Adapting Parenting Programs for Children Displaced by the Syrian Crisis
Co-authored by Marika Shioiri-Clark
Currently, one million Syrian children under the age of 5 are displaced outside of their country. These children face long-term cognitive and social-emotional consequences of crisis and conflict, leaving an entire generation at risk.
Parenting programs that promote nurturing care and early learning can be effective in mitigating the negative effects of war and can improve children’s long-term health, education, and economic outcomes. While the IRC is committed to implementing early childhood and parenting programs in conflict and post-conflict settings, these programs require a lot of human resources and can be expensive, so parenting and early learning opportunities support for those affected by the Syrian crisis has had limited reach. Given the massive scale of the issue, it is imperative that we find universal, low-cost interventions.
The Airbel Center has been closely collaborating with IRC’s Education Unit to prototype and test new solutions in Jordan and Lebanon, tackling the issue of how to support a large number of parents and caregivers in understanding the importance of early childhood development, and encouraging them to take a more active role. Approximately 98% of refugees in Jordan and Lebanon have at least 3G coverage, so one idea we’re exploring is using mobile technology. We’ll also be testing principles in behavioral science from our partners at the Behavioural Insights Team to increase uptake.
We’ve partnered with the Bezos Family Foundation to adapt Vroom, an early learning initiative designed for parents of 0–5 year old children in the U.S. To ensure Vroom is meaningful and relevant for Syrian families, we’re adapting the tools and content for the unique circumstances of refugees. Vroom provides ideas for simple brain building activities that busy parents can easily incorporate into routines they already do, like washing the dishes or folding laundry. These ideas are shared through an app called Daily Vroom and on their website. In our prototyping work for a Vroom adaptation in Jordan and Lebanon, we’ll be asking questions like:
- How can we adapt the content of the activities for cultural appropriateness?
- How can we modify the language and mediums for a low-literacy context?
- How can we take advantage of the right channels and mediums for a group with limited access to the internet?
Next up, we’ll provide a look into the iterative R&D process and how we’re quickly and cheaply testing Vroom activities with several thousand families in Jordan and Lebanon. Stay tuned!
