Expert on countering violent extremism joins Creative Associates International

May 8, 2017

2 min read

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Expert on countering violent extremism joins Creative Associates International

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Kim Field brings 30 years of State & Defense Departments experience to Creative

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and former State Department official Kim Field has joined Creative Associates International as Director of the organization’s Countering Violent Extremism Practice Area.

Field will oversee projects aimed at promoting peace and tolerance and minimizing the factors that can lead to violent extremism. She will also lend her expertise to other Practice Areas as they incorporate into their projects strategies that prevent and counter violent extremism.

She brings more than 30 years of experience in the U.S. military and the State Department to Creative’s expanding efforts to respond to radicalization and violent extremism around the world.

After stints supporting civilian agencies in conflict-affected areas including Somalia, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Haiti, Iraq and Syria, Field says she wanted to work more directly with non-military interventions.

“Many years of work in the military led me to conclude that we will not shoot our way out of the global phenomenon that is violent extremism,” she said. “Creative really appeals to me. The company’s long-standing work in conflict zones, especially at the local level, its willingness to embrace innovation and its agile, smart partnerships are things I was looking for after I left government.”

Field graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1987 and then went on to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She most recently served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.

She was previously Deputy Director for Middle East in the political-military affairs office on the Joint Staff, and as the Deputy Director for Army Strategy helped craft the Army’s way forward during a significant period of transition.

“We are very privileged to have Kim – with her extensive military and interagency experience – join Creative. She will not only contribute insightful thought leadership for countering violent extremism but also bring valuable senior management skills to continue growing our successful CVE Practice Area,” says Tom Wheelock, Senior Vice President and Senior Director of Creative’s Communities in Transition Division.

Field’s expertise, experience and commitment are wonderful resources for the entire Creative team, he says.

For 40 years Creative has addressed the root causes of extremism through development, using local insight to build solutions by promoting counter-narratives, engaging marginalized communities and applying good governance practices.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-primary”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Reading expert shares the power of illustrations to encourage literacy

April 14, 2017

5 min read

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Reading expert shares the power of illustrations to encourage literacy

By Natalie Lovenburg

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With experience implementing education projects in Afghanistan, Yemen and Nigeria, Joy du Plessis has supported learning and teaching material development with Ministries of Education in crisis-affected environments confronting challenges of educational access and quality.

More than 30 percent of school-aged children in Northern Nigeria do not have access to basic education.

Creative Associates International’s Senior Reading Specialist, Joy du Plessis, discusses the important role mother-tongue language and story illustrations in learning and teaching materials play to improve literacy education for all children, like those living amidst conflict and crises in northern Nigeria.

She is currently working with the Nigeria Northern Education Initiative Plus. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Creative, the program supports three Northern states to improve the quality of education–especially for girls, orphans and vulnerable children. Working both in public schools and non-formal learning centers one of the program’s key objectives to improve children’s early literacy skills in Bauchi and Sokoto states.

The program recently rolled out a new Hausa early grade reading curriculum series, called “Mu Karanta! Let’s Read!” for students in first to third grades, with a transition to English in fourth grade.

What do the Hausa Mu Karanta! (Let’s Read in English) story illustrations aim to communicate?

du Plessis: Mustapha Bulama is a well-known artist and illustrator in Nigeria who has drawn for many publications including children’s story books. Hausa children and parents know his work very well, as many of his books focus on morals and the cultural context. You really need to have someone who understand the Hausa context to be able to capture the nuances, and he did very well.

We spent a lot of time selecting just the right illustration for the cover for each pupil’s book. We wanted to make them interesting and exciting for children, to draw them into the books. The illustrations are directly related to the curriculum themes in Hausa and reflect the northern Nigeria context.

We aimed to reflect strong, curious, lively and active girls and boys, especially girls. The drawings communicate cooperation, independence, curiosity, friendship, cultural norms and problem solving–all the socio-cultural-emotional lessons that the Nigerian developers wanted kids to learn in early grades. The images show boys and girls being equal, as well as how to use technology. The illustrations and the stories encourage the students to become critical thinkers and to question, predict, infer and analyze. We think they are enjoying learning to read because we see it in classrooms every day.

How were the Mu Karanta! learning materials developed?

du Plessis: This was a massive undertaking because we have 30 individual books including teacher guides and student books with 750 lessons. The biggest challenge was not being able to anticipate how much the design and development process was going to take–from the sheer quantity of the materials we needed to making sure there were zero mistakes.

It took about 11 months from the first meetings about the materials until the last book went to the printers. The initial stage was to get the stakeholders like the curriculum department and state actors involved in discussing who should participate.

Then, we held a series of workshops in Abuja which took about eight weeks. We brought together Hausa specialists, learning and teaching materials specialists, English specialists, teachers and storywriters.

The Northern Education Initiative Plus developed Mu Karanta! (Let’s Read!) materials that are based on global best practices in teaching children to learn to read in the early grades.

The design of the books really helps move students along gaining reading skills in primary first to third grades, with cumulative and sequential skill building leading to reading with understanding. By the end of third grade, students are reading text that is much longer, font is smaller and words are bigger, and the vocabulary is more difficult. There is also a lot of strategic repetition that gives children opportunities to practice and learn.

I think we have a great design. We benefited from a pilot program that tested out a model and some stories in 100 schools. My colleague, Fathi El- Ashry, Creative’s Senior Associate in Instructional Systems, provided further innovative aspects to the design and built on Creative’s existing reading models.

The whole process involves capacity building and so we stopped, reflected and discussed along the way with the Ministry of Education curriculum team about the theories and practices behind early grade reading and then went into the work with more depth and commitment. We also took time to talk about and include conflict-sensitivity, inclusiveness, and gender equity into the materials.

