Transforming young lives through education The 2014 Review

www.savethechildren.net

Transforming young lives through educationThe 2014 Review

Education AR 2015 ENG.qxp_Layout 1 01/06/2015 11:17 Page 1

About Save the Children

Our approachAcross all of our work we:

Innovate – to develop evidence-based, replicable solutions to theproblems children face.

Achieve results at scale – by expanding effective and sustainableapproaches.

Use our voice to give others a voice – to advocate and campaignfor better practices and policies to fulfil children’s rights and ensure theirvoices are heard and taken seriously.

Work in partnership with others – children, communities,governments, civil society and private sector organisations – to increaseour impact.

Our visionA world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection,development and participation.

Our missionTo inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children andto achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Contents Front cover Albania: Save the ChildrenBack cover Peru: Save the Children

Pakistan: A

sad Zaidi/Save the Children

Save the Children is the world’s leading independentorganisation for children. It has existed for almost 100 yearsand works in more than 120 countries. Education is oneof our largest programme areas.

2 About Save the Children3 The importance of education4 Global portfolio6 A familiar grounding in a frightening world7 Helping to rebuild young lives8 HEART – healing through creativity9 Boosting literacy, numeracy and learning around the world10 Creating and monitoring Quality Learning Environments12 Inclusive programmes for hard-to-reach communities13 Basic Education: transforming young lives15 Basic Education – a platform for change16 Early Childhood Care and Development: preparation for a better life18 ECCD – a framework for success19 New opportunities for young people20 Change through child sponsorship21 The power of partnerships22 Sharing our experience and expertise for wider success23 Afterword on Nepal, Education Global Initiative Leadership and Endnotes

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Education is the means by which we equip our children withthe skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the world. It’s apowerful tool in developing the full potential of everyone and inpromoting individual and collective wellbeing.

One in ten children are out of school

Despite the fact that education is a human right, 58 million children– close to one in ten children globally – are denied an education.On top of that, a further 250 million school children are preventedfrom learning effectively, for reasons like their teachers haven’t beentrained, or the textbooks are in a language they don’t speak, or thereare not braille books for blind children. Sometimes a child is simplytoo hungry to concentrate.

We continue to focus our efforts on improving access to and qualityof education for those children most in need, so that all childrenlearn from a quality basic education.

This report presents the exciting and significant results we achievedfor children in 2014.

Albania: S

ave the Children

The importance of education Education is a human right, enshrined in law. It isfundamental for human, social and economic developmentand for achieving lasting peace and sustainable development.It’s at the heart of Save the Children’s mission.

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But education is not only important in itself; it alsosaves lives, protects and builds peace and stability.

For example, we know:

A child born to a mother who can read is 50%more likely to survive past the age of 51

One extra year of schooling increasesan individual’s earnings by up to 10%2

If all girls had primary education there would be14% fewer child marriages3

Voters with a primary education are1.5 times more likely to support democracy4


Global portfolio

Information correct as of April 2015. The delineation of national boundaries on this map should not be considered definitive.

In 2014, Save theChildren implemented

education programmes in

84 countriesworldwide.

Investment ineducation represents

25%of Save the Children’s

expenditure on programmes.

We invested

US$288 millionin our education programmes globally,up 15% from the start of our current

strategic period in 2012.

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5


A familiar grounding ina frightening world

6

Every time an emergency unfolds, be it natural disaster,political upheaval, conflict, famine or disease, children findthemselves in a bewildering world, with little or no control.

Last year, Save the Children reached over4.8 million children affected by emergencies. Ina total of 103 humanitarian responses, educationfeatured in more than 50.

We continue to honour the promise we made tochildren through our Rewrite the Future campaignand were able to ensure access to education for200,000 children in 14 conflict-affected fragilestates5. We have assisted 2.06 million childrenin this way since 2005.

By reinstating education we can give children afamiliar routine. We can make them visible oncemore. We have a better chance of protectingthem and helping them to recover. And we cangive them a renewed and welcome focus on thefuture. Most importantly, we can give childrenwhat they ask for: a chance to learn.

A global leader

Since 2007 Save the Children and UNICEF havebeen jointly coordinating international agencies’emergency education work through theEducation Cluster. With a rapid response teamdeployed to emergencies around the globe, andcrucial support provided to 19 countries, 2014was no exception.

In Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States, the mostconflict-affected areas of South Sudan, we wereable to deploy trained experts to strengthen the

education in emergencies programming, includingproviding training to State education focal points.

When education was the only area not to beallocated funding through the CommonHumanitarian Fund, Save the Children notonly listened to the wishes of children andcommunities as they called for education, but wetook action. We were successful in raising closeto US$4 million through the Education Cluster’scampaign to demand education for the childrenof South Sudan.

Ebola in West Africa – supportingchildren through education

Throughout 2014, Save the Childrenteams were on the ground in SierraLeone, Guinea and Liberia responding tothe Ebola outbreak that killed more than8,500 people. Our Crisis Response waswide-ranging and required carefulintegration of our Water, Sanitation &Hygiene (WASH), Health, ChildProtection and Education programming.We were able to reach more than155,762 people, of whom 49,469 werechildren.

In Liberia, the team distributed low riskEbola prevention materials to Save the

Children supported school communitiesand delivered home education kits tochildren in quarantined households. InSierra Leone we worked with theMinistry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) at district level tostrengthen the coordination of theEducation in Emergency (EiE) response.

In Guinea, we began the process ofsupporting schools in preparation forreopening. As the health crisis wasbrought under control, we worked withgovernments on plans for the safereopening of schools and getting anestimated 3.5 million children back toeducation.

