Washington, D.C., Jan. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 48,000 crisis-affected children and youth will receive basic education, social emotional support and tutoring services in northeastern Nigeria’s Yobe and Borno states through a new project, Creative Associates International announced.
Under the International Rescue Committee’s purview, the 18-month North East Nigeria Transition to Development Program will expand access to literacy, basic math and social emotional skills for marginalized children and youth in the states of Yobe and Borno, where the Boko Haram insurgency has had a devastating negative impact on an already weak education system. It is funded by the U.K. Department for International Development.
Creative and its partners will implement the project in Yobe and Borno states and focus on 8,750 crisis-affected children and youth in 175 non-formal learning centers. The project is part of Creative’s education in conflict work.
“Creative has a proven track record in delivering quality education programs in northern Nigeria,” says Leland Kruvant, President and CEO of Creative Associates International. “By leveraging our deep understanding of the challenges, we will be better positioned to quickly garner community support to pave a clear path for children to learn and heal.”
The International Rescue Committee and its partners will open 225 non-formal learning centers in Borno state, providing nearly 11,250 children with access to basic education.
To deter students from dropping out of school, the International Rescue Committee, Creative and other partners will provide tutoring services for 27,960 students in 466 formal classroom settings in Borno and Yobe states.
With nearly 1 million youth displaced from their communities and schools due to ongoing conflict in northeastern Nigeria, the new project seeks to address the devastation and trauma with education for out-of-school youth ages 6 to 14.
Creative, along with the International Rescue Committee and 13 local partners, will prepare teachers and learning facilitators with the tools and knowledge to address the unique needs of these children.
Applying a proven emergency education approach, the North East Nigeria Transition to Development Program will focus on both non-formal and formal spaces to ensure the most marginalized children are attending school, learning with quality education opportunities and becoming more resilient with Social Emotional Learning.
The evidence-based project will leverage an existing partnership with the Nigerian government to ensure the effectiveness of the formal and non-formal education by strengthening coordination mechanisms to achieve strong management and ownership.
With a focus on girls and vulnerable students, the North East Nigeria Transition to Development Program will engage with parents, teachers and school administrators through a community-based model that empowers the government, parents and community members to take a leading role in supporting education.
Building on a legacy of collaboration
The North East Nigeria Transition to Development Program builds on successful partnerships between Creative and the Nigerian government that addressed a wide range of educational barriers in challenging and crisis-affected environments.
In partnership with the International Rescue Committee, the Nigeria Education Crisis Response program worked to expand access to quality learning opportunities for displaced, out-of-school children and youth ages 6 to 17 in five states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Yobe states. It was funded by U.S. Agency for International Development.
“The Education Crisis Response project has been transformational,” says Eileen St. George, who leads Creative’s Education in Conflict Practice Area. “The program has demonstrated the power of education to aid stabilization and promote well-being of individual students and their communities.”
In close collaboration with government, civil society and local communities, the three-year project reached more than 80,000 children in 1,483 non-formal learning centers with wraparound services like Social Emotional Learning support for internally displaced out-of-school children.
More than 2,176 non-formal learning facilitators were trained in Social Emotional Learning, which was incorporated into their teaching in addition to literacy and numeracy.
The Nigeria Education Crisis Response project was named one of 10 winners of the prestigious 2017 USAID Collaborating, Learning and Adapting Case Competition, a global competition that honors case studies of USAID staff and implementing partners for organizational learning and better development outcomes.
Selected out of 100 case studies for its leveraging of USAID’s Collaborating, Learning and Adapting approach, the project mobilized and trained nearly four dozen non-governmental organizations to establish non-formal learning centers for displaced children.
About Creative Associates International
Creative Associates International works with underserved communities by sharing expertise and experience and building local capacity in education, economic growth, governance and transitions from conflict to peace.
Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has active projects in more than 30 countries. Since 1977, it has worked in nearly 90 countries and on almost every continent. Recognized for its ability to work rapidly, flexibly and effectively in conflict-affected environments, Creative is committed to generating long-term sustainable solutions to complex development problems.
Started by four enterprising women with diverse backgrounds, Creative has grown to become one of the leaders among the U.S. private sector implementers of global development projects. Creative is minority-owned and operated.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0ce9aa30-7a52-45ec-a57a-460d60610f92
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d1a8e02d-e108-4be9-a943-4feb2a88d545