Social, economic and political transformations continue to take place across Africa. These changes are accentuated by rapid demographic shifts, a growth of regional trade, the introduction of new technologies and the rising expectations of a predominantly young population.
Unfortunately, the growth is uneven, and conflict continues to threaten communities. By aligning evidence-based methodologies and proven tools with host country development objectives, Creative has a proven track record of mitigating conflict, promoting education and expanding economic opportunities. It builds local talent, empowers marginalized groups and supports the improvement of systems that ultimately ensure that development progress continues long after Creative’s involvement.
From education and economic growth to transitioning communities from conflict to peace, Creative has more than three decades of experience in Africa successfully engaging communities in developing and implementing projects that improve their lives.
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Special Reports
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Current Projects
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MULTIMEDIA
Working with women in Northern Benin
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Growing Strong Readers: Morocco’s Revised Arabic Language Curriculum
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Going the Distance: Remote Teacher Training in Morocco
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
USAID NPR Morocco Reading Enrichment
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Ghana: Building lives, improving relations & stemming violence through Village Savings & Loans Associations
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Nigeria documentary by Creative earns 4 prestigious video awards
A group of 40 tailors — all women affected by conflict in Northeast Nigeria — are working together to sew non-medical face masks that are being donated to Borno state officials and distributed to high-risk groups. Learn more.
Partnering with local organizations in Northern Ghana to build social cohesion
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Nigeria’s Middle Belt: Seeking Peace Amid Complex Conflicts
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Trailer: “Seeking Peace Amid Complex Conflicts
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Mapping inter-ethnic dynamics in Northern Ghana
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Mediation committees strive to reduce conflict in Northern Ghana
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Somalia Bar ama Baro - Social emotional learning
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Ghana: Mapping Fulbe communities
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Global Mamas: Boosting employment & exports in partnership with the Trade Hub
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Mozambique: A 2-minute tour of USAID's Vamos Ler!/Let's Read
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Strengthening Education in Nigeria
Explore Creative's work to increase access to quality education in Nigeria through teaching and learning materials, teacher training, nonformal learning centers and more. Learn more.
Timeline: Creative supports quality education in Nigeria
For over 15 years, Creative has worked alongside Nigerian partners to strengthen students' access to quality education, including conflict-affected, internally displaced and orphaned children and youth. Click through this timeline to see our history in the country's education systems. Learn more.
North East Regional Initiative: A lasting legacy
Flip through this photo book for a look back at the Nigeria North East Regional Initiative program and its work to strengthen stability and resilience against violent extremism and conflict. Learn more.
Nigeria: Sports empower girls in Northeast Nigeria
Girls sports teams and tournaments are giving young women in Northeast Nigeria, a dangerous place for women, a chance to build self esteem and skills in safe spaces. Learn more.
Nigeria: Women for peace platform
The Nigeria Lake Chad Basin program's Women for Peace Platform trains women to identify and address challenges in their communities. This leads to greater social cohesion and reduces vulnerabilities to violent extremists. Learn more.
A book club inspires girls in Nigeria
A group of girls from Maiduguri in Northeast Nigeria are finding inspiration and confidence through a book club supported by the USAID/OTI Nigeria Lake Chad Basin Program. Learn more.
Nigeria: Social media street fighter promotes women's rights
Social media advocate Zara Kareto works on behalf of women's rights in Northeastern Nigeria. Learn more.
Nigeria: A new chapter for literacy in northern Nigeria
The Northern Education Initiative Plus program is expanding access to education for children in Nigeria, while also improving the quality of instruction in the country’s remote northern regions of Bauchi and Sokoto. Learn more.
Somaliland: A Voice and a Vote- Mobilizing women in the 2017 presidential election
In the 2017 presidential election in Somaliland, women played critical roles as civil society leaders, poll workers, party agents and voters with support from the USAID Bringing Unity, Integrity, and Legitimacy to Democracy project. Learn more.
Nigeria: Delivering stability & hope through education
Expanding access to education opportunities for vulnerable, displaced students ages 6 to 17, the Nigeria Education Crisis Response project is responding to the devastation with hope. Through education, the project helps to provide a sense of stability to traumatized communities. Learn more.
Somaliland: Supporting inclusive elections
In Somaliland's 2017 presidential election, women played critical roles as voters, poll workers, and political party agents. USAID's Bringing Unity, Integrity, and Legitimacy to Democracy project supports efforts to encourage voters to engage in the electoral process. Learn more.
Zambia: Inside an effort to turn phones into books
As part of the Makhalidwe Athu proof of concept project, crowdsourced local language stories were dispatched via SMS in three weekly segments to Zambian families in areas where local language books are hard to come by. See how Zambian families interacted with mobile stories to boost literacy. Learn more.
Nigeria: Education Crisis Response Program treats internal wounds
Nearly 90,000 school-aged children in Northern Nigeria who have been displaced by violent extremists are receiving critical social emotional support through the Education Crisis Response program, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Learn more.
