STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES TO DRIVE POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
In Ethiopia, World Learning builds the capacity of primary schools to address the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Overview Of the world’s 650 million school-aged children, 120 million will not reach fourth grade and an additional 130 million will fail to learn basic skills like literacy and numeracy. High dropout and repetition rates, in combination with contextual barriers—such as poverty, conflict, gender, language, and disability—compound this problem. Improving educational
EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
opportunities for all children and youth, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, is essential to the growth of human potential worldwide. World Learning believes that education is the driving force behind positive, sustainable development.
Approach World Learning supports the development of more inclusive, equitable, and responsive education systems that meet the needs of all children and youth. The core theme of World Learning’s approach to education is capacity development—empowering individuals and institutions to define and create change for themselves. To achieve this goal, World Learning’s programs target a range of educational needs including teacher professional development, school and community linkages, English language and mother tongue literacy improvement, stakeholder engagement with policymakers, and curriculum reform. continued
World Learning is a nonprofit organization that advances leadership through education, exchange, and development programs in more than 60 countries.
World Learning works across a range of countries and contexts. In Egypt, World Learning works with the Ministry of Education to develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) model schools that serve as a catalyst for change in system-wide education reform. To address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, World Learning builds the capacity of primary schools to manage their care and support, and links them with existing services in their local communities. In Peru, World Learning combats exploitative child labor by improving access to and the quality of education, helping families reduce dependence on income generated from child labor, and supporting policies to eradicate child labor. To increase the relevance of education for youth in Algeria and Egypt, World Learning develops workforce readiness and English language skills in young people who are preparing to enter the job market. Our success stems from three main approaches: first, a focus on experiential learning that results in long-lasting change; second, an emphasis on locally identified activities that make education more available and relevant; and third, a sensitivity to the particular educational needs of vulnerable children and youth, including child laborers, those with HIV/AIDS, orphans, and those excluded by
“ THE SUPPORT I RECEIVED FROM THE PROJECT HAS ENABLED ME TO HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.”
Success Story Adem Mohammed, 16, is a sixth grader at Itaya Primary School in Ethiopia’s Oromia Regional State, but he hasn’t always been able to attend school. When his mother died and his father subsequently abandoned the family, Adem dropped out of school to support his two siblings and elderly grandmother. With assistance from a World Learning program, Adem resumed his schooling and also joined the Village Savings and Loan Association established at the school. As part of the program, Adem completed training in business management, gained access to small loans for microenterprise development, and learned the importance of planning, budgeting, and saving. Adem used the skills he learned to start his own microenterprise and now his family can afford better living conditions. His academic performance has also substantially improved— he now ranks third in his class. According to Adem, “The support I received from the project has enabled me to hope for the future—my return to school was my rebirth.”
Contact
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