Libe

ria: A

ubrey W

ade/Save the

Children

Libe

ria: A

ubrey W

ade/Save the

Children


Helping to rebuild young lives

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Amidst the conflict zones and post-disaster landscapes, weare working with partners to bring education to children indesperate need.

Syria: new futures in a desolate world

Four years into the devastating Syrian civil war,almost three million children are out of school.In addition to the risks from the violence anddisplacement, children are increasingly vulnerableto child labour, early marriage and recruitmentinto armed groups. Many schools have beenbombed, looted or destroyed. Many schoolsare deserted as the population flees to safety.A generation of children is being lost and deniededucation.

Save the Children and our partners supported53 schools in northern Syria in 2014, providing23,400 children with Early Childhood Care andDevelopment (ECCD), Basic Education andyouth activities.

Psychosocial support and child protection is avital component in helping children cope with thetrauma they face. Being flexible with schooling isvital for everyone’s safety.

Save the Children is supporting the ‘No LostGeneration Initiative’ (NGLI) set up by a groupof governments, the UN, donors and NGOs totackle the desperate need of Syria’s children foreducation and physical and psychosocial support.

Philippines – after the typhoon

On 8th November 2013 Typhoon Yolanda(Haiyan), the most powerful storm ever to makelandfall, hit the Philippines, affecting 14 millionpeople. Throughout 2014, Save the Childrenhelped to rebuild lives and infrastructure,reaching 800,000 people with life-saving aid andsupport.

Within three months, our Education inEmergencies programme was providing 13,000children with Basic Education and 9,000 childrenwith ECCD education. Within five months ourinfrastructure teams had assisted in the repairand reconstruction of 200 classrooms and40 ECCD centres.

Child friendly spaces in Bosniaand Herzegovina

In May 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovinaexperienced severe flooding that displacedover three million people, affecting200,000 children. As part of theemergency response, Save the Childrenestablished 16 Child Friendly Spaceswhere children could play and accesseducation, psychosocial support andother help.

Disaster Risk Reduction inZambia

In Zambia we have been helping schoolsbuild capacity to respond to naturaldisasters and emergencies such as adverseweather conditions. We worked withschool management, teachers and childrento develop Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)plans in 18 schools, and taught 2,310children and 129 teachers about disasterrisk reduction and preparedness.

“There are barrel bombs and shelling in the city every day.The helicopter usually shells after 12 noon, so we haveadapted the school hours to finish before then. We haveprepared a safe basement in the schools in case of suddenattack, as well as a plan to safely evacuate the school.”

Jordan: H

annah Maule-Ffin

ch/Save the Children

23,400Together with our partners, weprovided 23,400 children witheducation in northern Syria.

Our Education in Emergencies programme reached21,000 children affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

21,000


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HEART – beginning the healing forrefugee children in Jordan

HEART currently supports children aged 3-15 ineight countries in emergency settings and wherechildren face other forms of stress and adversity.HEART can be integrated into pre-schools,primary schools, after-school programmes andcommunity centres. HEART also features in ourChild Friendly Spaces, which provide a safe placewhere children can play, socialise, and begin torecover after a natural disaster or emergency.HEART is expected to expand to another sixcounties by the end of 2016.

Nada (17) and her family escaped the violence inSyria to the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan.Nada tells us that taking part in HEART (Healingand Education through the Arts) has changedeverything:

“After two HEART sessions, I made the decisionto look forward, start fresh and put everythingnegative behind me. I look back at myself before

coming to HEART, and I see a girl with a darkheart, but today I am the complete opposite.”

Save the Children is running HEART programmesin four Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. We haveset up three kindergartens, 14 Child and FamilyCentres and three Multi-activity Centres forteenagers, reaching a total of almost 17,000children.

Nep

al: S

usan W

arne

r/Save the

Children

HEART – healing through creativity

HEART (Healing and Education through the Arts) is a uniqueprogramme that uses expressive arts to provide psychosocialsupport to children affected by trauma and poverty. Using drawing,painting, sculpture, music, dance, storytelling, drama and other formsof artistic expression, HEART empowers children to process andcommunicate feelings related to traumatic events, so they can healas well as learn in creative ways. It has provided comfort andsupport to children in many of our impact areas such as Jordan, theoccupied Palestinian territories, Malawi, China, Nepal and Bosnia.

Jordan: R

osie Tho

mpson


Percentage of children who understandwhat they are reading before and after

one year of Literacy Boost

Bangladesh

before Literacy Boost

Ehiopia Indonesia

80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%

after a year of Literacy Boost

10%

49%

32%

64% 67%

19%

Boosting literacy, numeracyand learning around the world

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Our global vision is to ensure that all children can read by the timethey leave primary school. 2014 saw our Literacy Breakthroughefforts around the world move us nearer to that goal.

Currently, 250 million children struggle to learnbasic reading and writing skills by grade four,feeding the cycle of poverty for them and fortheir families. If all students in low-incomecountries left school with basic reading skills,we could cut world poverty by12%.6

To meet this global challenge, Save the Childrencreates inclusive, child-centred programmes tohelp children and young adults to boost theirliteracy and numeracy. By training teachers,providing materials and taking reading and mathsinto homes and the wider community, ourprogrammes give children the skills, confidenceand ability to seize better opportunities forthemselves and their families as they grow-up.

In 2014 Save the Children reached 1.3 millionchildren across 25 countries with activities thatdirectly contribute to improving their literacyskills.

