Campaign Status:

Campaign Completed: The campaign has been launched offline and achieved successful funding, raising $7,350 through offline donations.

Summary

The crowdfunding campaign aims to enable 333 students to attain basic literacy skills by providing training for six teachers in early reading strategies, producing 40 specialized educational materials for children, and empowering 168 mothers with the skills to support their children's learning and school connection within a hundred days.

Challenge

Yemen has endured and is currently experiencing the repercussions of the ongoing war, which has notably impacted a vital aspect of life: education, especially for young students in the early grades (1-3) of primary education. The limited quality of education within this age group has resulted in challenges in learning, particularly in reading and writing, even after they have completed their initial three years of education. This has significantly dampened their motivation to learn, with over 60% of students discontinuing their education due to these learning difficulties. These reading challenges are seen as a substantial barrier to academic progression. Al-Kitabi, or reading weakness, stands out as one of the most prominent challenges confronting education in Yemen. According to a 2022 study by the National Center for Educational Research and Strategic Studies in Yemen, 70% of first-grade students in Yemen grapple with reading and writing weaknesses. Several factors contribute to this weakness:

Limited Educational Resources: Yemeni schools lack the essential tools and materials required for effective reading and writing instruction.

Inadequate Teacher Training: Teachers in Yemen do not receive sufficient training on how to effectively teach reading and writing.

Effects of Ongoing Conflict: The persistent war and instability in Yemen have disrupted the educational system, creating an unfavorable learning environment.

Solution

Several steps can be taken to help first-grade students in Yemen overcome their reading and writing challenges. These steps include:

Enhancing Educational Infrastructure: Providing the necessary tools and resources to effectively teach reading and writing.

Teacher Training: Training teachers in the modern approach to early reading, which has been adopted since 2014 and has proven successful in teaching young students to read and write.

Psychosocial Support: Offering psychological and social support to children affected by the impact of war and conflict.

Reading Promotion Programs: Implementing programs that encourage reading by providing books and educational materials to children.

The success of this campaign relies on the collective efforts of all stakeholders in Yemen's education sector, including the government, international organizations, and civil society. In pursuit of this goal, the campaign's first phase was launched in Al-Shaab and Al-Muthanna schools in Al-Silw District, Taiz Governorate.

The Al-Riyadah Foundation possesses extensive experience and a team skilled in communication and building positive relationships with all community stakeholders. As the only organization in Yemen that employs the rapid results methodology, we foster civic engagement to discover and harness the energy and creativity within communities to address development issues in various aspects of life. The organization has previously executed six projects focused on overcoming reading and writing difficulties, employing the 100-day challenge approach.

This campaign aims to empower 333 students with essential literacy skills, provide training to six teachers in early reading strategies, create 40 specialized educational materials for children, and equip 168 mothers with skills to support their children's learning and school involvement within a hundred days.