The MacArthur Foundation, currently located in Chicago, just awarded $100million to the Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for the next five-years to go towards the education of Middle Eastern children.
To be more specific, the organization says they will focus on children in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. They hope to improve the intellectual, social, and emotional developmental skills of the children currently trapped by the circumstantial crisis in the region at the moment.
The plan is to educate the children through home visits, learning centers and local versions of the educational program "Sesame Street." This will be the largest early childhood intervention program ever created.
WGN reports, close to 9.4 million children will have access to a version of "Sesame Street" in Arabic and Iraqi Kurdish.
All content created will eventually become public to all at no cost. Toys and supplies for learning will also be given to the families so that the child can continue learning, even when the assigned tutor isn't present. They hope to promote inclusion, respectfulness, gender equality, early learning, mental well-being, and resiliency among the children involved.
What does MacArthur president, Julia Stasch, have to say?
According to Fortune and the Huffington Post, Julia Stasch, MacArthur Foundation president, was quoted saying, “We are compelled to respond to the urgent Syrian refugee crisis by supporting what will be the largest Early Childhood Intervention program ever created in a humanitarian setting."
Sesame and IRC will also create child development centers in the region, with books, motion projection, and worksheets.
Huffington also reported,“This may be our most important initiative ever,” as said by Jeffrey D. Dunn, President & CEO of Sesame Workshop.
What this could mean
The overall goal is to use the funds to transform the communities, schools, and eventually the people, into sources of education and safe-spaces. "For nearly 50 years, Sesame has worked around the world to improve the lives of children and help them to grow smarter, stronger and kinder.
These children are, arguably, the world's most vulnerable and by improving their lives, we create a more stable and secure world for us all", stated Jeffrey D. Dunn, as reported by Huffington Post.
David Miliband, President and CEO of IRC, called the 100&Change grant "a transformational investment that will bring hope and opportunity to a generation of refugee children".
This grant, known as one of the biggest of its kind, may be what is needed to take the first steps in the right direction for our planet to strive, with change and peace for generations to come. It may also pave the path to other organizations doing their part to get in touch with their inner humanitarians and help shape the world for the better.
