When the READ II Activity began in 2018, the major focus was to contribute to improving the reading proficiency and educational attainment of 15 million children in seven target regions. As a sub-recipient of Creative Associates International Inc. (CAI), World Vision was responsible for the engagement of parents, youth, and the surrounding school community in setting up village-based Reading Camps where children enjoy learning to read over the weekend with support from trained youth volunteers.
In 2020, READ II was reprogrammed to address the impact of COVID-19 which required World Vision to change its implementation approach. For example, children could not attend face-to face Reading Camp sessions due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements, so mobile hotline technology was introduced to virtually reach out parents encouraging them to support their
children with reading at home. Close to 12,000 community literacy leaders and 39,886 parents received Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) hotline messages.
Due to the escalation of armed conflict in Ethiopia in November 2020, an ongoing humanitarian crisis arose in Tigray as well as in neighboring Amhara and Afar. READ II diverted all of its remaining resources to providing an education in crisis and conflict (EiCC) response to this situation, ceasing project interventions in all other regions. World Vision shifted to provide EiCC interventions from early 2022 through the end of the project (2023). Over 2.9 million children (17% of school age children) remain out of school in Northern Ethiopia.
We are proud to be reviewed and held accountable by these independent third-party organizations:
