Learning from Ahlan Simsim's experience in the MENA region
This report draws on six years of implementation of the Ahlan Simsim initiative—a partnership between the International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop—to examine how innovative, integrated early childhood development (ECD) approaches can better support children and caregivers living in conflict, displacement and protracted crises across Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It explores the humanitarian and development context for ECD, presents evidence from the programme's delivery and scale-up, and identifies three overarching lessons: the importance of investing in innovation, learning and adaptation; the need to work through national systems and broad partnerships to achieve equitable scale; and the value of overcoming traditional humanitarian-development and sectoral silos. Through country examples, discussions of government engagement, digital and remote learning, educational media, adaptive programming during COVID-19, and recommendations for donors, policymakers and practitioners, the report argues for people-centred, outcomes-driven and locally adapted approaches to improving children's development in crisis settings.