Literacy Boost continues to deliverimprovements in Pakistan

During 2014, our signature ‘Literacy Boost’programme in Pakistan reached 197,806 children.Many children here face the challenge of havingto learn at school in a different language (Urdu,Persian or Brahvi for example) to the one theyspeak at home. Our Literacy Boost results show

significant progress in core reading skills acrossboth languages. The average ability to understand an Urdu passage increased from18% comprehension to 54% after Literacy Boostand from 10% to 30% in Pashto. This will givechildren a real benefit at both school and home.

Reading Together and LearningTogether in Peru and Guatemala

“Their reading is more fluent andtheir ability to retain what theyhave read has also improved.”With support from USAID, our ‘ReadingTogether, Learning Together’ programmereached 5,698 children in the Apurimac regionof Peru, and 10,197 children in the Quichédepartment of Guatemala. In both countries,the programme is helping to strengthenchildren’s reading skills in school and thecommunity through reading camps, readingbanks, storytelling and workshops with parents.

Yara, one of our 190 trained reading volunteersin Peru, told us: “Children have the opportunityto read many books. We did not have thatbefore in this community. Their reading is morefluent and their ability to retain what they haveread has also improved."

Literacy Boost across the world

934,000 children from 227 countriesbenefitted from our ‘Literacy Boost’programmes in 2014. Results fromBangladesh, Ethiopia and Indonesia areshowing significant improvements incomprehension just one year after theprogramme was introduced. In Bangladesh,students with a low baseline of 10%comprehension showed an almost 5-foldincrease in comprehension to 49%.

Indonesian students recorded a three-foldincrease from 19% to 67% comprehensionand children in Ethiopia recorded adoubling of comprehension from a higherbaseline of 32% to 64%.

In Zimbabwe the percentage of childrenwho couldn’t read a passage identifiedas appropriate for their school grade fellby half for children participating in ourLiteracy Boost programme, from 56%to 28%.

1.3mWe reached 1.3 million children across25 countries with literacy activities.

Literacy Boost in Bangladesh, Ethiopia andIndonesia tripled the average percentage of childrenwho understand what they're reading to 60%.


Child-centeredteaching and

learner engagement

Protect children’sphysical wellbeing

Parent andcommunityengagement

Meet learners’emotional and

psychological needs

Learningand

Development

Quality Learning Environments

Development contextEm

erge

nc

y conte

xt

Developm

ent c

onte

xt

Emergency context

Creating and monitoringQuality Learning Environments

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Today, there are more children in school, not learning, than there are childrenout of school. Save the Children is at the frontline, offering a child-centred andholistic new approach to this global crisis.

2014 saw the embedding of ourinnovative Quality LearningEnvironments (QLE) approach. All ofour programmes will eventually becreated, monitored and assessedagainst the QLE framework.

Designing programmes using QLEhelps support inclusive andparticipatory learning, enabling thedevelopment of life skills, such ascritical thinking, communication andcivic awareness, in addition to literacyand numeracy skills. It also integratesacross sectors like education, healthand child protection.

The four guiding principles of QLEare:

• learning environments that ensure children’s emotional and psycho-social protection

• learning environments that are physically safe

• teachers that encourage an active, child-centred learning process

• parents and communities that actively support the children’s learning process.

In 2014 we continued to make crucialsteps towards our goal of qualityeducation for all children. In total,35 countries measured the qualityof their education programmesusing QLE.

We found that 83% of all BasicEducation environments and 88% ofearly learning spaces assessedachieved at least one of our stringentQLE guiding principles. Moreover,34% of Basic Education environmentsand 37% of early learning spacesassessed achieved all four. Thisrepresents a year-on-year increase of3% in terms of Basic Educationenvironments and a decrease of 6% inrelation to early learning spaces.

While the percentage of learningenvironments achieving each guidingprinciple has remained fairly constantsince QLE was first launched in 2012,we believe that the underlyingposition is one of progress. As ourstaff, partners and beneficiariesbecome more familiar with how touse the tool, the marking standard isbecoming more stringent. This isgreat news, giving us more detaileddata, but at the same time may be

affecting the comparison with earlierscores. Over time, and as morepeople become familiar with QLE, weexpect to see this anomaly reducedand QLE to become an essential andreliable measure of success.

Critically, we are using these findingsto inform our 2016–2018 global andcountry strategies and focus ourefforts so that all our schools,informal and early learning spacesachieve all four guiding principles. Wewill work with health, nutrition andchild protection colleagues to ensurewe are meeting children’s emotionaland psychological needs, keepingthem physically safe, improving theirlearning outcomes and encouragingchildren’s active engagement in classand their parents’ involvement inimproving education.

Quality Basic Education Environments

Of the 1,715 Basic Education environments assessed in 2014,we found that:

• 66% encouraged and supported active engagement for learners, child-centered teaching and improved learning for all learners• 54% were protective of children’s physical wellbeing• 55% met children’s emotional and psychological needs• 61% involved parents and communities in meaningful and appropriate ways

Quality Early Learning Environments

Of the 1,129 early learning environments assessed in 2014, wefound that:

• 76% encouraged and supported active engagement for learners, child-centered teaching and improved learning for all learners• 71% were protective of children’s physical wellbeing• 64% met children’s emotional and psychological needs• 53% involved parents and communities in meaningful and appropriate ways


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QLE principles are enshrined in our innovative approachcalled ‘I’m Learning!’

I’m Learning! pilots in Cambodia,Zimbabwe and Uganda

In 2014, I’m Learning! was piloted in 15 schools inCambodia with encouraging results. Retentionrates were up by 86-88%, literacy rates by 32-34%and numeracy rates by 14-17%. All the schoolsshowed improvements in their QLE scores, withSvay Teab school in Kampong Cham provinceachieving two of the guiding principles for the firsttime in 2014. In total, the pilot reached 5,837children, 2,829 of whom were girls. The Ministry ofEducation has also shown a keen interest in I’mLearning! and has invited Save the Children toparticipate in developing and implementing thenational education reform based on ourexperiences from the pilot.

