• READ CO Project

Following the result of the USAID-supported Ethiopia National Learning Assessments (ENLA) and Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) of 2014 which brought to light the tremendous challenges to improving children’s reading and writing skills in the country, READ CO project is launched. Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed Community Outreach (READ CO) is government led four-year activity (January 2015 to December 2018) to strengthen community outreach resulting in improved reading and writing skills of primary school children.          

This USAID funded project is implemented by Save the Children in partnership with regional level implementing partners of the five target regions. Based on the sub grant agreement signed with Save the Children Tigray Development Association (TDA) is responsible for the implementation of the project in Tigray. In the region the project targets 336 schools to serve more than102, 476children of grades 1 to 4. It also supports the Regional State Education Bureau (RSEB) in sustaining and improves a comprehensive community and school-based early grade reading program.

READ CO has adopted three Intermediate Results (IRs) to measure achievement, increase access to appropriate reading materials (IR1), provide children with additional opportunities to practice reading (IR2), and strengthen parental and community engagement in support of children’s learning to read (IR3). Accordingly, inception to date1, 342,539supplementary reading materials are printed and distributed to the target schools. Furthermore, in accordance with creating the opportunity of practicing reading activities, 1061 reading corners, 336 reading & writing clubs, 336 book banks and 336 reading camps with 1008 shelve and 336 book boxes are established in the target schools and begun serving of children both at school and community level reading spaces.  

With regard to strengthening the capacity of the people in the education structure and community members around the school and community level reading activities, trainings have been given. Out of all 669 community representatives, 1008 community reading volunteers, 672 mother tongue language teachers, 336 vice-principals, 336 principals, 107 cluster school supervisors and 20 woreda education office curriculum experts took 5 days training.

• IEGRS project /Improving Early Grade Reading Skills of Students/
  • Facts and Figures of IEGRS Project

IEGRS project /Improving Early Grade Reading Skills of Students/ is a four-year project. It is an attribute to the findings of EGRA (2010), low achievement of students in reading skills. It is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Cooperative Agreement No AID-663-A-13_00005.It has been implemented by TDA since September 18, 2013 in 20 Woredas, 337 primary schools of Tigrai reaching 122,303 pupils. Its goal is to contribute to Tigrairegional state initiatives to improve quality of education (improving the learning outcomes of students) via improving early grade reading skills of students in 337 primary schools. The project’s intermediate results (IRs) are:

 IR 1:Access to teaching and learning materials (TLM) increased

IR 2: Opportunities for children to practice reading and writing created

 IR 3: In-service teacher training delivered

IR 4: Parental and community engagement to support learning to read strengthened

• Major Accomplishments of the Project
  • Number of Distributed Supplementary Teaching & Learning Materials
• 392,680 Grade Specific Supplementary Reading Booklets
• 2,103 Reading Corner Shelves
• 2,103 Book Banks
• 5,055 Large Alphabets
• 90,000 Small Alphabets
• 2,696 Flash Cards
• 39,937 Slates
• 342 Concrete Bench Chairs for Reading Shades
  • Number of Teachers and Education Leaders who Received Capacity Building Trainings
• 1,349
  • Number of Teachers and other Stakeholders who participated in Consultative Meeting
• 11,728
  • Number of Established Reading Units
• 337 Reading Committee
• 337 Reading Clubs
  • Number of Awarded Teachers, Principals and Students
• Best Performing 332 Teachers, 40 Principals and 20 Vice Principals were Awarded Smart Phones.
• 6,066 Top Performing Students in Reading Skills were Praised Stationery Materials, Watches and Books.
  • CSSP /Civil Society Support Program
    • Facts and Figures of CSSP

The Civil Society Support Program /CSSP/ is a capacity development program designed to support Ethiopian’s civil society and contribution to the country’s national development, poverty reduction and advancement of good governance in line with the government’s policies and strategies.

Funding Agency for the grant was Irish Aid, which coordinates a multi-donor fund for CSSP contributed to by a number of development partners, on behalf of itself and other contributing development partners including the UK DFID, Norway Embassy, SIDA and The Netherlands Embassy. The British Council serves as the Management Agent for the CSSP.

Over the past three years CSSP has supported and worked in partnership with TDA on the ‘hard to reach’ people and issues.  Four grants such as Program Grant, Rolling Call, Strategic Program Grant Two (SPG-2) and Strategic Investment have been implemented since January 2014 in three woredas, 291 under resource and marginalized people such as people with leprosy, intellectual disability, hearing impairment, marginalized youth, 735 female students, 540 women’s family head and 547 students were targeted by the project.

Aims of these projects are to increase protection from violence and access to quality education for rural girls of the target woredas (25 schools), reduce students drop out, reduce psychosocial and economic problem of OVCs, mitigate the practice of illegal migration and discrimination of youths, strengthen the income of poor and/or illiterate women widows in income-generating activities, improving the livelihood of different disabled people (i.e. with hearing impairments, affected with leprosy and intellectual disability).  

• Major Accomplishments of CSSP

• Capacity building training given to 195 targets on psychosocial, small business, poultry and diary production, skill training on ( ICT, metal work, & wood work), weaving machine operation, sign language for people with hearing problem.

-40 poor women family head trained on IGA,

-31 Girls Club (GC) and Girls Education Advisory Committee (GEAC) training on the different aspects of gender issue and girls education.  

• Material and financial support
• Educational material supported to 100 OVCs and students expected to drop out
• Seed money support to 100 OVCs and students expected to drop out and stipend money support to 65 female students,
• Seed money and educational material support to 20 deaf students,
• Educational material support to 540 female students who expected to drop out.
  • Income-Generating Activities (IGA)
• To improving the livelihood of different disabled people (i.e. with hearing problems, affected with leprosy and intellectual disability) different IGA packages such as poultry production 14, diary production 24, bee and honey production 20, gardening and vegetable 12, small shop 12, and weaving machine production 4.  
• 540 poor women family heads are engaged on IGA to improve their economic status and educate their daughters, and 10 poor women family heads also engaged on small business.
  • Social and behavioral change communication
    • Facts and Figures of IEGRS Project

Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) is a two-year project aiming at increasing positive attitude and health practice of individuals and communities, while supporting system to improve quality, capacity and coordination of SBCC. It is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded to John Snow Incorporated(JSI) with a total budget of 2,925,884.45 birr. It has been implemented by TDA since 2017 in 8 woredas targeting newly married couples, pregnant women and families having under five children. The project’s results are:

• Strengthened public sector health system and coordination for SBCC.
• SBCC design and implementation strengthened
• Improved use of data for decision making in SBCC
  • Major Accomplishments of the Project

1. Organized zonal advocacy workshop
2. Trained Communication for health project staff on SBCC
3. Primary health care units (PHCU) directors sensitized to cascade SBCC.
4. PHCU supervisors and Health extension workers (HEW) trained on SBCC strategy.
5. Organized woredas PHCU and health posts (HP) profile.
6. 69% PHCU and HP monthly data collected and sorted for further analysis.
7. SBCC fact sheets distributed to 45 targeted model schools.
   • Accelerated Learning For Africa

Accelerated Learning for Africa created a learning opportunity for boys and girls aged between 9 to 14 who didn’t get the chance for different reasons to learn from grades 1 to 4 within a year’s time and enabled them to enter to the grade they deserve through providing standard exam.

While this project was launched in 2007 E.C at woreda Endamekoni, it was also continued to be conducted at woredas Raya Azebeo and Ofla.

The project has benefited 1,264 children from Endamekoni, 3,206 from Raya Azebo and 960 from Ofla woredas.