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Food for the Hungry partners with Enuma to make sure no child is left behind in the classroom
Indonesia (January 20, 2022) – As we approach International Day of Education on Monday, January 24, 2022, it is important to recognize that children across the globe have been incredibly resilient during the many challenges the pandemic has brought.
In Indonesia, children faced over 18 months of school closures in 2020 and 2021, and while the school system shifted to hybrid online learning, for certain regions the internet network is very limited and children had difficulty accessing online platforms. The impact was higher for younger children, and performance levels of grade 1-3 literacy and numeracy decreased substantially due to the pandemic.
Data from Center of Policy Education Research and Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture of Republic of Indonesia shows that the reading literacy activity index in North Sumatra province (project target area) is low, at 35.73. Food for the Hungry Indonesia saw an opportunity to help solve this issue by working with Enuma in three communities where Food for the Hungry serves: Deli Serdang-Sumbul, Limau Mungkur and Gunung Rintih.
Sekolah Enuma Indonesia is a new digital education program available offline and helps children aged five to nine practice math, Bahasa literacy, and English through games, books, and videos. The results showed an improved level of numeracy and literacy during the three month program, sponsored by The HEAD Foundation.
“Our priority is making sure children have the opportunity to be able to develop their intellectual abilities at this early stage of their learning,” says Effendy Aritonang, Food for the Hungry national director, Indonesia. “Education is key to help break the cycle of poverty.”
From January to April 2021, Sekolah Enuma was beta tested with 130 children from Deli Serdang Community. After practicing an average of five hours a week, the average percentage of correct answers increased from 47 per cent to 53 per cent in literacy, 41 per cent to 53 per cent in math, and 25 per cent to 29 per cent in English (see graph in the PDF).
Prior to project Enuma, Food for the Hungry Indonesia has been facilitating kids clubs (out of school activities) in assisted communities for eight years.
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About Food for the Hungry
Food for the Hungry (FH) is a Christian humanitarian organization ending all forms of human poverty by providing life-changing development programs, disaster relief, and advocacy. For over 50 years, FH has been working to respond to human suffering and graduate communities from extreme poverty into self-sustainability within a decade. By creating context-specific solutions in education, agriculture, health, livelihood, clean water, and disaster risk reduction, the nonprofit focuses on transformational development, investing in children as the key to lift entire communities out of poverty. With 98% of staff working in their country of origin, FH works side by side with local leaders, churches, and families to implement innovative solutions. The organization currently serves more than 5.3 million people in over 20 countries worldwide. For more information, follow FH on Instagram and Twitter, or visit www.fh.org