In Zimbabwe, improvements delivered by I’mLearning! in primary schools throughout 2014 wereacknowledged by state officials. Two of our pilotschools won the 2014 Ministry of Education MeritAward due to their outstanding nationalexamination results, desirable learning facilities,community involvement and their quality ofeducation.

We also piloted the I’m Learning! QLE approach in11 schools in the Gulu district of Uganda,increasing from five schools in 2013. Throughoutthe course of 2014, teachers worked hard to makelessons more child centred and to cater forindividual learning needs. Lessons became morefun, interesting and relevant to children’s lives. Lowcost materials were used to make lessons morehands-on and meaningful and the children wereencouraged to express opinions and contribute tolessons. Teachers followed up the initiative withnewspapers in local languages to take learning outto the wider community in the form of ‘living

textbooks’. All five of the original pilot schools thatwe collected baseline results from in 2013 sawsignificant improvements in the quality of theirlearning environments as a result of these activities.In 2014, all five improved their QLE scores withfour of the five achieving at least one guidingprinciple, one school achieving three guidingprinciples and two schools achieving all four.

QLE approach used to revamp twoCentres in Iraq

Children caught up in emergencies still have everyright to a good quality education. Save the Childrenhas used the QLE tool to consult and brainstormwith children, parents and Centre staff to agree aplan of improvement at two Child Friendly Centresin the Erbil region of Iraq. We were then able toprovide the appropriate skilled labour, building andlearning materials, while parents and staff assistedwith other tasks such as painting walls, layingcarpets and assembling play equipment.

Our education team gave Centre staff extra inputon encouraging development and positive discipline.New toys and other play materials were supplied,with training about how best to use them tofacilitate learning. Hygiene levels were tackled withthe Centres’ cleaners, and through personalhygiene lessons for the children. Road safety wasalso addressed, with training for the children andtraffic control measures to make the Centreentrances safer.

As these projects continue, and as newhumanitarian crises unfold, our emergencyprogrammes will be assessed against all four of theguiding principles, ensuring this new QLE approachcontinues to deliver holistic benefits for children,their families and communities for years to come.

Ugand

a: Jo

rdan J. H

ay


Inclusive programmes forhard-to-reach communities

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Our literacy and numeracy programmes often target the mostmarginalised children, many of whom find themselves excludedbecause of cultural attitudes to ethnicity, gender, disability or poverty.

Joining the coffee harvest in Guatemala

Children living in the coffee cultivation areas ofGuatemala have traditionally been at risk of childlabour and exploitation, particularly duringharvest time (November to February). Save theChildren has been running six ComprehensiveCare Centres to deliver educational and healthsupport to 846 children age 3-13 during harvesttime. ‘Parent’s School’ compliments our literacyand numeracy programmes; 2,708 parentsattended to learn how best to support theirchildren. A significant achievement this year hasbeen with the coffee producing cooperatives,which are now also supporting our efforts.

Snapping to it in Sri Lanka

SNAP (Special Needs Action Pack) trainsteachers in Sri Lanka with strategies andmaterials to reach children who are struggling inthe classroom due to hidden disabilities orlearning difficulties. In the Minuwangoda district,SNAP has been combined with Literacy Boost in15 target schools, and helped students withlanguage and learning challenges make notableprogress towards closing the learning gap withtheir non-struggling peers. The Zonal EducationOffice was so pleased with the changes they sawin the classrooms that they are planning toreplicate the activities to all 149 schools acrossthe district.

The Literacy Boost programme significantlyimproved students’ reading fluency, especially forstudents identified as slow learners at baselinewho caught up to non-slow learner peers in thisand almost every reading skill.

The occupied Palestinian territories –inclusive education policy

In 2014, we worked with the Ministry ofEducation in the occupied Palestinian territoriesto launch an inclusive education policy. Wetrained 115 teachers in supporting childrenwith special learning needs. Overall, we helped3,475 children with physical and/or learningdisabilities gain better access to qualityeducation. 241 children were supported withhearing, visual or mobility aids and 527 childrenwith special needs were able to join in withrecreational activities. We also equipped12 schools with specialist resource rooms.

Giving a voice to minority groupsin Albania

In Albania, Roma and Egyptian communities havetraditionally been less supportive of theirchildren attending school. In 2014, ourprogrammes reached 1,500 children from theseminorities, welcoming them into mainstreameducation and providing recreational, social andhealth support. A number have also beenelected onto Children’s Governments and over

80 parents are now on school boards andclassroom councils, giving these minoritiesa voice that has been lacking in Albanianeducation.

India – helping more girls intoschoolIn the remote districts of Rajasthan inIndia we are working with parents,

communities and the state educationdepartment to encourage and improveeducational access for marginalisedchildren, especially girls. Schools in thetarget area have been enhanced aslearning environments, the curriculum hasbeen made more child-centred, and thechildren also now enjoy enriching activitiessuch as sport, drama, art and music.

Sri L

anka: S

ave the Children

3,475Children with physical and/or learningdisabilities gained better access to qualityeducation in oPt.

We improved educationalaccess for girls in districts ofRajasthan in India.


Basic Education:transforming young livesFrom expanding access to education and improving the quality of teachingand learning environments, to protecting children and meeting their healthand nutrition needs, Save the Children Basic Education programmes havethe power to transform the lives of millions of children worldwide.