Finally, we engaged one English and three Hausa professors to ensure Standard Hausa was used and the language was acceptable. Because of all of these factors, the materials are quite scalable and can be used more widely outside of the states we are currently working in.

How did the parents and other community members react to the illustrations and stories included in the learning materials?

du Plessis: We’ve seen how the community is very happy with the illustrations and how they represent the culture. We also had validation of the materials with the community. Before the materials were printed, we tested them in the field with a large group of stakeholders to make sure they were socially and culturally relevant and acceptable.

There’s nothing for these students to read at home. The learning materials were designed in such a way for the students to easily take them back and forth from home to school every day, so they can practice reading aloud on their own, write in their books and answer comprehension questions. Parents make little book bags out of scrap materials and cloth so the kids can keep the books protected while going to and from school.

Since these little books are going home with kids, we have observed how enrollment has increased quite a lot in both states. Parents start seeing the materials in the community and start sending their children to school. The books are designed in such a way that even illiterate parents can see what’s going on and get a general understanding of the lessons, and even help their children with homework.

What inspires you to continue to work in countries facing crisis with challenging education environments like northern Nigeria?

du Plessis: In Nigeria, it’s a dream to engage with teachers, Ministry of Education officials and Creative’s staff. They are truly committed to the success of the NEI plus’s goal of improving education. I’ve seen how people have grown and how they work hard to make this program successful. Creative’s team brings a unique level of technical expertise and excellence and it feels like such a privilege to work with them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-primary”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Applying behavioral insights leads to targeted solutions, say experts at CIES

March 9, 2017

By Natalie Lovenburg

5 min read

Combining behavioral insights with social emotional learning are essential to improved student achievements for school-aged children in conflict and crisis environments, according to experts on a panel at the Comparative and International Education Society conference on March 7.

Panelists at the session called “Using Behavioral Insights to Improve Learning and School Safety in Humanitarian and Development Contexts: Preliminary Findings and Potential New Directions” point to case studies from India, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria and Timor-Leste, among other countries, that are leveraging behavior insights to reach education program targets.

Behavior insights—the emerging science that goes beyond traditional economics that analyzes how people make decisions and take actions—can play a role in complimenting existing programming, shaping effective policy and addressing future issues in the classroom, said panel experts.

“Why does the science of behavior matter?” asked Josh Martin, Vice President of Ideas42, an organization that applies behavioral science research to tackle complex social problems. “Addressing challenges and applying targeted low-cost interventions requires understanding psychological barriers that can have a detrimental impact on learning outcomes.”

While education is the foundation of the Nigeria Education Crisis Response project, children traumatized by conflict and upheaval can only learn when their fears are also addressed.

Exposure to conflict can result in deep psychological trauma that can have long-lasting effects on children’s mental health and cognitive abilities. Many of these children are fleeing violence, having witnessed the destruction of their homes and even the killing of family members.

“When considering refugees in the humanitarian context and the extreme challenges they face that creates cognitive depletion, behavior insights are going to be extremely important to the kind of problems and solutions we are able to provide,” said Martin.

Integrating behavior insights in education programming design allows the development of effective and tailored intervention strategies to support students with specific psychosocial needs.

With more than 263 million children and youth out-of-school worldwide, analyzing barriers to education is needed. In conflict-affected countries, children face significant challenges in receiving a quality education–or an education at all. Lack of school infrastructure and sufficient learning materials, as well as ongoing safety and security concerns, keep the most vulnerable students out of the classroom.

Natan Last, Innovation Strategist on the Research and Development team at International Rescue Committee (IRC)’s Airbel Center, works closely with IRC technical units in health, education, among others, to spur innovation in humanitarian aid. By bringing together field staff, designers, strategists, researchers and technical experts, the Airbel Center aims to uncover innovative ideas that make positive impact.

“We need the spur of innovation now more than ever,” said Last. “To demonstrate higher impact but to help solve enormous global challenges in delivering interventions, like the increasing urgency of the humanitarian crisis–especially in education.”

“Through better design, we can gain a clearer understanding of behavior in context that has the potential to lead to promising interventions and solutions,” said Last. “And lean from failure to success.”

Innovative education interventions leveraging social emotional learning

Julia Finder, Technical Manager, Education in Conflict at Creative Associates International, presented a framework that Creative developed to provide at-risk youth in both humanitarian and development contexts with support needed to positively change social behaviors.

“Context is extremely important when examining how to best support social emotional learning and social behavior change,” said Finder.

To demonstrate the framework, she provided case studies based on Creative’s projects in Nigeria, Honduras, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste and Morocco, among other countries.

Creative’s Julia Finder, Technical Manager in Education in Conflict, presented on a CIES panel called ““Using Behavioral Insights to Improve Learning and School Safety in Humanitarian and Development Contexts: Preliminary Findings and Potential New Directions.”

To properly address social behavior change, understanding what impacts children and youth is essential.

“When designing a new project, there are several key technical questions Creative aims to address,” she said.

Among the technical issues Creative seeks to address are:

What are the behaviors are we seeking to change?
What conditions in the school environment lead to positive and also negative social behavior?
What type of support is realistic, given the context?
Who can deliver these interventions?
How will this be sustainable one the project ends?

Targeted interventions in the school, the community and home all play a role in supporting social emotional learning.

Creative applies a “whole child, whole teacher, whole school, and whole system approach,” to address critical supply and demand factors that affect learning, teaching, management, parental participation and responsiveness to children’s needs.

“Each entity play’s a critical role in providing holistic support and they must all interact together to be effective in changing social behavior,” according to Finder.

Creative applies a multi-tiered approach in design, where the least at-risk learners are at the top and the most at-risk learners are at the bottom. This approach helps assess and identify individual need and tailors intervention to encourage stability, learning and growth.

Finder demonstrated how this approach works by applying it to the Nigeria Education Crisis Response project, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Creative, IRC and local partners.

