Enriching Home Learning Environments

As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the few sources that young children experiencing displacement could rely upon – such as playful learning activities at their early education center in a refugee camp – were dramatically altered.

USA for UNHCR partnered with Sesame Workshop to build on its existing Ahlan Simsim program, which means “Welcome Sesame” in Arabic. With a focus on children and families affected by the Syrian crisis, Sesame Workshop will create a high-quality early learning multimedia resources that will both expand accessibility and meet a gap in high quality materials to enrich the home learning environment.

Storybooks and sing-alongs for children experiencing displacement and children in host communities will be available digitally, accompanied by information for caregivers to extend the reach of Ahlan Simsim, which is poised to be the most extensive early childhood development intervention in the history of humanitarian response.