‘Vive Education’ in the conflict areas ofColombia

‘Vive Education’ is a five-year project (2013–2018) thataims to protect the right to education for 120,000vulnerable children and young people in southwesternColombia, where they are at risk from ongoing armedconflict. Working with a number of partner NGOs andthe Ministry for Education, the project has nowtrained 1,531 teachers. In the community, 927 childrenand 198 families have also received training onpromoting child rights with particular regard to theimportance of education.

Child Participation in practice inEl Salvador

By equipping students with the health and nutritionknowledge necessary for them to foster healthypractices and interventions within their schools, our

School Health Nutrition programme in El Salvadorhas empowered students as ‘health brigadiers’ andagents of change within their community. Theprogramme empowers them to plan and implementchanges in their own schools in order to create ahealthier learning environment. The project showsimpressive reach, from the original 14 schools to69 schools in 2014.

SHIKHON – back to school in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh our SHIKHON programme (Shikhonwhich means ‘learning in Bangla) has reached 150,000out-of-school children in marginalised communities,providing them with flexible non-formal education.Involving parents and communities, SHIKHONaccelerates learning, helping children catch up andcomplete the basic education curriculum in four yearsinstead of five. The programme has achieved a 93%attendance rate and a 96% pass rate at grade three.

El Salvado

r: Save the Children

13

Boosting school enrolments in ZambiaIn Gwembe and Kazungula districts, a programme of school building

and improvements has seen enrolment increase from

12,348 to 13,157.


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Reaching out to vulnerable children inRomania

In December 2014 we launched our ‘Educationfor vulnerable children’ project in Romaniawhere poverty and illiteracy among parentspresent many barriers to education. Supportedby H&M Conscious Foundation, the project hassome ambitious objectives, among themintegrating 600 marginalised children intopreschool and basic education.

According to 9 year-old Stephania, the projectis already yielding results. Blind in one eye andpartially sighted in the other, Stephania wasstruggling at school. Now she attends our afterschool programme where she is flourishing dueto the specialist support she receives. “Myteacher is very kind and gentle to me and sheloves me,” Stephania tells us. “All my classmatesare good and they play with me; we make jokesand we play funny games. It is really nice beinghere.”

Kyrgyzstan – mainstream education forchildren with disabilities

Historically, Kyrgyzstan has not welcomedchildren with disabilities into mainstreamschools. Funded by the EU and launched in May2014, our new project ‘Promoting, Protectingand Enforcing the rights of persons withdisabilities in Kyrgyzstan’ is changing all that.

Jannara Moldaliva, headmistress at SuidanovSchool says: “After being involved with theproject, I have understood how important it isfor children with disabilities to be included inmainstream schools. We now have 24 childrenwith different disabilities: visual and hearingimpairment, motor disabilities, epilepsies, andintellectual disability.”

Cambodia: how can school competewith work?Srey Oun, age 13, fell behind at school becauseshe had to work shelling crabs to help her family.In the end, like so many children in her remotevillage in Cambodia, she gave up school becausethe teacher was unsympathetic, and the oldbuilding was dangerous and unsanitary.

Last year, Save the Children finished building anew school for her village with five classroomsand proper hygiene facilities. We also trained theteaching staff in new child-centred approaches.Now Srey Oun does everything she can to getto school. “My school is a lot better thanbefore,” she says. “My teacher has stoppedpunishing me for arriving late. I will do my bestto finish higher because now I want to be adoctor so I can treat my parents and the othervillagers.”

Kosov

o: Save the Children

Cam

bodia: Save the Children

“I have understood how important it is for children with disabilities to be included in mainstream schools.”


Basic Education –a platform for change

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Basic Education is a fantastic tool for engaging and informingcommunities, governments and education policy around the world.

Empowering communities in Nepal

Since 2005, our Community-based EducationManagement Information System (CEMIS) hasenabled us to involve local communities inidentifying and addressing educational needs intheir area.

Working with school management, children’sclubs, parent teacher associations and otherkey resource people, CEMIS has resulted incommunities taking joint responsibility for schoolimprovements and ensuring that all childrenattend school. Enrolment rates in Save theChildren impact areas are now between96% and 99%.

Planning for the future in Myanmar

In Myanmar we are making efforts to engagewith the emerging education services to highlightneeds and inform future developments. To thisend we have designed a detailed database andcollected data from 153,455 students in KarenState, which can be used by both Save theChildren and the government to assist infuture planning and delivery of education.

Water Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) global review

In 2014, we partnered with UNICEF toundertake a global review of water, sanitationand hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools in23 countries. Specifically, we were looking atthe ‘Operation and Maintenance’ (O&M) ofthese facilities and the role of both governmentsand school boards in ensuring this was doneto a good standard.

Our findings found that frequently O&M wasunder-prioritised and underfunded. We nowhave a set of recommendations for improvingO&M including strengthening policy, streamliningfunding and increasing the financial capabilities ofthose responsible for planning in schools. Thisanalysis will help education authorities aroundthe world to improve the quality of sanitationfor students and could ultimately save thousandsof young lives needlessly lost to preventabledisease each year.

Philipp

ines: Joa

n Marie del M

undo

/Save the Children

23 countries took part in a globalreview of WASH facilities in schools.

We empowered communities in Nepalthrough our Community-based EducationManagement System


Early Childhood Care andDevelopment: preparationfor a better life

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From years of work in Early Childhood Care and Development(ECCD) around the world, we know that children given early accessto education can expect better outcomes in later life.

Starting education in early years has numerous benefits. EveryECCD programme supported by Save the Children aims tomeet young children’s cognitive, linguistic, physical andpsychosocial needs.