In Northern Nigeria, more than 2.2 million people—including more than 1 million school-aged children—have been displaced from their homes due to the Boko Haram insurgency.

In addition to psychosocial support, the project has established non-formal learning centers that provide literacy and math education and, for older youth, livelihoods training as many families have been uprooted from their homes and sources of income.

“Once we apply the framework and assess individual needs, we then devise a plan,” said Finder. “Depending on the changes we’re observing with the students, we then change the dosage and frequency of support.”

Looking through the multi-tiered approach lens helps to tailor specific interventions.

When applying the multi-tiered approach in the targeted schools, findings emerged that female students were not staying in school and not completing their education.

Creative provided additional support and training for the girls in order to achieve the same outcomes as their male peers.

Moving forward, Finder emphasized the need for additional research to promote behavior change.

“We need to build a further understanding on what support is available and how we can effectively design measurement tools to isolate specific interventions to determine their individual impact,” said Finder. “And we want to support communities in identifying what skills they need to ensure they can provide continual support to at-risk children and youth.”

Bridging the gender gap in education and reading in Pakistan

February 28, 2017

5 min read

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Bridging the gender gap in education and reading in Pakistan

By Natalie Lovenburg

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Q&A with Shaheen Ashraf Shah, Ph.D., Gender Advisor for the USAID-supported Pakistan Reading Project

More than 32 million girls around the world don’t have access to education—often due to cultural, financial or other barriers. The problem is compounded in many crisis and conflict-affected countries, where security concerns mean girls are more likely to be kept at home.

Creative’s Gender Technical Advisor for the Pakistan Reading Project, Shaheen Ashraf Shah, Ph.D., shares her experiences addressing barriers in Pakistan and improving literacy education for all children, including those living amidst conflict and crises. It is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

At the annual Comparative and International Education Society conference on March 7 in Atlanta, Shah will present on “Gender and Education Issues in Pakistan: Gaps, Bias, Teachers and School Conditions.” The session is from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Sheraton Atlanta 1, Georgia 1 (South Tower) room.

Along with education research expert from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Fatima Jinnah Women’s University, Columbia University, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the University of Texas, Shah will discuss how girls and boys are affected differently by various social, cultural and educational factors contributing to reading ability.

In her role as Gender Advisor for the USAID-supported Pakistan Reading Project, Shah focuses on ensuring that boys and girls have equitable access to literacy education and that teachers are equipped with gender-sensitive tools to help both boys and girls achieve optimal reading outcomes. In Pakistan, more than 6.7 million children are out of school – of which 62 percent are girls.

Previously, Shah worked as a social and gender specialist with various national and international development organizations. She is an active member of civil society in Pakistan–extensively researching, speaking, writing and presenting on gender and development issue in Pakistan and abroad. She holds a Ph.D. in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Warwick.

For a full schedule of Creative’s CIES 2017 panels, including panelists, times and locations, click here. Follow @1977Creative and #CIES2017 on Twitter for up-to-date panel coverage.

In addition, on March 10 Shah will also be speaking on gender equitable education and the Pakistan Reading Project at Creative’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. For more information or to RSVP, click here.

When did you first realize that you wanted to work in the gender field?

At the CIES conference on March 7 and at Creative’s headquarters on March 10, Shah will discuss how girls and boys are affected differently by various social, cultural and educational factors contributing to reading ability.

Shah: I was raised in a very poor, rural family in Pakistan’s Sindh province, and I have observed and experienced firsthand how women and vulnerable groups suffer because of gender bias, especially in my own community.

A desire to assist others, especially the most marginalized groups of society whose voices are often ignored, brought me to the development sector. I left my university teaching career and joined Pakistan’s largest Rural Support Program in terms of outreach, staff and development activities. I was impressed with the organization’s participatory development approach and the direct interaction with communities.

What types of cultural barriers do girls face in receiving an education in Pakistan?

Shah: In a patriarchal society like Pakistan, girls face additional cultural barriers to education. For instance, girls represent only 35 percent of students in rural areas and 42 percent in urban areas. School dropout rates and poor access to education for girls is exacerbated by early marriage, wearing the pardah [veil], requiring permission by elder men [to attend school], mobility concerns and social expectations—all contribute to creating barriers to receiving an education.

Safety is a big concern for girls since schools are often far away from homes, transportation is not reliable and girls are frequent targets of physical and sexual exploitation. Often schools lack proper infrastructure to keep girls safe, and school expenses (books, uniforms, fees, etc.) act as a deterrent for parents to send their children to school. Often, girls and women have the responsibility to handle domestic chores and some girls are forced to stay at home.

How does conflict and crisis disrupt children’s access to quality education?

The Pakistan Reading Project integrates a gender mainstreaming approach into understanding education challenges, training educators and improving children’s reading.

Shah: In Pakistan, we have witnessed a negative impact on education–especially in areas badly affected by war and terror, conflict and displacement. For instance, in Pakistan’s Balochistan and FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] Provinces, the number of girls enrolled in primary education is the lowest in the country.

In terms of out-of-school children, both Balochistan and FATA have again the highest number of children not attending schools, of which 75 percent are girls. Children have lost many years of education due to conflict and crisis. Pakistan’s government is still coping with the aftermath of conflict and rebuilding an education infrastructure. Access to quality education in conflict affected areas requires special attention.

What is Creative doing to combat gender inequalities in education through the Pakistan Reading Project, and what can governments and other organizations do?

Shah: Creative’s Pakistan Reading Project is a unique project, promoting and implementing a quality education–especially in literacy in national and regional languages. Pakistan is a very diverse society, where each region and province has its own language, history, culture and nature. However, there remains disparities in treating all languages equally.

