DAKAR, Senegal, December 6, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Multiple studies have shown that early learning approaches can have a strong positive impact on the ability of school children to succeed in school and in life pursuits. However, in many parts of the continent, children are unable to access the information they need under existing education systems.
To encourage innovation in early learning education, TrustAfrica (http://www.trustafrica.org) a public foundation that strives to secure the conditions for democratic participation, equitable development and African philanthropy throughout the continent, is implementing an Early Learning Innovations program in four African countries. The $1.5 million program, which is done in partnership with the Hewlett Foundation, will focus on providing grants averaging $55,000 for projects that can be implemented over 12 months in Kenya, Uganda, Senegal and Mali.
Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/trustafrica.jpg
The project is inviting applications for letters of interest (LOIs) from organizations that have the capacity to design and implement an early learning innovation that:
• Significantly improves the quality of early learning in literacy and math;
• Has a framework for measuring the effectiveness of the innovation;
• Is cost effective (projects that demonstrate capacity to remain active beyond the funding period will be prioritized);
• Replicable at a national scale or even regionally; or
• Demonstrates how an education policy gap can be rectified.
Thus far, the project has given grants to the following organizations:
UGANDA
• Literacy and Adult Basic Education project in Uganda (Promoting Early Learning through Home-School Links)
• Lango Language Board (Improved Literacy through Orthography Training and Materials Production)
KENYA
• The National Book Development Council of Kenya (Buddy Reading)
• Bible Translation and Literacy (BTL Tusome Project)
• Association of Reading of Kenya (Family Involvement in Children’s Literacy Development: A Reading Family, A Literate Offspring
• Madrasa Resource Center (Reading for Comprehension in Madrasa Resource Center Community)
MALI
• Pôle des Actions D’Intégration des Droits Humains en Africque (Support for the Improvement of Liberacy and Numeracy Performance of Primary School Students through an Innovative Strategy in the Kati-Kita-Bafing-Kenieba-Famele area)
SENEGAL
• Société Internationale de Linquistique (Best Practices: Transfer from L1 (Seereer, the child’s first language, to L2, French)
Interested organizations should complete the Letter of Interest form on the TrustAfrica Website and submit it by email to earlylearning@trustafrica.org.
The form can be found on the TrustAfrica Website (http://www.trustafrica.org) under “Announcements” at the bottom of the page or the page can be accessed directly at http://bit.ly/VBuSn0
Applications are due no later than January 15, 2013.
Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of TrustAfrica.
For more information, please contact the following:
Media queries:
Sue Telingator, Communications Officer (in Senegal) at (221) 33 869 6061 or by email at Telingator@trustafrica.org
Project queries:
Sandra Zerbo, Program Specialist, Early Learning Innovations Project, at (221) 33 869 4686 or by email at earlylearning@trustafrica.org
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