We aim to keep each child safe and protected. We supporttheir learning. And crucially, we use ECCD to encourageparents’ to get fully involved with their children’s education,creating a vital platform for continued learning anddevelopment.

US$40m investment in Mozambique

Following outstanding educational outcomes from our pilotECCD programme in 2012/13, the World Bank advanced theGovernment of Mozambique US$40m loan to create a nationalECCD programme drawing on our expertise. This newprogramme will aim to reach 40,000 children in 600communities and Save the Children will play a significant role inits implementation.

Reaching 18,000 preschool children in Myanmar

In Myanmar only 22.9% of children have access to ECCD,meaning that many are poorly prepared for the transition toprimary school, especially those whose first language is not thesame as the one used in schools. Save the Children has beenworking to address this issue in 42 townships since 1997.Between January 2013 and June 2014, we reached over 18,000children through our ECCD projects.

Among them is Phyo Phyo, age 3, who lives with hergrandparents and four siblings in Kayin State. “She is the first ofmy grandchildren to attend the ECCD centre,” explains hergrandmother. “She knows better than the elder brothers andsisters on colours, vocabulary, animals and fruits.”

Noam Thar, age 4, is also benefitting. “Before attending thiscentre she could not pronounce words well,” Noam Thar’sgrandmother tells us. “Now she speaks more fluently. She canalso dance, sing, say prayers to Buddha, write and draw.”

Fun and games in Rwanda and Ethiopia

Our ‘Emergent Literacy and Maths’ (ELM) toolkit is being usedto great effect in ECCD Centres in Rwanda and Ethiopia, wherepreschool children are learning through fun and games.

In Rwanda this approach has shown children reaching17 percentage points above average in their learningdevelopment, and experiencing significant improvements in thequality of both school and home as fun learning environments.In Ethiopia similarly impressive findings also showed that ELM helped those children from the lowest socio-economicbackgrounds catch up with their peers.

India – PhD courses launchedIn 2010, Save the Children collaborated with Jamia Milia University in New Delhi to create theCentre for Early Childhood Development and Research, with the aim of bridging the gap betweenearly years theory, practice and policy formulation in India. 2014 saw the launch of a new PhDcourse in Early Childhood Care and Education, furthering the research capabilities of the Centre.

Myanm

ar: S

ave the Children


Launching ECCD in the remotevillages of Honduras

Working with local communities and ourpartner, USAID, 2014 saw the expansion ofaccess to quality preschool education intoremote areas of Honduras. Local parent councilsmanage these preschools. We have beenproviding teachers with training, qualitymonitoring tools and a network of professionalsupport, bringing learning, play, health andparental support to a new generation of childrenfor the first time.

Broadening children’s outlook inMexico

In 2014, we set out to improve teaching in176 Community ECCD Centres serving 8,642children. By the end of the year we haddelivered enhanced training to 482 educatorsin subject areas as broad as ‘exploration andknowledge of the world’, ‘language andcommunication’ and ‘mathematical thinking’.To the delight of many children, sport is welland truly on the curriculum too, now that174 educators have been certified as ‘Supervisorsof Physical Activation for kindergarten’ by theSports Institute of the Federal District (IDDF).

Addressing grief through creativityin Nepal

Saraswati Ghimire, an ECCD HEART facilitatorin Nepal, realised that one of her pupils wasdeeply unhappy. Raveena wouldn’t join in withthe other children and spent her time drawingand drawing. “Why don’t you dance and sing?Why are you so quiet?” Saraswati asked her.

“One day she stopped drawingabout her father’s death. Graduallya happy little girl emerged.”

The answer was in Raveena’s drawings, which oncloser inspection, revealed the little girl’s deepgrief at the recent loss of her father, somethingher mother had thought she was too young tounderstand. “I kept encouraging her to draw andtell the stories of what she drew until one dayshe stopped drawing about her father’s death,”Saraswati said. Gradually a happy little girlemerged and Raveena began singing and dancingwith her friends.

HEART with children orphaned by HIVin Malawi

In Malawi, in 2014, HEART reached almost18,000 children, 33% of whom have beenorphaned by HIV. We worked in ECCD centres,schools and in afterschool clubs in communitycentres. We also training 280 preschoolfacilitators, 210 afterschool programmefacilitators and 30 community volunteers.100 community leaders attended HEARTseminars. Apart from all the fun and creativity,one of the most significant accomplishments ofthe programme was to encourage out of schoolchildren back into ECCD and primary school.

Nep

al: S

anjana Shrestha

17

Rwanda: Jen

ny Bloxh

am/Save the Children


ECCD – a frameworkfor success

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2014 saw the launch of IDELA – our International Developmentand Early Learning Assessment tool, designed to provide a globalevidence base for ECCD.

Built to fill the global gap in measuring childdevelopment and the effectiveness of preschooleducation, IDELA can be used around the worldin a diverse range of educational settings, from aremote village in Peru to a refugee camp inJordan.

Making the link between health andlearning in Mali

In Mali, 10,000 children under five years receivedmalaria treatment, deworming and ironsupplements and our teams are using IDELA ina number of ways to understand the inter-relationship between a child’s health and theirlearning development.

Seasonal malaria has been proven to negativelyimpact children’s ECCD attendance but little isknown about its impact on their cognition.

Preliminary results highlight the need toreinforce children’s emergent language andnumeracy skills to help them to succeed on intoprimary school. Our teams have also conducteda cost-effectiveness study of an integratedpackage of nutrition, malaria prevention andeducation. Further research is being funded bythe World Bank’s Strategic Impact EvaluationFunds and will include studies into the effects ofparents’ education on child health anddevelopment.