Creative’s quality education work and the Pakistan Reading Project’s major focus on national and regional languages certainly contributes toward equality agendas. I believe the Pakistani government and other organizations can play a vital role in eliminating gender disparities, encouraging gender sensitivity and achieving global gender equity.

What are some other initiatives that have worked to improve education in Pakistan?

Shah: After Pakistan’s political transition of passing the 18^th amendment, education no longer falls under federal government. Now, provinces oversee education initiatives. There are overarching general challenges and also many region specific barriers in providing better educational facilities.

Provinces have already formulated region-specific educational policies and plans meeting their needs. We have observed that increasing education budgets, investing in teachers’ training and building infrastructure development grows school enrollment numbers, especially for girls. The most rewarding thing is to observe policymakers in Pakistan recognize the issue of access to quality education and gender disparity in education, and see this reflected in various policies and plans.

For a full schedule of Creative’s CIES 2017 panels, including panelists, times and locations, click here. Follow @1977Creative and #CIES2017 on Twitter for up-to-date panel coverage.

To visit Creative’s CIES 2017 Special Report hub, click here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-primary”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Scholarship recipient overcomes conflict and poverty to teach in FATA

December 21, 2016

By Noman Manzoor

4 min read

Sami Ullah always wanted to join the teaching profession, like his father, to contribute to the development of his rural village in Pakistan’s Federally Administrated Tribal Area (FATA).

When the Associate Degree in Education program opened in 2013 at the Government College for Elementary Teachers in nearby Mir Ali, he jumped at the chance to pursue his dream.

The degree program and the scholarship Ullah received were thanks to the U.S. Agency for International Development through its Pakistan Reading Project. The project worked with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Commission to launch the new early grade reading-intensive degree at teacher training institutes across the country.

The five-year Pakistan Reading Project supports provincial and regional departments of education to improve the reading skills of 1.3 million children in first and second grades. It is implemented by the International Rescue Committee and its partners Creative Associates International, World Learning and the Institute of Rural Management.

Despite his enthusiasm, Sami Ullah’s dreams were almost derailed mid-degree by conflict near his village as government forces campaigned against terrorist insurgents from North and South Waziristan. He temporarily put his studies on hold and fled, along with nearly 1 million other residents, to neighboring Bannu.

“I became a temporarily dislocated person, sometimes traveled to different cities, stayed under a shed and even lived under no roof at all,” he recalls.

While several education students in FATA abandoned their studies due to instability or economic pressures, Ullah was determined to continue on. As soon as he could, he returned to his courses, committed to earning his degree so he could help young learners in his area.

In March 2016 at a ceremony in Peshawar, Sami Ullah graduated with an Associate Degree in Education and a record of exemplary grades. He was eager to apply his new skills and knowledge in the classroom.

“I have been fortunate to be introduced to this degree program, from which I came to truly understand the new concepts of teaching,” says Ullah, nothing that he could not have undertaken his studies without the financial support of his scholarship.

“The course has completely changed my thoughts about teaching,” he added. “Where other certification courses don’t allow you to gain in-depth knowledge of this sensitive profession, this new course has allowed me to see beyond the other old-fashioned techniques of teaching.”

Dynamics of the FATA region

Sitting at Pakistan’s northwest border with Afghanistan, the FATA region has experienced terrorism and insurgency for over a decade. It has historically lagged behind the rest of the country in socioeconomic development in general and education in particular.

With fewer opportunities for education due to ongoing conflict, quality education is considered a great asset, especially in light of an insurgency of violent extremism. Educators like Sami Ullah are critical to bringing quality education, especially in early grade reading, to boys and girls across this conflict-affected region.

“Pakistan needs more well-trained teachers to ensure quality education for all. In areas like FATA that are affected by militancy with comparatively inadequate resources there is an even stronger demand for quality teachers,” says Naeem Sohail, Deputy Chief of Party for the project.

Scholarship program shapes stronger future teachers

A significant component of the USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project is to provide financial support to bright and ambitious students like Sami Ullah who want to pursue careers in teaching.

These merit-based scholarships are inclusive of women, minorities and geographically distributed to provide fair opportunities for higher education across Pakistan. In total, the project will award 123 scholarships to students of the FATA region, including 112 for the two-year associate’s degree in education and 11 for the four-year bachelor’s degree in education—many of which have already been distributed.

The two new degree programs encourage a change in teaching approach from a teacher-centered to learner-centered outlook, a cornerstone of the project’s successful early grade reading methodology.

The USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project aims to increase enrollment in the two programs in an effort to produce better teachers for future generations. The project works closely with teacher training institutions and universities.

These new degree programs were initiated in partnership by the Higher Education Commission, which aims to meet goals set out in the 2009 National Education Policy. The Policy states that by 2018 all teachers in Pakistan’s classrooms should have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree. The notification also states that after December 2017, no new teachers will be hired based on the old requirement of one year of teacher training.

“I am very hopeful that these young teachers will have a far-reaching impact on education in Pakistan and help to improve student learning across Pakistan for generations to come,” says Sohail.

Noman Manzoor is the Communications & Reporting Manager for the Pakistan Reading Project/Creative.

Refugees as “end users” help design tech solutions to refugee crisis in Greece

December 2, 2016

By Ayan Kishore

3 min read

Could a smartphone app make a difference in the lives of some 62,000 refugees and migrants in Greece? Could a mapping tool be part of the solution to the country’s refugee crisis?

A group of technology developers, migration and development experts, refugees and migrants met in Athens in October to try out some tech ideas that could do just that. As part of design teams and as designated assessors of new ideas, unaccompanied refugee minors themselves, a target group for the solutions, evaluated the pitches.

The first in a pair of “hackathons,” Hack the Camp, was an effort to instigate tech-enabled solutions to the refugee crisis in Greece. It is supported by the U.S. Embassy and several local and international organizations including Creative Associates International.

