Our Work in the Middle East & North Africa
ROOM TO READ OVERVIEW
Room to Read envisions a world in which all children
can pursue a quality education that enables themto reach their full potential and contribute to theircommunity and the world. We design our programs
under the guiding principle that all children areentitled to education as a fundamental humanright. Unfortunately, this is not a reality for many
children in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
According to UNICEF, one out of every five children
in the region is not in school, and that was before
the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked additional havocon the global education system, with children in
low-income communities experiencing the worst
disruptions. Additionally, children in MENA have dealt
with challenges to their learning brought on by several
conflicts and crises.

OUR HISTORY IN THE REGION
Room to Read began working in the Middle East witha literacy project in Jordan in 2017. With support from
Dubai Cares, we focused on building the capacity of
local partners to develop high-quality storybooks inArabic. As a result, more than 600,000 copies of 20
new storybooks were distributed across the country
to Jordanian children, as well as to young refugee girls
and boys. Working with the Ministry of Education andlocal and international NGOs, copies of the books were
distributed to all government primary schools, informalschools, refugee camps and community centers. We
also worked closely with the Jordanian publishers Dar
Al Yasmine, Jabal Amman and Majdalawi Masterpieces
to increase their capacity to publish quality children’sbooks. The publishers participated in and facilitatedportions of the Room to Read’s workshops for authors
and illustrators in Amman over the course of 2017, andworked closely Room to Read during the book editing
process, building their skills and understanding of bestpractices in book design. Books were distributed widely
throughout the country.
Following this initial project, we were selected to be
the Print Content Creator for Ahlan Simsim, a joint,
five-year project between Sesame Workshop and theInternational Rescue Committee serving the needs ofTHE CONTEXT

1 in 5CHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTHAFRICA IS NOT IN SCHOOL.1
OF THOSE WHO DO RECEIVE AN EDUCATION,
MANY FIND THEMSELVES UNEQUIPPED FOR THE
LABOUR MARKET, AND UNABLE TO ENGAGE IN
MEANINGFUL AND DIGNIFIED WORK.
1

https://www.unicef.org/mena/education

Room to Read is a leading international nonprofit founded on
the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children.®
Since 2000, we have benefited 32 million children across 21
countries and more than 49,000 communities.

Syrian children displaced by conflict in Jordan, Iraq,
Lebanon and Syria. The overall project focused on
young children and their caregivers and sought toprovide them with training and learning materials onearly childhood education, including literacy, numeracy
and socioemotional skills. Over a nine-month period,
Room to Read led the development of 12 storybooks
and activity sheets that feature Sesame Street’s Ahlan
Simsim characters. Room to Read writer and illustrator
workshops took place in Jordan, and the books weredeveloped to meet the needs of Syrian refugee andhost community children ages three to six.

•Book Publishing – Effective early grade reading
instruction goes hand in hand with local bookpublishing. Children require a plethora of highquality reading material to build reading skillsand foster a habit of reading. To support thisneed, Room to Read helps build the capacity of
local publishers in order to develop high-quality
children’s books.

•Public School Libraries – Further complementing
the reading skills developed through early grade
reading instruction is the ability to foster a habitof reading through public school libraries. School
libraries house the books developed by publishers
and make them more accessible to children. Roomto Read trains teachers and schools on how to setup and manage school libraries and use the library
space effectively to foster a habit of reading. Asa project priority, we aim to establish 50 morelibraries in Jordan by 2024, working with schools
to develop the materials and systems needed toadapt the Room to Read library model for MSA.
The model can then be transferred to other MENA
countries such as Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine.

•Girls Education and Life Skills – Finally, we willprioritize girls’ education and life skills education
sessions in schools in Jordan and Egypt. Our
analysis of both countries shows that there isa great need to support girls through the manychallenges they face, including pressure to marryearly. Room to Read provides life skills education
to ensure that girls stay in school and develop theskills needed to navigate key life decisions. We
also work with families, schools and communities
to create environments that empower girls tosucceed in school and beyond.

OUR REACH

172,000

CHILDREN BENEFITED IN JORDAN TO DATE.

LOOKING AHEAD
In line with our current strategic plan – Vision 2025:
Ending the Impossible – we embarked on a process todetermine what’s next for Room to Read in MENA. We
analyzed qualitative research and data, consulted withkey education stakeholders in the region, and worked
with our own literacy and girls’ education experts tounderstand how Room to Read can provide the greatest support.
Based on a combination of factors, including need,
government readiness and language alignment, weidentified Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine asplaces where we are poised to make a difference in thelives of children. In addition to determining geographic
focus, this process helped us identify five key ways that
we can transform education in the region:•Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Books andExpertise in Developing Early Literacy Skills –Harnassing our digital learning platform, Literacy
Cloud, we will leverage our existing MSA books andresources for teachers to create excitement among
governments and local organizations for Room to
Read’s work.

•Early Grade Reading Instruction – Given low Early
Grade Reading Assessment scores in the region,
we will pilot teacher trainings for reading skills
development, prioritizing countries where national
interventions in early grade reading do not alreadyexist and where infrastructure is in place to help
integrate Room to Read’s programs into national
education systems.

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