What we want to do:
We want to see all children in Mauritania have the opportunity to receive a quality education. We are working towards this by:
- Increasing children’s access to formal and non-formal education opportunities, including early childhood development programmes
- Ensuring children who attend school are learning
- Increasing the amount of engagement of parents, guardians, communities and volunteers in children’s education
What is the problem?
Although access to education has improved in recent years, the infrastructure has not kept up. Many schools and teachers are ill-equipped with dated training methods and materials. This means that although many children are enrolled in and going to school regularly, they are not acquiring the skills they need to be successful in life.
How is World Vision addressing the issues?
We are working with the community leaders and schools in Mauritania to train teachers in the Literacy Boost methodology, equipping them with skills and resources to make functional literacy a priority and a reality in their classrooms. We are also educating families about the importance of education because in many of the areas where we work child marriage and labour are often higher priorities. Finally, we are working with schools, families and communities to ensure adolescent girls have what they need (separate bathrooms and sanitary towels) to be able to continue their educations.
Is what World Vision doing working?
Yes! Although there is still much work to do (especially closing the urban/rural gap), we are seeing a dramatic increase in the percentage of 11-year-old children who are able to read with comprehension. In 2016 only 10% of rural and 51% of urban 11-year-olds could read. In 2017, those numbers had increased to 44.5 and 83.5% respectively.
We are also seeing an increase in the percentage of children who are completing their primary education and enrolling in secondary education in the areas where we are work (72%) which is also significantly higher than the national average (53%).
Finally, each year more children are enrolled in early childhood learning programmes. The number of students in preschool more than doubled between 2016 and 2017 from 11,937 in 2016 to 27,433 in 2017.
What’s the impact?*
- 128 teachers were trained on reading methodology
- 32 reading camps were established
- 72% of children in World Vision programme areas are completing their primary education, compared with 53% nationally
- More children are able to read with comprehension, giving them the skills they need to succeed later in life.
- 27,433 children enrolled in early childhood development programmes
*Numbers from 2016 and 2017