Think Creative Fall 2023

Program in focus A closer look at Creative’s work in action

Ethiopia USAID READ II Education Recovery Activity

“They draw about peace, hope, winning and a better Ethiopia”

- Eskedar Alebachew, Teacher

During Ethiopia’s bloody two-year conflict, more than 9,300 schools were damaged or destroyed and about 4.5 million students were unable to attend school. Many of them were internally displaced. When a truce was reached, traumatized students reluctantly returned to tattered or ruined classrooms. “During the first art classes, I was teaching lessons about drawing,” says Eskedar Alebachew in Kombolcha, Ethiopia. “All the students drew pictures of weapons, such as Kalashnikovs, pistols, bombs, tanks, etc. Their thinking was connected to war, not to learning.” The USAID READ II Education Recovery Activity’s multifaceted efforts focused on at-risk populations, reducing gender-based violence and developing the skills of school staff to offer psychological first aid and psycho-social and emotional support. Artwork is one of the strategies used in the classroom. “We trained teachers to use the power of art to influence students to forget about the past and to think about a better future,” says Tassew Zewdie, Ph.D., Chief of Party of the USAID READ II Education Recovery Activity. The USAID READ II Education Recovery Activity reached more than 530,000 students in 1,100 plus schools with educational materials, classroom support and more. n

Photo by JimHuylebroek

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