If you aren’t familiar with hackathons, here’s a primer: A hackathon is a several hour event (think marathon) that brings together software developers to use their skills to prototype their ideas or “hack” together solutions in response to a provided prompt.

Popularized in the for-profit tech sector, hackathons are increasingly being held by governments and civil society organizations to spark tech solutions to development problems.

A design that works for the user

“Design with the User,” or “human-centered design,” is recognized as the foremost principle for digital development, increasing the chances of the new tool actually being effectively used by the targeted demographic. Yet this rarely translates into a reality.

At Hack the Camp in Athens, refugees and tech developers worked side-by-side to ensure prototypes of new tools would actually be useful to the end users. Photo by: Ayan Kishore

Beneficiaries or end users should be active participants in hackathons to allow for a rapid user-centered design process.

For instance, one solution that a Hack the Camp team worked on was a platform for refugees’ stories to be told to the greater public. When the team pitched its idea, the panel of refugees asked why that would be of use to them and whether they would get any financial benefit from the publication of their stories—key points the team had not considered.

In another case, refugees unanimously advised one “makerspace” organizer—which sets up collaborative work spaces for hands-on exploring and training, often in tech—to focus on increasing the skills of immediate users of the space and placing them into jobs, rather than attempting to scale up into more camps.

In this way beneficiaries become co-designers and evaluators of assistance programs—something the development and peacebuilding fields have struggled to achieve.

When I asked people why they chose to participate in Hack the Camp, tech participants and others mentioned empathy for the refugee population and a desire to humanize and solve the refugee problem.

When I spoke to Syrian, Iraqi, Afghani and Pakistani refugees, they talked about how they enjoyed playing a key part in the creative and inclusive process.

In total, Hack the Camp teams generated 33 solution concepts—including an Airbnb-type solution to allow people to make vacant spaces in Athens and elsewhere available to refugees. Airbnb is not affiliated with the hackathon. Other solutions focused on education, jobs, health, urban planning and cultural identity.

Human-centered design and product development specialists guided the teams through a rapid design process, and they have now spent the last two months fleshing out the concepts more.

This Dec. 2 to 4 in Athens, 50 members of selected teams will reassemble to prototype and present their solutions.

What we hope to see are the beginnings of solutions that can make a real difference in the lives of those they are meant to serve—the refugee and migrant community. With human-centered design and refugees as part of design teams and feedback panels, the outlook for achieving this is bright.

Ayan Kishore is Director of Technology for Development at the Creative Development Lab.

New policy brings designated reading time to Pakistan schools

November 30, 2016

By Noman Manzoor

4 min read

Over 227,000 young readers from 8,180 schools are getting more support and practice than ever before thanks to a new policy that designates reading time in public schools.

With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Pakistan Reading Project, provincial and regional education departments have agreed to allocate specific reading instruction time in project intervention schools. This policy initiative will facilitate school management to use this time for imparting reading skills to early grade children.

The USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project aims to support the provincial and regional departments of education throughout Pakistan to improve the reading skills of 1.3 million children in first and second grades. The Pakistan Reading Project works through three components – teacher education, policy reforms and community engagement – to support children in acquiring reading skills.

The project, implemented by the International Rescue Committee and its partners, Creative Associates International, World Learning, and the Institute of Rural Management, has equipped teachers with best practices and tools for teaching reading and has provided culturally sensitive Teaching and Learning Materials to enhance student reading skills.

Aligned with international best practices, the Pakistan Reading Project advocated for the inclusion of time specifically devoted to reading instruction. The project worked with each provincial and regional government to issue official notifications to school authorities to implement an average of 30 minutes of reading time daily.

“The project team is encouraged to realize that thousands of children across 38 districts of Pakistan will now have the opportunity to improve their reading skills at school on a daily basis,” says Naeem Sohail, Ph.D., Deputy Chief of Party for the project.

To ensure success and sustainability, the project intervention is carried out by the government of Pakistan from the policy level to the community —involving the Secretaries of Education, regional and district education officers, head teachers and primary school teachers.

Education officials are avidly supporting the new reading time policy and working to ensure its success.

“I ensure that reading time allocation will be implemented in the entire district, and Mirpur will be the model district in terms of achieving project targets efficiently,” says Rashid Turab, District Education Officer of Mirpur.

To ensure successful implementation of the new reading time policy, the project team conducted school visits to monitor how allotted reading time is observed on the ground.

The government of Pakistan plans to integrate reading time into the scheme of primary studies to ensure that it is universally practiced in all classes. With this process, the project team hopes that primary students will continue their education and will not drop out of the system because of reading deficiencies.

Research proves reading time makes a difference

Research from around the world on reading shows that adequate time to practice reading is crucial for learning how to read. Most countries with high literacy rates allocate up to 60 minutes per day for reading lessons.

Developed by teachers who believed that not all children learn in the same way, the Four Blocks Literacy Model suggests that teachers should practice four areas of reading instruction—guided reading, self-selected reading, writing, and working with words—for better learning in early grades.

Recent research emphasizes the significance of reading and has declared reading time a sixth component of reading in addition to the five existing components—phonemic awareness, phonics, reading vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

While reading time in schools and independent free reading have both been found to correlate with better performance, both have been a challenge in Pakistan.

While grade one and two students have typically received six 40-minute language lessons periods per week, learning how to read has not been the primary focus of this time. To date, reading has been treated as only one component of language instruction.

Outside of school, few students have access to books to practice reading. In impoverished areas where many students live, there are no libraries and there is often no culture of reading.

Big changes in the classroom

Schools in all six Pakistan Reading Project target regions and provinces – Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu Kashmir – have now started implementing allocated reading time, prominently displaying reading timetables throughout the classrooms and halls. Since the new reading time policy began, young readers are reporting some exciting changes in their classroom routine.

