WISE Awards finalist project aims to promote early childhood development

A project that highlights the way forward in providing skills needed for early childhood development, especially in conflict zones, has been shortlisted as one of the finalists of the 2023 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Awards.The Ahlan Simsim project that was launched in 2018, with funding from MacArthur and LEGO foundations, Sesame Workshop (SW) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), aims at improving all domains of early childhood development including social-emotional and academic skills.About 1.2mn children and caregivers are beneficiaries of the programme with a geographical reach across Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Headquartered in New York, IRC’s Mena regional office is located in Amman, Jordan.WISE recently announced the 12 finalists for the WISE Awards 2023 and the final six projects will be announced sometime in September.The WISE Awards winners will be celebrated at the global summit to be held in November this year.The project looks at several places across the Mena region that have been affected by conflict and crisis. Millions of children across the region have been forced to live the most formative years of their lives with displacement, chaos and violence, negatively impacting their intellectual and social-emotional development and threatening long-term economic prosperity, health and well-being.In the context, it is to be noted that early childhood development interventions are crucial in helping children and their families thrive and overcome traumatic experiences.Ahlan Simsim integrates SW’s educational resources, including a TV show, with sustainable and locally owned programme models delivered by IRC and local partners, while strengthening existing national systems.Programmes and services support children and adults around them - from caregivers to service providers; they can be delivered in informal and formal settings, remote and in-person modalities, by IRC, local civil society, and governments.Through a robust learning and advocacy agenda, the project seeks to understand and inform others about the impact of holistic early childhood development programming on children.Ahlan Simsim teams employ various learning methods to measure impact, including evaluations, research and prototyping, content review and cost analysis. It is also collaborating with New York University to evaluate the impact of mass media and programming, and positive outcomes for children will be shared publicly to contribute to understanding what works in early childhood development.The programme is investing in visibility, advocacy, growth and fundraising and designing future programme ideas in current and new geographies. It is focusing on getting the word out about what the initiative is doing with the aim of raising the profile of early childhood development in the humanitarian response and ramping up efforts to influence donors and humanitarian actors to prioritise early childhood development and how it should be done to achieve the best outcomes.Each year, the WISE Awards recognise and promote six successful and innovative projects that are addressing global educational challenges.Since 2009, WISE has received more than 5,300 applications from over 151 countries. So far, 90 projects have been awarded, from a wide variety of sectors and locations for their innovation, positive contribution and ability to adapt and scale. These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound educational practice.