Data collected through IDELA willincrease our accountability tocommunities and donors, assist incontinuous improvement of ourprogrammes and contribute to theglobal evidence base for ECCD.Already it is being used in many ofour country offices and in projectsled by UNESCO, UNICEF, theWorld Bank and the BrookingsInstitute.

Mali: Annie Bod

mer-Roy

New opportunitiesfor young people

So many low-income countries around the world have growingyouth populations that don’t have the qualifications behind them,nor the opportunities in front of them they need to succeed.Our programmes tackle both issues.

Global youth programmes

Last year, we provided 4,000 vulnerable young people in fourdeveloping countries with education and training sessions,helping them to gain employment.

Engaging with parents, communities,government and both private and publicsector employers, our youth programmesgive young people the potential to findwork, to engage in their communities andto start to develop a future for themselves.

Renewed hope for Samar, a 16 year-oldSyrian refugee

“HEART has taught me to value myself as a child and as ayoung woman,” explains 16 year-old Samar. Two years agoSamar and her family had to flee Syria for the relative safety ofZa’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Sadly her father was not ableto join them.

“My father is everything to me. I came here feeling like half ofme was still in Syria and it tore me apart. Ever since the warstarted in Syria, I decided I wanted to become a journalist toreport the truth to the world. My father was the strongestsupporter of this dream, and being separated from himshattered me.” Samar has been attending Healing andEducation through the Arts (HEART) sessions at our Multi-activity Centre in the camp, set up to provide education andsupport to refugee children.

“Two years later my determination to fulfilmy dream is at its strongest,” smiles Samar.“And it’s because the HEART sessions gaveme hope again.”

Helping young people to reach secondary school inCambodia

Nheuk Lay, age 15, was afraid that she would have to give upschool after grade six. Traditionally, the minority ethnic group,Kouy, to which she belongs, places little importance oneducation and, besides, the nearest school was some distanceaway and in poor condition. In 2012, as part of our RemovingBarriers’ project, Save the Children began consulting with thelocal authorities and community to refurbish the old schooland build five new classrooms so to that children like Nheukcould move up to secondary school. “After hearing this news,my mother and I are very happy,” Nheuk tells us.

“I want to finish high school and want to bea teacher. I thank Save the Children verymuch.”

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Colom

bia: Save the Children


Change throughchild sponsorship Our child sponsorship programmes, which link individual donorsdirect with children, deliver tremendous reach, scale and impact allaround the world. This significant funding source allows us todevelop new approaches in numerous areas. Some of our greatestachievements in 2014 include:

Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)

In El Salvador our ECCD curriculum has been adopted nationally, as has ourteacher training programme, which aims to train all teachers by the end of 2015.

Basic Education

In the Philippines, after successfully testing Literacy Boost in three schools inManila, the government asked Save the Children to expand our teacher trainingactivities to all 53 Division Schools.

School Health and Nutrition (SHN)

In Malawi, we supported teachers to provide over 12,000 malaria treatments,significantly reducing the effects of the disease and its impact on schoolattendance.

Malaw

i: Amos G

umulira/Save the

Children

SCHOOL

5312,000

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The power of partnerships

Working with major brands around the world often gives us theopportunity to take our education programmes into new areas,sometimes reflecting the expertise of our sponsor.

Jewellery-making in Colombia with Bulgari

In Barbacoas, Colombia, the renowned jewellery companyBulgari is funding one of our projects for young people. Theproject builds on the local tradition of filigree jewellery-makingand seeks to provide vocational training opportunities and lifeskills in a region where employment is limited and the risks ofbeing drawn into armed conflict are high.

During 2014, young jewellers participated intwo craft fairs where they presented andmarketed their work with some impressivesales results.

Wrigley Oral Health Partnership, targeting over400,000 children around the world

Since 2011, the Wrigley Company Foundation has beenpartnering with Save the Children in six countries to teachchildren and their families the basics of good oral hygiene. Inits first phase the project reached 300,000 children in China,Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Tajikistan and Vietnam. Weplan to reach another 400,000 by June 2015.

Oral health skills are taught in school lessons as part of ourSchool Health and Nutrition programme. As Save the Childrenstaff members like to say, “Let’s keep children healthy to learn,and help children learn to be healthy.” The positive impact ofthe project has been recognised by the Indonesian governmentwho now include oral healthcare in the national curriculum,and in Tajikistan where our information leaflets are placed indental clinics across the region. Data collected from theproject is being used to improve oral hygiene lessons in all ourimpact areas around the world.

“Let’s keep children healthy to learn, and help children learn to be healthy.”

IKEA supports education for marginalised childrenin the Philippines

Naima, age 9, arrives at school each day with a tattered schoolbag and a dream as bright as her smile. “I am happy when I amhere. And it will help me become a teacher someday.” She isespecially grateful to her school, since as a member of theminority Magindanawn speaking community she wouldn’tusually be able to access education in her mother tongue.

Naima’s school is part of our ‘PromotingQuality and Equality in Education forChildren of Marginalized Communities inSouth Central Mindanao’ project, which isfunded by the IKEA Foundation. Obviouslyit’s so much easier to learn in your firstlanguage and Naima is aiming to be top ofher class at the end of the year.

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Philipp

ines: S

usan W

arne

r/Save the

Children


Sharing our experience andexpertise for wider success

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We often work to develop best practice approaches that we canshare with communities, governments or other NGOs to maximisepositive impact for children around the world. Here are threeexamples pioneered by Save the Children in 2014.

