To keep our Africa projects going, AET needs donations! If you would like to contribute to the funding of our work in Africa please go to our donations page. We have separate 'money pots' for Africa and UK work. Thank you. Please read on to find out how your money could be spent, with details of our current Africa projects. AET provides basic skills for those who have been left illiterate and inumerate Somali Educational Incentives for Girls and Young Men (SEIGYM) SEIGYM has so far benefited over 4,500 young men and women living in urban areas across Somaliland and Puntland. The project offers both basic and advanced literacy and numeracy courses as well as access to a wide range of vocational training courses. 5,000 young women and men in Northern Somalia were selected by six regional non-formal education committees and have been offered vouchers to access the course of their choice. All students also benefit from access to a range of newly developed Somali booklets which aim to sustain their literacy skills. Back to top AET combats female exclusion and rural isolation Women's Village Education (WOVE) The WOVE project began in 1999 and has so far benefited 1,200 rural dwelling women and girls. In the coming years, access to literacy and numeracy will be expanded to 4,000 rural women and girls across four regions of Somaliland. 50 women teachers will be trained in delivering literacy, numeracy and life skills courses in health, hygiene, nutrition, cooking, sustainable environments, animal husbandry, and women and childrens rights. Students will have access to reading materials on appropriate topics to help sustain their literacy skills. In the final year, WOVE students will work together on a Women's Community Project and WOVE teachers will be given the opportunity to establish a locally sustainable form of education for women in villages. Back to top AET offers distance teaching to overcome common accessibility problems Somali Distance Education for Literacy (SOMDEL) SOMDEL delivers basic literacy via the radio through working in partnership with BBC World Service. The programme uses a three-way approach to distance education using radio broadcasts, study packs and tutorials. It is estimated that the broadcasts have a potential audience of up to 250,000 Somali speakers across the Horn of Africa region. AET delivers tutorials and distributes study packs to an estimated 10,000 learners across Somaliland, Puntland and of Southern Somalia. Training of Primary School Teachers in southern Sudan This distance teaching programme is funded by UNICEF and AET is providing organisational and management support for staff at the Institute of Development, Environment and Agricultural Skills (IDEAS) in Yambio, Southern Sudan. Over the next five years UNICEF hopes that up to 2,500 teachers will be trained through IDEAS and a network of smaller training centres. Back to top AET helps rebuild and develop areas that have been destroyed by civil war and conflict Civil Administration in War Situations (CAWS) The aim of the programme is to improve access to higher education training for people working in the areas of relief and rehabilitation in African countries that have recently experienced civil conflict. CAWS was developed as a distance education programme in partnership with the Institute of Government at Fort Hare University (RSA). The programme will be offered to c150 people across the Horn of Africa Region and provides willing students the opportunity to gain a higher education certificate in civil and public administration. This 'self study' programme is currently being offered to 20 students in Somaliland and Puntland who receive extra support through twice weekly tutorial sessions. 11 people have so far completed the course and been awarded certificates. The Southern Sudanese Scholarship Programme Because of the civil war, there has been no further or higher education inside southern Sudan for almost sixteen years. Because of the war no new doctors, health professionals, vets, teachers or agriculturists have been trained in southern Sudan and people are dependent on overseas aid. AET provide scholarships and grants to help southern Sudanese gain the skills and qualifications which are and will be needed for the rehabilitation and development of their country. The majority of awards are made for study in Kenya and Uganda. Some students are supported for relevant first-degree courses but most awards are for one-year technical courses in subjects such as agriculture, community development of their country. Back to top AET encourages communities to develop their own support systems for the future Developing Community / School Reading Rooms This project is to establish a network of libraries and facilities for reading in 110 primary schools across Somaliland to be used by members of both the school and the local community. Outreach workers will work with local committees to establish each reading room and will train local people as librarians to carry out daily management of the resources. A wide range of Somali and English reading materials will be made available to accommodate the needs of both adult and child readers. The aim of the project is to improve the quality and resources of community led education by encouraging the community and the school to work in partnership together. Community Police Education (COPE) COPE is a community led project which provides 2500 young police recruits with literacy, numeracy and human rights education. Additional training for 100 police staff in business administration, management and first aid will be offered. The aim of the programme is to help the local community and police service work together in promoting and protecting the human and civil rights of all people in Somaliland. Better communication will be encouraged by establishing community/police liaison committees which will work to produce newsletters, radio programmes, a code of conduct and establish community/police forums. Back to top AET assesses and monitors African schools for improvement and development School Baseline Assessment AET are working in partnership with UNICEF for this assessment. The aim of this programme is to improve the quality of teaching in primary schools in Southern Sudan. There are three main objectives for this project; 1) The Collection of baseline information on over 1,000 schools including information on pupil numbers, teachers, gender, facilities and the quality of teaching; 2) The training of headteachers in organisation and management skills and the supply of materials to help them manage their schools; and 3) The training of Parent Teacher Associations (PTA's) so that they become more actively involved in decision making in their children's schools. Back to top AET increases awareness of and access to education for disabled people Somali Education and Awareness for the Disabled (SEAD) SEAD will provide increased access to education for 1600 disabled people across Somalia by distributing vouchers for courses in basic literacy and numeracy and / or skills training. In addition, the project will improve public awareness about disability in Somalia through establishing regional disability forums that will meet the needs and rights of disabled people in Somaliland and Puntland. Disabled people will be involved in writing radio programmes and short reading booklets about their experiences, needs and rights as disabled people in Somalia. Programmes will be broadcast via the BBC Somali World Service and booklets will be published and made available through community / school reading rooms across the region. If you would like to contribute to the funding of our work in Africa please go to our donations page. AET needs donations! Thank you. Back to top