Think Creative - Issue 7

YOUTH IMPACTED

• 1,107 youth ages 8 to 17 completed the family counseling intervention • 79 % of youth significantly reduced their risk level • 1,344 families benefited from community activities

Bar ama Baro will target out-of-school children and youth to increase enrollment, create safe learning spaces and improve literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills.

CADRE OF PROFESSIONALS

Photo by JimHuylebroek

Creative to support out-of-school children in Somalia with nearly $50 million USAID education project

• 42 professionals joined a volunteer service network to support communities • 837 service hours completed by professionals in the network in five cities • 30 professionals enrolled in family counseling or juvenile justice and child protection master’s programs

Somalia // Bar ama Baro

other successful Somali-led literacy campaigns.” Bar ama Baro builds on Somalia’s new national cur- riculum and Education Sector Strategic Plan, which lays out a stronger, inclusive vision for education. The newly announced program already has the support and interest of key officials in Somalia. “My gratitude goes to USAID for its tireless support in education for our children, particularly disadvan- taged groups,” said Somali Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi “Godah” Barre in an announcement from the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu. “I trust that this intervention will make a positive impact on our education system, particularly access, quality and governance.”  Creative’s expertise working in conflict and post-conflict areas, particularly in education, will be leveraged to ensure the success of USAID’s Bar ama Baro, said Leland Kruvant, Creative’s President and CEO. “Bar ama Baro is an incredible opportunity to enroll more out-of-school children and youth in accelerated education programs while improving the safety and quality of education,” said Kruvant. “We are proud to continue our work in Somalia and be a partner as the country further develops institutions that serve the wellbeing of its people.” Creative is also implementing the Bringing Unity, Integrity and Legitimacy to Democracy (BUILD) project in Somalia. The project is providing critical assistance to help build electoral systems, strength- en civil society and encourage civic participation in Somalia, with a particular focus on women, youth and other marginalized groups. n

A five-year U.S. government program in Somalia to increase access to quality education and support accelerated learning for out-of-school children and youth who have been persistently left behind is being implemented by Creative and its partners. Funded by USAID, the nearly $50 million program Bar ama Baro (“Teach or Learn” in Somali) will target Somali out-of-school children and youth ages 8 to 15 to increase student enrollment, create safe learning spaces and improve literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills. Eileen St. George, Vice President of Creative’s Education Division, highlighted the urgent need for this type of U.S.-supported initiative and its commitment to building the expertise of the So- mali government to support these students. “Creative is eager to continue this momentum and begin to tackle the challenging issue of out- of-school children and youth, who make up 70 percent of Somalia’s school-age population,” said St. George. Under Creative’s direction, Bar ama Baro will be implemented with Save the Children, ORB Interna- tional, Charlie Goldsmith Associates and SIL LEAD. When USAID announced Bar ama Baro, the U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Donald Y. Yamamoto reinforced U.S. support for the country, particularly in the area of education. “This U.S. government investment will give vul- nerable Somali students vital skills so that they can contribute in a meaningful way to their society,” said Ambassador Yamamoto in an October 2019 statement. “The program focuses on teacher qual- ity and student learning and invokes the spirit of

SUSTAINABILITY

• 4 municipal councils trained in family counseling • 16 organizations certified as service providers for youth with alternative measures to detention • 3 new family counseling clinics for gender-based violence opened • Training manuals, videos and tools available for replication of the family counseling model

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