“This is the best time we wait for!” says Alia, a second grade student in Islamabad. “I love reading! I have watched many animated movies, but I always wanted to read them. Now I get the opportunity to read.”

Teachers are also noticing some significant differences in their students and a boost in student learning across reading skill areas.

“Now students are taking more interest in phonics, and their identification of letters has improved. They wait for Urdu reading period and are showing keen interest,” says Abdul Qadeer Mughal, a primary school teacher at Mosque School, Kacher Paira in Hattian district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

In the new designated reading instruction time, teachers are re-energizing reading instruction and assessment, and bringing in techniques and skills gained through project trainings to get students more engaged in reading.

“Now we are much more focused on reading in the allocated time,” says Muhammad Umer, a teacher at Government Boys Primary School, Shafee Shah Street, Quetta in Balochistan. “Students all across wait for this period as they love reading aloud, sky writing and tapping exercises.”

Noman Manzoor is the Communications & Reporting Manager for the Pakistan Reading Project/Creative.

Creative Associates International applauds the purchase of IPSI by Creative Learning

November 29, 2016

2 min read

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Creative Associates International applauds the purchase of IPSI by Creative Learning

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]WASHINGTON, D.C. — Creative Associates International applauds the acquisition of the International Peace & Security Institute by the non-profit Creative Learning, which will expand its portfolio of services.

“We have a strong relationship with both Creative Learning and IPSI,” says Leland Kruvant, President of Creative Associates International. “Now that IPSI will be part of Creative Learning, I see new opportunities for all of us to work together in ways that offer greater value to our clients, host governments and beneficiaries.”

In particular, Kruvant anticipates more collaboration in the area of thought leadership on some of today’s most pressing topics, such as preventing and countering violent extremism.

Creative Associates International partnered with IPSI on the successful CVE Symposium in April, which drew hundreds of practitioners, elected officials and others. Creative Associates International partners with Creative Learning’s Aid to Artisans on the Sichuan Market Development Project, a five-year, $7.5 million program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Creative Associates International and Creative Learning are two independent organizations.

Creative Learning said in a statement that the acquisition of IPSI will greatly expand its activities in peacebuilding and training. The two non-profits will form a new division called IPSI at Creative Learning. (www.CreativeLearning.org)

Cameron M. Chisholm, Founder of IPSI and now Executive Director for IPSI at Creative Learning, said in a statement released by both non-profits: “IPSI at Creative Learning will pursue an even more ambitious agenda of training design, short courses, applied research and international education.”

The new division will focus on the complexity of today’s conflicts, working with a myriad of traditional and non-traditional peacebuilders to prevent and resolve violent conflict, as well as building resilient communities, Chisholm said.

Founded in 2009, IPSI designs and implements results-driven professional development and advanced education, ranging from direct practical skills to higher level conceptual frameworks that equip leaders to be effective in fragile and conflict environments. (www.IPSInstitute.org)

Creative Learning is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. Since its inception in 1977, Creative Learning has assisted communities, non-governmental organizations and educational institutions at home and abroad to foster change that has a lasting social impact.

Other nonprofits and programs that are part of Creative Learning include: Aid to Artisans; Global Education Initiatives; Human Rights & Advocacy; and America’s Unofficial Ambassadors.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-primary”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Hundreds from remote villages in Pakistan’s Sindh Province attended reading festivities

November 16, 2016

By Noman Manzoor

3 min read

One sunny afternoon in September, the Government Boys Primary School in the remote Thano Bullah Khan village transformed itself into a reading extravaganza.

Hundreds of children, teachers, government officials and parents from the village, along with 20 surrounding schools and communities, flocked to the primary school to take part in games, activities and performances focused on boosting literacy and promoting a culture of reading.

“You would not believe how much children from all schools have enjoyed themselves here. I have no words to explain their excitement,” said Tara Sharma, a teacher at the Government Girls Primary Main School in Thano Bulla Khan.

Attended by more than 1,000 students, the Sept. 8 International Literacy Day event was organized by Kohistan Readers Network, a group of more than 35 educators in the region dedicated to promoting sustainable literacy in the community.

The teachers were inspired to create the group after receiving early grade reading teacher trainings from the Pakistan Reading Project, a nationwide project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

This five-year project aims to support the provincial and regional departments of education throughout Pakistan to improve the reading skills of 1.3 million children in first and second grades. It is implemented by the International Rescue Committee and its partners Creative Associates International, World Learning and the Institute of Rural Management.

First-of-its-kind celebration

As a first-of-its-kind event in the region, the reading festival also caught the attention of senior government education officials, many of whom joined in the activities.

“This is first time in the history of Thano Bullah Khan that such kind of event has been organized for students. It is wonderful and very successful!” said Faqeer Dad Khoso, Member of the Sindh Provincial Assembly.

He congratulated the USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project team for its work and their dedication towards promoting a culture of reading.

The event organizers at the Kohistan Readers Network were also encouraged by the outcomes festival, which included read aloud sessions, story making, eyesight testing, teacher lesson demonstrations and more.

“This is the very first time in my 29 years of service that such a huge reading festival is held in our town,” said Muhammad Bachal, head teacher at a nearby school and leader of the Kohistan Readers Network.

Bachal added that in addition to rallying the community around the cause of reading through the festival and other campaigns, the Pakistan Reading Project has provided him with new methods for teaching early grade that are having a profound effect on student learning.

“I adore the teaching methods of [the project] as it’s having great output in student learning…. I even try to convince teachers from non-project intervention schools to adopt these new methods,” he said.

Teachers take ownership

With support and inspiration from the USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project, similar reading festivities have also taken place in other districts of Sindh including Matiari, Shaeed Benazriabad and Karachi.

