How One Mother Changed Her Daughter's Start

Strong Quotes

• “Helen* having this base really helps her prepare for primary school.” Senait*, Mother
• “I made letters through cardboard papers and created colors... I see significant changes in her; now she identifies letters, colors, and words.” Senait*, Mother
• “I like colors... in the future, I want to be a pilot.” Helen*, 5

How is Save the Children helping?

Through the Childhood Development Activity (CDA) project, Save the Children provides the technical framework for ELM at Home, which encourages parents to lead play-based learning in their village communities. The project trains teachers to conduct monthly home visits to advise parents on using locally available resources for education.
Additionally, the project facilitates parental group discussions at schools to cover child protection, school safety, and the prevention of harmful traditional practices.

Brief Context: The CDA project (2022–2027), funded by the LEGO Foundation, focuses on holistic child development through play-based interventions in five regions of Ethiopia. In the Afar region, where pastoralist communities often face "limited community contribution" to education, the ELM at Home model is a key strategy to engage parents and ensure children are ready for primary school.
 

Interviewee’s story in their own words

Senait*, 37, Mother

"My name is Senait*. My daughter Helen* is five years old; she is the youngest of my four children. I have always wanted my daughter to do better in her education as she grows up, so I support her with whatever materials I can find.

Every month, her teachers come to our house to advise us on how to support our children. They showed us how to use available resources to teach colors, alphabets, and numeracy skills during our daily routines. Helen’s* school is close by, and I follow her progress closely. Since we started using this method, she is much better at communicating and has more confidence. She understands things easily now and is so motivated to learn.

Before this programme, there was no pre-primary or O class here. Helen’s* older brothers and sisters had to enroll directly into primary school without any base. Having this O class has really helped Helen* build the understanding she needs. Based on the teachers' advice, I made letters out of cardboard and created colors for her to play with. Now, she identifies letters, colors, and even words.

Every month, we parents meet with the teachers at the school. We discuss child protection, how to make teaching at home effective, and how to prevent traditional harmful practices. We also talk about keeping children safe as they travel between home and school. These meetings remind us to follow up and ensure our children are attending school regularly."

Helen* (5)

“I like colors from all in my home. In the future, I want to be a pilot.”

Background / Project information

The LEGO Foundation Childhood Development Activity is implemented by Save the Children in partnership with seven implementing partners across five regions of Ethiopia. The Activity aims to expand opportunities for preschool-aged children (3–6+ years), particularly those affected by crisis and conflict, to access quality, play-based pre-primary education. It integrates nutrition and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to enhance children’s overall well-being, early learning outcomes, and developmental skills.

As part of this broader initiative, the Early Literacy and Math (ELM) at Home program is designed to strengthen early childhood development in emergency-affected settings. Led by Save the Children in collaboration with AISDA and six local partners, the initiative focuses on improving early learning and holistic development outcomes for young children across five regions of Ethiopia.

The program specifically targets 49 districts, including 28 conflict-affected areas in the northern regions of Amhara, Afar, and Tigray, and 21 drought-affected districts in Oromia and Somali regions. These contexts present significant barriers to accessing early learning opportunities, particularly for vulnerable children.

Through community-based and hands-on approaches, the initiative empowers caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to establish safe, nurturing, and playful home learning environments. It promotes positive parenting practices alongside foundational early literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills, all grounded in learning through play—an evidence-based approach proven to support early childhood development.

The initiative is expected to directly reach between 200,000 and 339,800 children, with a strong emphasis on gender equity, ensuring that at least half are girls. Additionally, it amplifies its impact through educational radio programming, reaching more than 1.8 million children and caregivers nationwide to promote early learning and active caregiver engagement.

By combining direct support with scalable communication strategies, the program ensures that even the most vulnerable children in crisis-affected settings have the opportunity to learn, develop, and thrive during their most critical early years.