Tribune News Network
Doha
Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and Lapis Group recently signed a partnership agreement to launch the ‘Youm Jadeed’ (New Day) initiative, a project aimed at providing vital educational and psychosocial support to Palestinian children with particular focus on war ridden Gaza. The agreement comes as part of the organisations’ commitment to providing innovative education solutions in areas where learning may be restricted.
This partnership comes as the Palestinian education system faces unprecedented challenges due to ongoing war and the resulting severe disruptions of formal schooling across the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. Over the next seven months, the partners will produce and broadcast 90 original episodes of the Youm Jadeed radio programme for children aged 7-11 and their caregivers. The programme will rely on entertaining and drama-based storylines which focus on key themes such as literacy, health, and emotional resilience.
Youm Jadeed will be broadcast on FM radio in Arabic across all of Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. This broad reach will be complemented by an innovative, multi-platform digital dissemination strategy including online, mobile, and social media tools as well as in-person activities to reach as many children, caregivers, and educators as possible and ensure that they have access. The project will also curate and develop supplementary resources for practitioners, caregivers, and children to deepen their engagement and leverage the impact of the audio content. In addition, the project will seek to connect with a wide array of stakeholders to utilize the resources of the projects for their activities with children across Palestine. Throughout the implementation period, there will be continuous emphasis on measuring reach, engagement, and impact, and seeking community engagement and feedback to improve outcomes.
Fahed Al-Sulaiti, CEO of Education Above All Foundation, commented on the significance of the programme: “Our partnership with Lapis Group cements our belief in providing uninterrupted access to education to communities in need. With the foundation’s reach extending to over 60 countries and impacting more than 19 million beneficiaries, we recognise the importance of innovating for seamless education and learning. Together, we are dedicated to fostering knowledge and skills that uplift individuals and build resilience. Education is the cornerstone of growth, and through this partnership, we aim to create lasting impact for those who need it most, paving the way for a brighter future.”
Alex Thier, CEO of Lapis Group added: “We truly believe that all children deserve access to high quality education and social and emotional support. Youm Jadeed was designed from scratch to serve the needs of Palestinian students and their communities to learn and be more resilient in this time of immense hardship and trauma.”
Education Above All Foundation recognises the role of education in building social cohesion, peace and prosperity for marginalised communities. It works through a network exceeding 100 partners to recognise and uphold the right to education in line with the United Nations Development Goals. The foundation’s work is particularly important in conflict-affected regions with seven million of its beneficiaries living in conflict zones.
The Youm Jadeed project leverages Lapis Group’s extensive experience reaching children in crises with high quality educational content and EAA’s commitment to leaving no child behind. Youm Jadeed will proactively engage diverse local and international stakeholders, to achieve common goals and maximize impact for Palestine’s children.
For more information about Lapis Group, visit https://lapis-group.com/.
For more information about Education Above All Foundation, visit https://www.educationaboveall.org