In the Tando Allah Yar district, for example, 14 teacher support groups, known as Teacher Inquiry Groups, from 44 schools gathered for a mega-festival featuring 30 stalls hosting reading competitions, storybook writing and other activities and games.

The event was attended by more than 1,200 children, teachers, project mentors, government officials and community members, among them a large number of female learners, educators and community members.

This high rate of engagement of girls and women in the Tando Allah Yar district festival was commended by the district’s education office, including Tabasum Pathan, Taluka Education Officer.

“This is a great opportunity for the teachers to showcase their learning. I am seeing that many female teachers of my region have worked hard for the event,” she said.

She added that among male and female teachers alike, the educators’ energy and commitment to carry forward education reforms and new teaching methods introduced by the USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project is a positive sign that these gains in early grade reading will be sustained.

Yemeni Ministry of Education brings phonics-based reading to all first graders

October 24, 2016

By Jillian Slutzker

4 min read

“When children can learn to read—and when all children get that opportunity regardless of social status or wealth—it changes everything for them.”
Joy du Plessis, Senior Reading Specialist at Creative Associates International

First graders across Yemen will have a greater chance at getting ahead in reading this year, thanks to the Ministry of Education’s adoption of the Yemen Early Grade Reading Approach textbook in all first grade classrooms.

Adopted in September by Ministry decree, the textbook, called “I Read and I Learn,” was designed in 2014 by local and international educators, Arabic early grade reading experts, and education officials as part of the Yemen Early Grade Reading Approach project.

“Men and women from all over Yemen contributed to the development of this program,” says Joy du Plessis, a Senior Reading Specialist at Creative Associates International, which implemented the USAID-funded project.

Within the Ministry of Education, multiple teams came together to collaborate on the development of the program and materials, including Ministry sectors focusing on curriculum development, teacher training, mentoring and assessment, psychosocial support and other areas. The rollout and implementation of the approach also involved education officials at the governorate and school levels, as well as parents and community members.

“The textbook ‘I read and I learn,’ which is a product of the program, is not a mere book. It is a national project that brought all the Ministry sectors to work together in harmony for the first time,” wrote curriculum author Najilaa Thiban in an article on the Yemen Early Grade Reading Approach Facebook page.

Based on phonics and active learning methodologies, the approach has proved successful in helping young learners develop literacy skills since its initial pilot phase, in which children’s reading ability jumped from just 5 words per minutes to 25 words per minute.

A national scale-up despite conflict

At the start of the program in 2011, the Ministry was very concerned about poor reading results in the primary grades and from the beginning took ownership of the approach and its national scale-up.

Despite ongoing war in the country, the Ministry of Education has continued to scale up the reading approach into early grade classrooms nationwide for better learning outcomes, most recently with the adoption of the grade one textbook as the official curriculum.

“Educators and the leadership at the Ministry of Education have realized that the early grade reading approach is a comprehensive national project for all educational sectors that requires the synergy and engagement of all departments and centers,” says the project’s former Chief of Party Atia Moor.

Moor explains that the Ministry’s recent adoption of the first grade textbook demonstrates a commitment to improving education in the country and sustaining literacy reform and progress.

“It signifies that the Yemenis are committed to moving forward in building a better future for the next generation,” he says, noting that despite the conflict, educators, officials and communities remain dedicated to this goal.

Spreading the joy of reading and teaching

For teachers, the official adoption of the Yemen Early Grade Reading Approach means simpler, yet more effective lessons. Its systematic approach helps learners develop an understanding of syllable sounds, word reading, listening and reading comprehension step-by-step and with lots of hands-on practice. Teachers meanwhile are supported with a teacher guide and come to be familiar with the patterns of their phonics-based lessons, explains du Plessis.

“In essence, teachers really see the value of this program. They see that if they follow the approach, then children can learn to read. They also understand that when children can learn to read—and when all children get that opportunity regardless of social status or wealth—it changes everything for them,” she says.

The Yemen Early Grade Reading Approach is centered on culturally relevant stories written by Ministry of Education authors so they reflect important social and cultural lessons, including cooperating with others, respecting parents and being honest and fair. Active learning techniques ensure children are constantly engaged in the material.

Du Plessis says these stories “make children think and predict” and encourage “curiosity and love of learning.” The end result: a growing culture of reading at school and at home.

“Over and over during my time in Yemen, parents, teachers and community members told me that children were happy when they were learning to read. Children were more eager to go to school on a regular basis and parents were more engaged with their children at home, helping them with homework and reading with them,” she says.

To continue to spread this culture of reading and promote the recent adoption of the first grade textbook, the Ministry and educators have taken to social media in a public awareness campaign that is engaging teachers, learners and community members across the country.

14 inspiring women in development profiled in new book

September 2, 2016

2 min read

14 inspiring women in development profiled in new book

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Creative shines a light on 14 women from around the world who have made profound contributions to promote positive change in their communities. They have worked through conflict, overcome significant obstacles and broken gender barriers to improve the lives of thousands.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fourteen women from Syria to Afghanistan and Nigeria to El Salvador who have made profound contributions to promote positive change in their communities are profiled in a new book called “In Her Hands: Stories of Women Shaping Their Worlds,” Creative Associates International announced today.

The release of the book and an awards ceremony will be held on Sept. 13 at the Ronald Regan Building in Washington, D.C. An online version of the Creative-published book and short videos are available now on a special website.

Launched by Creative’s Co-Founder and CEO Charito Kruvant, the initiative seeks to identify and honor women around the world for their vision, energy and results related to the organization’s mission. Six of the 14 honorees will be in Washington for the book release and awards ceremony.

“Today, more girls have gained access to education, vulnerable groups have found a voice and neighbors have joined together to build peace,” says Kruvant, herself a pioneer in the field of locally driven development. “Often the efforts of many women go unrecognized, despite the fact that so many have benefited from their achievements. It is our hope that this inspires others to take action.”

