60 minutes features project linked to interventions co-developed by Bangor Psychology

The well know TV news programme 60 Minutes has recently aired a segment highlighting the IRC and Sesame Workshop’s Ahlan Simsim project, the largest early childhood development initiative in the history of humanitarian response. The aim of the project is to educate young children displaced by conflict in the Middle East and it includes implementing early childhood programmes in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.

60 minutes highlights the fact that the IRC runs a home visit program that sends trained volunteers, refugees themselves, to visit 3,000 refugee families once a week, each time with an age-appropriate educational activity. The project uses the Reach Up and Learn home visiting curriculum: an evidence-based, adaptable program, feasible for low resource settings (http://www.reachupandlearn.com). Dr Henningham from School of Psychology at Bangor University is a member of the Reach-Up and Learn team and a co-author of the curriculum and training manuals. 

Dr Henningham said:

"The programme gives a good insight into the importance of this type of intervention and the impact it can have on promoting young children’s development and family well-being. The IRC team are doing an amazing job in disseminating this intervention across the region and reaching some of the world’s most vulnerable young children and their families."

The Reach UP and Learn programme is currently being implemented in 15 countries including Bangladesh, China, India, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica and Peru.

Publication date: 22 November 2019