The Philippines
Project Description
Reach & Match Inclusive Education Program was one of seven winners of 2018 the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded OpenIDEO MIKTA Education in Emergency (EiE) Challenge. The MIKTA EiE challenge received 400 applications and Reach & Match was selected following a highly competitive selection process.
Through the challenge, the Reach & Match partnered with Save the Children and Plan International to deliver a program for children with education and complex psychosocial needs in emergency settings. The Reach & Match program was part of Inclusive Conflict-Sensitive Protection and Education for children in Mindanao (iCOPE) in response to Marawi siege.
The Reach & Match program is a play-based approach that is gender and disability sensitive, aimed at including and supporting all children. The Reach & Match program has provided a strong support for inclusive quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) and school readiness.
Key achievements
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The program was delivered to 10 schools and 10 day-care centres in Marawi city and Lanao del Sur province, reaching a total 2,430 children (52% female, 48% male) and 105 teachers.
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Improvement in children’s learning outcomes, including physical, cognitive and language skills
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Improvement in children’s social and emotional wellbeing
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Improvement in children’s participation in schools, especially children with disabilities
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Improvement in teachers’ competence in inclusive pedagogy and skills to adjust activities based on the learning needs of all children
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Development of Train the Trainer Model and Monitoring & Evaluation tools
For more information on the project please visit our blog or watch the project summary and testimonial videos below. Please contact us if you are interested in partnering with us.
Testimonials:
“They are very happy. Before (children with disabilities) are just standing around the corner, not joining our class activities but because of Reach and Match they are now engaging with their classmates, dropping the feeling of isolation.”
Teacher – Ilian Elementary School, Lanao de Sur province
“One realisation for me was that Reach & Match Learning can help children who are in complex emergencies, to slowly recover from the trauma and shock that they’ve encountered in complex emergencies and help them to transition to normal school and life.”
John Tamayo – Project Manager, Plan International
“Children with disabilities now can also participate in the Reach & Match games, teachers have learnt to become more creative with the Reach & Match lesson plans that they combine the local songs and games, and the parents found joy as their children are not excluded…. Reach & Match is a very innovative material that promotes education and inclusion.”
Claire Cardona – Project Officer, Save the Children Marawi