Hailing from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, India, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tanzania, Yemen and Zambia, many of the honorees have worked through conflict, overcome significant obstacles and broken gender barriers in pursuit of their visions to improve their communities.

But, in their own words, these women are undeterred.

“I am not going to give up because I know at least in my little way, in my little corner…I could make an impact somewhere, somehow,” says Nigerian honoree Rabia Eshak, whose leadership in education has helped thousands of children gain access to quality instruction and return to school, in a country that has highest number of out-of-school children in Africa.

In addition to Eshak, the list of honorees includes: an Afghan woman preparing other women with workforce skills; a Salvadoran mayor fighting to end violence and bring opportunity to her city’s vulnerable youth; and a Syrian student-turned-activist using radio to bring critical news to communities in conflict, among others.

Each honoree has been engaged in a Creative-implemented project, whether as a local staff member, grantee, implementing partner or beneficiary.

Collectively, the 14 honorees have changed tens of thousands of lives as they have transformed education systems, helped to stem crime and violence, expanded opportunities for women and youth, and amplified calls for peace in conflict-plagued areas.

To learn more about this initiative and the 14 honorees, please visit: http://inspirational.creativeassociatesinternational.com/

Mutual gains as Creative and Atlas Corps join forces for global development

August 18, 2016

By Karen Ives

4 min read

On June 23, Luther Jeke published his final blog post as an Atlas Corps Fellow at Creative Associates International, finishing up an 18-month stay in Washington, D.C., before heading back to his home country of Liberia

“Before I came to Creative,” writes Jeke, “I was just a typical young Tech4Dev enthusiast, inward-looking and unaware of the scale of the impact that technology can create globally… But joining Creative was a game changer.”

During Jeke’s 18 months in the program, he developed apps, attended workshops and even traveled to Nigeria to conduct training on the CreativeMapper. In fact, he worked so closely with Creative’s team that even Creative staff members occasionally forgot that he was actually an Atlas Corps Fellow.

Every year, rising leaders in social change from around the world compete for Atlas Corps Fellowships and a chance to bring their unique skills to and learn from social change organizations in the United States.

While participants are able to advance their knowledge and job training, the organizations they work with get the benefit of the skilled professionals with connections and invaluable experiences on the ground in their countries. Fellows also receive stipends through the program to cover living expenses.

Creative has hosted six Atlas Corps Fellows during the past two years.

“With these kind of international fellowships, there’s always the debate around who stands to gain more – the fellow or the hosts,” says Sean Carroll, Director of the Creative Development Lab, which has hosted three fellows. “Well, we can’t do a good job on international development without a variety of international perspectives and know-how, so I’d say Creative has definitely benefited. I hope and believe the Atlas Corps fellows have too.”

Exchanging ideas, innovation and experiences

The Atlas Corps Fellows at Creative bring diverse educational, regional and technical expertise.

Jeke had come to Creative from an innovation lab called iLab Liberia, which serves as an incubation center to train government employees, private citizens and employees of international institutions who want to use information and communications technology to be more effective.

Eyitayo Ogunmola, who is from Lagos, Nigeria, arrived from a workforce development and venture creation organization he started in 2012, which focuses on developing the capacities of the young people for the labor market and helping them start new businesses.

“It’s amazing the social business model the company has built and how it uses for profit structure to achieve social goods. I joined Creative Associates because I considered it an opportunity to improve my social entrepreneurship capacity, learn from global and industry leaders and ultimately be a part of the global movement for change. It’s been an awesome experience.”

Now at Creative, Ogunmola, is part of the business development team, exploring new opportunities for the organization’s Development Lab and other teams.

“It’s been very interesting because I’ve been learning business development at the bigger scale, at the high level,” explains Ogunmola.

One of the newest Atlas Corps Fellows at Creative, Khurram Kazi from Pakistan, has an impressive resume of work experience, including his recent position with the Peace and Development Program of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where he implemented projects in southern Kyrgyzstan.

“Not all Atlas Corps fellows are lucky enough to be placed with host organizations that are relevant to their academic qualifications and past experiences,” says Kazi. “Creative is the best fit for me as the countering violent extremism work not only relates to my past work on peacebuilding with UNICEF, UNDP and Search for Common Ground but it also relates to my academic expertise in Peace and Conflict Studies.”

The current and past Fellows have each been placed in divisions and programs where their unique talents and perspectives add to the work Creative does around the world.

Gaining experience and taking lessons home

While their impressive backgrounds contribute to Creative’s mission of positive change, the Fellows also benefit personally and professionally from the program.

For Khurram Kazi, one of Creative’s newest Fellows who is supporting the team focusing on countering violent extremism, this opportunity gives him broader insight, beyond a particular country or issue.

At Creative “we are not only concentrated on one particular country, we are implementing programs in various countries and different regions…. And each and every region has its own challenges and success stories,” he explains.

When he wraps up his fellowship next year, Kazi predicts he will be heading home with new ideas and best practices

“I’ll be going back with a lot of knowledge, with a lot of experience, and also with the satisfaction that I have given this small contribution to [countering violent extremism] efforts,” he says.

For Ogunmola, this experience is enhancing his expertise as an entrepreneur.

“It’s been a very rewarding experience for me because I consider myself an entrepreneur. And the only way you can… get more opportunities is if you know where those opportunities are. Being with Creative has really given me an opportunity to… learn business development at that level.”

For Jeke, the change is profound: as a young person from a country that experienced 14 years of civil war, he sees a lot of his own experience in the work Creative is doing. The ability to exchange ideas with people from across the world, to learn about their experiences, and the ability to share his own has been “a life changing experience.”

The fellowship, he says, is an opportunity “to get a bunch of experiences and then take those experiences home … to help other young people in my country to be better at what they do.”