact on children, who learned good behaviour and attitudes and acquired basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills in classrooms. The community is now more involved in ECCE activities, especially with regard to the areas

the renowned game, MOTUS, broadcast on France 2 from 22nd December 2014 to 3rd January 2015. During the last broadcast, Marie Cruse, Project Manager with Aide et Action France, was present on the sets to speak about educational issues in the world. A cheque for 15,000 Euros shall be handed over to Aide et Action to fund all its projects across the world.

India : A new project called Improving Schooling and Learning was launched with the support of the SD Tata Trust in the Bhopal region. The project concerns 8,563 families/children (3-6 years) and about 6,500 children from 160 primary schools in the villages in the buffer zone of the Baihar locality, Balaghat district, Bichhiya locality, Mandla District, in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

China : Aide et Action International-South East Asia France : From 15th to 23rd November 2014, the

and China participates to the “Walk for Love” – a walk for funding public welfare, organised by the Lingshan Foundation in Chengdu. The “Homemakers” project undertaken by our rural women’s training centre received the direct support of 5 voluntary teams for this event. Thanks to the success of this event, 1625 € (11,184.9 RMB) were raised, which helped promote the “Homemakers” project in Jiaguan. This was also the first time an attempt was made to raise funds through crowdfunding.

Nepal : Teachers’ resource groups met in Kusmisera,

Baglung (Nepal), with 29 participants. The teachers exchanged views on new pedagogies used in their respective schools. They also shared information about pedagogical material and their use for better learning among children.

17 th edition of International Solidarity Week. 7,500 activities creating awareness about human rights, particularly “access to food”, were organised across France, in school premises and public areas. Aide et Action France’s teams organised 26 joyful participatory activities on fundamental rights, active citizenship and sustainable development, in order to create awareness about the importance of education and solidarity across the world.

India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka : Almost

50,000 people participated in the second edition of Aide et Action’s “Run for Inclusion”, held in the states of Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The run, held on 23rd November, aimed at promoting the dignity, respect and inclusion of the underprivileged who are excluded from society, especially

©AEAI

International associational structure 86

©AEAI

Aide et Action International’s

Aide et Action International

International Board

Africa’s Board of Directors

Mr Jacques LEMARECHAL President

Mr Daniel DESPRÉS Secretary

Mrs Aïcha BAH DIALLO Treasurer

Mrs Rukmini RAO Member

Mr Radhamés MEJIA Member

Mr Teeka RAM BHATTARAI Member

Mrs Yasmin ABDEEN Member

Mrs Jeannine AGOUNKE Member

Mr Jacky LUMARQUE Member

Mr Djibril Mr DEBOUROU President (Benin)

Mrs Aïcha BAH DIALLO Secretary (Guinea)

Mr Youssouf MOUSSA Treasurer (Comoros)

Mr Désiré LUMONGE Member (DRC)

Mr Idrissa TRAORE SOÏBA Member (Mali)

Mrs Samuëline Z. RAHOLIARINTSOA Member (Madagascar)

Mrs Jeannine AGOUNKE Member (Togo)

Mr Amadou MADOUGOU Member (Niger)

Mrs Honorata RUHUMBIKA Member (Tanzania)

Aide et Action International south asia’s Board of Directors

Mrs Rukmini RAO President (India)

Dr. Ganesh N. DEVY Member (India)

Mr L. MEHTA Member (India) Until 7 December 2014

Dr. Kedar B. MATHEMA Member (Nepal)

Dr. Rajiva WIJESINHA Member (Sri Lanka)

Aide et Action International latin america and caribbean’s Board of Directors

Mr Radhamés MEJIA President (Dominican Republic)

Mrs Lea CRUZ Secretary (Honduras)

Mrs Carmelle JEANMARIE Member and Treasurer (Haiti)

Mrs Mercedes CAPELLAN DE LAMA Member (Dominican Republic)

Mr Jacky LUMARQUE Member (Haiti)

Aide et Action International south east asia and china’s Board of Directors

Mrs Yasmin ABDEEN President (Singapore)

Mr Seng HONG Vice President and Secretary (Cambodia)

Mr Narongsak BOONYAMALIK Treasurer (Thailand)

Mr Tchen CHI-YANG Member (France)

Mr Huang YUNONG Member (China)