Morocco: Boosting critical reading instruction, building a culture of literacy
Middle school is a key time to master critical reading, but students in Morocco have struggled. See how Creative, USAID and the Moroccan Ministry of Education partnered to boost reading instruction and build a culture of reading. Learn more.
Nigeria: For displaced children, back to school means back to normal
Boko Haram violence has displaced more than 1 million school-age children and youth. The USAID Education Crisis Response Program offers these children a chance to resume their educations at learning centers set up especially for internally displaced children and ultimately to return to formal schooling. Learn more.
Nigeria: Not giving up on the nation’s girls
When Rabia Eshak noticed girls disappearing out of Nigerian classroom as they aged, she decided to take action to provide equal educational opportunities to children. Now, Rabia works tirelessly to help girls overcome poverty, marriage and religious traditions that keep them out of school. Learn more.
Morocco: An advocate for the most vulnerable children
Karima Mkika founded the Al Karam Center in 1997 to support vulnerable children. Twenty years later, The Al Karam Center is still providing services to Morocco’s most precious resource and working with a coalition of advocates to combat child labor and expand opportunity. Learn more.
Nigeria: Disabled & displaced, program helps the most vulnerable
More than 2.2 million Nigerians have been displaced by violent extremists. Unfortunately, the physically disabled--who are already marginalized--are even more vulnerable when terror strikes. The USAID Education Crisis Response program is providing opportunities to school-aged children and youth who have been displaced by the insurgents—and are physically disabled. Learn more.
Nigeria: Agricultural support for displaced Nigerians
USAID’s Education Crisis Response project and the UNDP are providing 350+ internally displaced families with agricultural assistance—ensuring they can move beyond subsistence living. Learn more.
Morocco: Creating a culture of reading in middle school
Middle school is a key time to master critical reading skills, but reading comprehension has been low among Moroccan students. The RASID project has started to reverse this, empowering teachers and coaches with the skills they need to bring effective reading instruction to students and spark a love for reading. Learn more.
Nigeria: Education Crisis Response Program Community Engagement
With more than 2 million people displaced by insurgents in northeastern Nigeria, it takes a community effort to meet the needs of internally displaced children. USAID's Education Crisis Response program works closely with communities that host internally displaced children and youth, relying on Community Coalitions to support teachers and champion continued education. Learn more.
Nigeria: Instructors Meet Unique Needs of Displaced Children
Teachers working with Nigeria's internally displaced children and youth, many of whom have been traumatized by insurgent violence, are called upon to do far more than teach. USAID's Education Crisis Response program provides teachers at non-formal learning centers specialized sensitivity training and guides them in creating a friendly, welcoming and supportive learning environment. Learn more.
Nigeria: Providing Hope to Displaced Children
Ten-year old Dinah's mother was killed by insurgents. Her home and village were destroyed. She is one among hundreds of thousands of Nigerian children and youth whose lives have been derailed by violence. Fortunately, through USAID’s Education Crisis Response program, internally displaced children like Dinah have the chance to continue their education in one of the program's community based non-formal learning centers. Learn more.
Zambia: Whole student approach reaches vulnerable youth
Out of 441 students in Mankhaka Primary School, 45 have lost one or both parents due to HIV/AIDs, malaria or other causes. To support vulnerable learners and keep them in school, USAID/Read to Succeed is providing key psychosocial support through schools, peers and communities. Learn more.
Zambia: Learners make strides in local language literacy
In 1,200+ Zambian primary schools, learners are gaining ground in local language literacy as their teachers master new, more effective methods and community members mobilize to support education. In and out of the classroom, USAID/Read to Succeed equips students with the skills and support they need to succeed. Learn more.
Zambia: Private partners open a world of literacy with reading tools in a box
Bookshops are rare and local language materials are scarce in rural Zambian villages. As students make strides in local language literacy their need for more local language books grows. See how private sector partners are stepping up to bring reading materials to schools and open a world of literacy to thousands of students. Learn more.
Zambia: Mobile reading project brings local tales home
Makhalidwe Athu is a mobile storytelling project bringing reading to Zambian children who often have no access to books at home. Through SMS, children will receive more than 50 local tales, crowdsourced from the community. More than 4,000 community members will be involved in the project, which is funded through All Children Reading. Learn more.
Tanzania: TZ21’s Approach Creates an “Educational Buzz”
TZ21 brought a full reading approach that used technology, teacher training and support to boost literacy rates in 900 primary schools in Tanzania. The noise coming from classrooms is evidence that the methods are working. Learn more.
Tanzania: “Whole school” transformations for a 21st century Tanzania
With enrollment rates many countries would boast about, Tanzanian primary schools seemed to be in great shape. Learn more.
Tanzania: Teacher Training, Mentoring and Coaching Brings Learning to Life
Primary school classrooms in Tanzania were all about two things: “chalk and talk.” Overstuffed rows of students were bored in these traditional classes, but worse—they weren’t learning. Learn more.