Menstrual Hygiene ManagementGuidelines for School Health andNutrition programmes

Menstruation and puberty can be a real barrierto girls’ education. In many countries in whichwe work, poor knowledge, biologicallyinaccurate beliefs and harmful practices aroundmenstruation and reproductive health arecompounded by a stigma of being unclean.Moreover the water, sanitation and hygienefacilities in schools are often inadequate,preventing girls from accessing a safe, private andhygienic space to manage menstruation at school.

During 2014, we developed Menstrual HygieneManagement (MHM) Operational Guidelines,which were reviewed by seven organisations,including Save the Children, Columbia University,Emory University, WASH Advocates, FHI360,UNESCO and UNICEF.

Save the Children offices in Bangladesh, Bolivia,China, El Salvador and the Philippines havealready piloted use of the guidelines. The processstarts with qualitative methods designed tohighlight the most pressing challenge for girls andallow various community members to provide

suggestions of how to make schools a betterplace for menstruating girls. The process thenleads on to programme design involving activechild and youth participation, together withother important stakeholders from the educationsector. Finally, each office measured girls’ andboys’ knowledge, attitudes and practices througha baseline survey with a total of 726 girls and443 boys, from 39 schools.

Sharing best practice on inclusiveeducation for children with disabilities

In November 2014, Save the Children broughttogether participants from Bangladesh,Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Kosovo, Myanmarand the Philippines to explore inclusive educationas a response to discrimination against childrenwith disabilities.

The aim of the two-day workshop was toenable learning and experience sharing betweenprojects and countries. Take-aways includedhow to create an inclusive quality learningenvironment in school, how to enableparticipation of children with disabilities ineducation, and advocacy and communitymobilisation for inclusive education.

Mexico: creating a manual forinclusive education

Save the Children, worked with Mexicopartners ASI and Alfredo Harp HelúFoundation to create a ‘Manual for theinclusion of children with disabilities andtheir families in the Community ChildDevelopment Centres’.

This clear and simple tool brings togetherall the theoretical and practical informationneeded to help ensure that children withdisabilities are given proper access toeducation and support in their communities.

Myanm

ar: S

ave the Children

Seven leading global organisations, includingUNESCO, UNICEF and Colombia University,reviewed our Menstrual Hygiene ManagementOperational Guidelines.

We shared best practice on inclusiveeducation for children with disabilitieswith countries around the world.

7


Endnotes

1. UNESCO (2013/4). Teaching and Learning: Achieving quality for all (Education for All Global Monitoring Report).2. Ibid. UNESCO (2013/4). 3. Ibid. UNESCO (2013/4).4. UNESCO (2009). Overcoming inequality: why governance matters (Education for All Global Monitoring Report).5. Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina (NW Balkans), Cambodia, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda.6. Ibid. UNESCO (2013/4). 7. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Dominican Republic, DRC, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Zambia.8. Figures correct as of 25th May 2015.

Afterword on NepalDear friends,

As we finalise this review of our accomplishments in 2014, we are deeplysaddened by the news of two devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal on the25th April and 12th May 2015.

Many of the communities, families and children that we work with have beenaffected by this disaster. More than 9,000 people have perished and another17,000 injured. An estimated 25,000 classrooms have been destroyed and afurther 10,000 damaged by the earthquakes. Close to 1 million children arein urgent need of educational support8.

We have featured a number of programmatic successes in Nepal within thesepages. The context in which these programmes are being implemented haschanged dramatically overnight and they have become more important than evernow as communities, families and children start to rebuild their lives. Ensuringeducation and the opportunity to learn for Nepal’s children will be critical to therecovery efforts.

We are committed to doing everything within our power to ensure this happens.As ever, we count on your support to see that it does.

Kind regards,

David SkinnerDirector, Education Global InitiativeSave the Children

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Save the Children’sEducation Global Initiative

Steering Group

Tove WangChief Executive OfficerSave the Children NorwayDavid SkinnerDirector, Education Global InitiativeSave the ChildrenDaniel StonerAssociate Vice President, Education andChild DevelopmentSave the Children USNora IngdalDirector of Education, Strategy and AnalysisSave the Children NorwayRichard GrahamHead of EducationSave the Children UKCatherine JohnstonEducation Technical Unit ManagerSave the Children AustraliaSanjeev RaiThematic Director for EducationSave the Children India

Heads of Work Group

Education in EmergenciesCharlotte Balfour-Poole Senior Humanitarian Education Advisor,

Save the Children UK Rachel McKinney – Emergency EducationDirector, Save the Children US

Inclusive EducationCarolyn Alesbury – Senior Specialist,Save the Children USElisabetta Mina – Education Advisor,Save the Children Italy

Early Childhood Care andDevelopmentSara PoehlmanSenior Director, Early ChildhoodDevelopment, Save the Children US

Basic EducationSine ChristensenSenior Education Advisor, Save the Children Norway

LiteracyKatherine BrownLiteracy and Basic Education Specialist,Save the Children US

Advocacy and PolicyRob DobleHead of Advocacy and Policy, EducationGlobal Initiative, Save the Children

Monitoring and EvaluationNitika Tolani-BrownSenior M&E Advisor, Education GlobalInitiative, Save the Children



Published by Save the Children

Registered charity no. 1076822St Vincent House30 Orange StreetLondonWC2H 7HH


Contact: [email protected]

Statistics are based on latest available figures from Savethe Children programmes or recognised internationalsources. Monetary figures have been converted into US$,using the exchange rate on 31 December 2014.

We use an agreed methodology to obtain data throughour global annual reporting process. Where significantfigures have been rounded, they have been rounded tothe nearest 10,100 or 1,000.


Documents

Transforming young lives through education The 2014 Review