Aide et Action Switzerland’s Committee

Mr Yves TAPIERO President

Mr Abdeljalil AKKARI Secretary

Mr Norbert VU Treasurer

Mr Juerg WOLFENSBERGER Member

Aide et Action

International

France’s Board of Directors

Directors’ Committee

Mr Daniel DESPRÉS President

Mr Gérard NEVEU President

Until 21 June 2014

Elected on 21 June 2014

Mrs Gwenaëlle BOUILLÉ Member Since 21 June 2014

Mr Alain COUGARD Member

Mr Régis de la SERRE Treasurer

Mrs Dominique SAINTIER Secretary

Mrs Véronique BAILLET Member Until 21 June 2014

Mr Olivier ESTOUR Member

Mrs Anne-Sophie ROY Member Since 21 June 2014

Mrs Wafa SKALLI Member

Mrs Claire CALOSCI International Director General

Mrs Gunilla BJÖRNER International Director General

Until April 2014

As of May 2014

Mr Ravi PRATAP SINGH Regional Director South Asia

Mr Nesmy MANIGAT Regional Director Latin America and the Caribbean

Until May 2014

Mrs Brigitte VERPEAUX Member Until 21 June 2014

Mrs Sabine BOYE-GONCALVES International Secretary General

Mr Xavier DU CREST International Director of Communication and Influence

Mr Koffi ADJIMON Africa Coordination Director

Mr Prasert TEPANART Regional Director South East Asia and China

Mrs Véronique FAVREAU Director Switzerland

Mr CharlesEmmanuel BALLANGER Director France/Europe

Mrs Hélène NIEUL Change Management Manager

2015 perspectives

2014 was a year of changes for Aide et Action, in view of the transformation process that had been initiated in the 2012/2013 transition years. This was intended to constitute an approach based on the constant quest for “added value”. It led the association to define three major orientations : the deployment of international key concepts offering a potential for change, the experimentation of innovative projects, the highlighting of its activities and know-how so that they could be offered to other actors and so that they could be used as a new funding source. Nine key concepts were identified in view of their relevance and their ability to transform society through education.

5 priority key concepts for international deployment • Lifelong learning • Local participatory governance and school projects • Development of children’s civil status through NICTs (New Information and Communication Technologies) • Integrated development of early childhood • Support for involuntary migration

4 cross-cutting key concepts • • • •

Women’s autonomy and leadership Resilience to change International solidarity for the strengthening of civil society as an actor of change The “Golden Triangle”: A partnership between the State, Universities and Aide et Action, to work for relevant and sustainable development.

In 2015, these changes shall be implemented The pursuit of the work initiated in 2014 would cover all our trades and will lead to the formation of a new organisational set-up for our association. Aware of the important challenges taken up by each of the key concepts and the time required to put them in application, 3 key concepts were prioritised : u Lifelong learning u Local participatory governance and school projects u Early childhood

Thus, 2015 will also be a year when several in-house projects will mature • Knowledge Management, which will be placed at the heart of the mission itself, as a mode of functioning that will become widespread • Implementation of the full project cost approach, which will present a more didactic view of the contents of project budgets and the manner in which they must be funded • Cohesion of our international communication, which will help raise our impact and effectiveness • Formulation of our common discourse, which will help Aide et Action become a visible actor in the post-2015 agenda • Development of sponsorship in line with our mission’s development, which will require innovation in terms of our sponsorship offers • Definition of an international fundraising strategy, adapted to the economic context and resolutely turned towards innovation • Adaptation of our organisation so that it made to be fully in line with the needs of our strategic development and vision • Finalisation of our internationalisation, by structuring the network in each region.

Consequently, in 2015, within the framework of its three-year commitment, the organisation shall implement the major orientations that will impact on each of its trades, at the service of its educational mission at the international level. This new impetus will help Aide et Action pursue and strengthen its action vis-à-vis the most vulnerable and underprivileged population groups so that they can anticipate their needs, do forward planning and conduct their projects, thanks to quality education, a lever of human development.

AIDE ET ACTION in the world Africa

Immeuble Grunitzky Akofala - Aflao Gakly Quartier Djidjolé B.P. 2998 Lomé – TOGO Tel : + 221 33 869 19 69 www.aide-et-action.org

Aide et Action International

Aide et Action Hong Kong

Unit D, 1/F, Yue Xiu Industrial Building, 87 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon HONG KONG Tel : + (852) 2815-3834 www.aide-et-action.org.hk

Aide et Action France

South Asia

53 boulevard de Charonne 75011 Paris - FRANCE Tel : + 33 1 55 25 70 00 www.aide-et-action.org

Aide et Action International

Rue des Pâquis 11 1201 Geneva - Switzerland Tel : + 41 (0) 22 716 52 10 www.aide-et-action.ch

16/20, Gilchrist Avenue, Harrington Road, Chetpet, Chennai - 600 031 - Tamil Nadu - INDIA Tel : + (91) 44 2836 5516 www.aea-southasia.org

Southeast Asia and China

2 No. 2168, Khaolam Road, Kwaeng Talad Noi, Khet Sampantawong, Bangkok – THAILAND Tel : + 00 855 23 221 940 www.seac.aide-et-action.org

Aide et Action International

Latin America and the Caribbean

José Desiderio Valverde #55, esquina Santiago Zona Universitaria - Santo Domingo DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Tel : + 1 (809) 689 5160 www.aeai-alc.org

Aide et Action Switzerland

Aide et Action Canada

1010, rue Sherbrooke Ouest - Bureau 1800 Montréal QC H3A 2R7 - CANADA

Aid Education Action USA

795 Folsom Street (1st floor) San Francisco, CA 94 107 - USA Tel : + 1 415 848 30 44

Aide et Action International Organisation Route des Morillons 15 1218 Le Grand Saconnex Geneva - Switzerland Tel : + 41 (0) 22 544 29 80 www.aide-et-action.org

Aide et Action International