Morocco: Middle school-aged researchers tackle school dropout head on
Every year in Morocco, nearly 360,000 students drop out of school, and the problem is most acute in middle school. In order to develop solutions, young researchers interviewed peers on reasons why they leave school and developed approaches to combat dropout. Learn more.
Morocco: Young advocates speak out about the importance of staying in school
In cities across Morocco, middle school-aged researchers teamed up with USAID, Creative and the Ministry of Education to tackle school dropout through Youth Speak Morocco. Advocates affected by dropout share their stories and present findings on dropout during a national conference. Learn more.
Morocco: Youth Speak program keeps at-risk students in school
Youssef is a 16-year-old high school student from one of Morocco's poorest regions who wasn't even sure he would complete school. Now he's at the top of his class, thanks to Youth Speak Morocco—a school dropout prevention initiative that empowers middle school students to lead research with their peers on the factors that lead to dropout and speak out against the problem. Learn more.
Tanzania: Tanzanian schools arrive in the digital age
Many schools in rural Tanzania don’t have electricity, let alone access to the internet. For the first time, schools in Mtwara and Zanzibar were hooked up to the outside world, and a host of electronic learning content that made teachers’ jobs easier and students excited to learn. Learn more.
Tanzania: Making Books A Part Of Life, and Reading A Part Of Success
Reading is critical to success in school, but in many Tanzanian communities, books are so scarce that people go decades without seeing one. Learn more.
Tanzania: Engaging a community in education
In Tanzania, low literacy rates left children failing tests, repeating grades and growing disillusioned with education. Learn more.
Nigeria: Turning teachers into “stars”
Up to 70 percent of teachers in Nigeria's Bauchi state were found to be unqualified or were unaware of modern pedagogical techniques. Working with state education officials and teachers, a unique training program was launched that changed classroom learning for thousands of children. It is part of Creative’s Northern Education Initiative. Learn more.
Nigeria: Introducing basic education to Qur’anic schools
Millions of school-aged children in Northern Nigeria are not in traditional public schools. Instead, they attend religious schools that teach them verses from the Qur'an. In cooperation with Nigerian officials and Qur'anic school owners, USAID and Creative launched the Northern Education Initiative to provide access to basic education to these children. It has been a success. Learn more.
Nigeria: Education brings a brighter future for girls
Girls in Northern Nigeria have limited or no access to basic education—making them vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and/or poverty. Creative’s Northern Education Initiative worked with communities, parents, NGOs and educators to change the situation through the Adolescent Girls Program. It opened 19 training centers that offered a curriculum that combined marketable skills with basic literacy and math classes. Learn more.
Libya: Youth-powered civil society
Civil society may be new to Libya, but it gaining strength and energy—powered to a large degree by youth. The H2O network is drawing in a generation of civic leaders who are launching on-the-ground campaigns for positive change and, in the process, shifting the perspectives of Libyans on what engaged citizenship looks like. Learn more.
Libya: What Delaware taught these MENA students
What can a student from the Middle East and North Africa region learn in Delaware? This group of students gained skills and knowledge on a U.S. trip that will help them to create the positive change they seek in their own countries. Learn more.
Libya: Standing up for positive change
Libya’s Revolution was about more than just ousting a dictator. It was a chance for Libyans to stand up for better their society. The Free Generation Movement empowers and mobilizes volunteers to take an active role in creating that positive change. Learn more.
Libya: Finding missing loved ones & a bit of hope
Nearly 10,000 Libyans are missing—a direct result of the revolution, ongoing conflict and previous decades of authoritarian rule—leaving family members struggling to find answers and cope with loss. The Mafqood Center provides a safe place for family members of missing persons to get support and work together to address shared legal and social challenges. Learn more.
Libya: Civil society goes pink for women
Taking a stand for women’s health, the Pink Movement is educating Libyan women about breast cancer prevention and awareness. Whether in mosques and health clubs or walking in pink hijabs and carrying pink banners, the movement fights breast cancer head on. Learn more.
PROJECTS
- Morocco: Fostering Peaceful CommunitiesTaking an innovative approach to building a network of resilience at the local level, the ...
- Morocco – Reading for Success – National Program for ReadingNational Program for Reading program will support the Government of Morocco to develop a national ...
- Mozambique – Vamos Ler! Let’s Read! ProgramThe five-year Mozambique Vamos Ler! (Let’s Read!) program is developing bilingual education tools and activities, ...
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STORIES

LIBYA: Microsoft Corporation Teams with the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative and Creative to Empower Libya’s Emerging Civil Society

Microsoft Corporation Teams with the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative and Creative Associates to Empower Libya’s Emerging Civil Society
David Barth, the director of USAID’s Office of Education, speaks with Creative Times about Technology and Education

National Education Accounts (NEA): Allocating Resources Transparently and Equitably to Meet Education Needs
