Addis Ababa, March 27, 2023 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID’s) READ II Education Recovery Activity organized an art competition to help children affected by conflict in Afar.
According to a press release sent to Fana broadcasting Corporate, the competition was organized by USAID’s READ II Education Recovery Activity which has reached 2,100 children in grades four and five, living in conflict-affected areas of the Afar region.
The release added that the winners of a children’s art competition took part in a celebration with their classmates, teachers, and parents at the Megle Kibo Primary School, Semera, Afar region.
It added that the competition engaged students in a creative exercise that allowed them to reflect on their experiences during the conflict, build their self-esteem, and express hopes for their future.
The release further added that during the ceremony, USAID’s Ethiopia Mission Director Sean Jones, Head of the Afar Regional Education Bureau Abdu Hasen, and other members of the visiting delegation toured the Megle Kibo Primary School, and during a ‘gallery walk,’ 20 young finalists and three winners presented their work.
It is stated that the program is the culmination of the region-wide art competition, which drew the participation of 50 schools in Afar.
The release indicated that the competition promoted art activities in regional schools, where art and artistic expression receive little attention and there are only a few trained art teachers adding that creating art may help school children express their hopes for their future after experiencing trauma.
The press release also disclosed that in Afar Region, USAID’s READ II Education Recovery Activity has provided emergency education support to 82,182 conflict-affected children from over 319 primary schools and camps for internally displaced persons across four zones and 22 woredas.