SOAR provides access to an integrated accelerated education model through which graduates acquire basic skills in literacy, numeracy, and financial literacy. Children & youth are also equipped with the knowledge, self-confidence, vision, and relationships needed to engage in work and /or entrepreneurship and to participate in decision-making at home and in their communities.
Background
Globally, about 258 million children and youth are out of school. Millions of other children in low-income countries are not acquiring the basic literacy and numeracy skills needed for future livelihoods: It is estimated that only 15% of the children who complete lower secondary school in Sub-Saharan Africa have achieved basic proficiency in reading, while 10% have acquired basic skills in mathematics.
Intervention
SOAR is designed as a tailored solution for “last mile” children & youth who are out of school and face multiple barriers to enroll, attend class, and learn. SOAR participants include those who are affected by conflict and/or cannot afford education or market-aligned skills training.
SOAR currently supports 4.1 million children and youth through accelerated learning programs and leadership skills development. SOAR’s curriculum builds basic knowledge and skills in literacy, basic mathematics, financial literacy, savings, and business development. In parallel, SOAR develops children & youth’s leadership skills – self-confidence, vision, decision-making, voice, and the capacity to work with others to solve problems.
Project achievements
In India, 95% of participants who completed the accelerated learning program passed the national exams to be eligible to transition back to formal schools. The success of the accelerated education model led the government of the state of Uttar Pradesh to adopt it as the standard approach to support out-of-school children.
In Nepal, at the end of an 11-month period, 88% of the participants had learned to read and 82% had acquired basic numeracy skills. Children and youth who graduated from SOAR were significantly less likely to be married young than those who did not participate in the program (7% vs. a 40% national average).
In Somalia, the 11-month accelerated course enabled 54,333 girls who had never attended school to acquire basic skills, at a cost of £178/ participant. By the end of the course, 51% of the participants were able to read with comprehension, and 59% had progressed into further education or work.