EAA partners with Lapis Group to support education in Palestine

Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and Lapis Group have signed a partnership agreement to launch the Youm Jadeed (New Day) initiative, aimed at providing educational and psychosocial support to Palestinian children with particular focus on war-ridden Gaza.

This partnership comes as the Palestinian education system faces unprecedented challenges due to ongoing war and the resulting severe disruptions of formal schooling across the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, a statement said Wednesday.

Over the next seven months, the partners will produce and broadcast 90 original episodes of the Youm Jadeed radio programme for children aged 7-11 and their caregivers. The programme will rely on entertaining and drama-based storylines which focus on key themes such as literacy, health and emotional resilience.

Youm Jadeed will be broadcast on FM radio in Arabic across all of Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. This broad reach will be complemented by an innovative, multi-platform digital dissemination strategy including online, mobile and social media tools as well as in-person activities to reach as many children, caregivers and educators as possible, and ensure that they have access.

The project will seek to connect with a wide array of stakeholders to utilise the resources of the projects for their activities with children across Palestine. Throughout the implementation period, there will be continuous emphasis on measuring reach, engagement and impact, and seeking community engagement and feedback to improve outcomes.

Fahed al-Sulaiti, CEO, EAA, commented: "Our partnership with Lapis Group cements our belief in providing uninterrupted access to education to communities in need. With the foundation’s reach extending to over 60 countries and impacting more than 19mn beneficiaries, we recognise the importance of innovating for seamless education and learning. Together, we are dedicated to fostering knowledge and skills that uplift individuals and build resilience. Through this partnership, we aim to create lasting impact for those who need it most, paving the way for a brighter future.”

Alex Thier, CEO of Lapis Group added: “We truly believe that all children deserve access to high quality education and social and emotional support. Youm Jadeed was designed from scratch to serve the needs of Palestinian students and their communities to learn and be more resilient in this time of immense hardship and trauma.”