Phone-Based Reach Up and Learn

Reach Up and Learn (RUL) is a home-visiting program that was introduced in Jamaica in 1975. In 2016, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in collaboration with the Arab Resource Collective, adapted RUL for the context of Syrian and host community families in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria and integrated RUL into its education, child protection, and health programs in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. While the overarching language of these countries of implementation is Arabic, there are many local dialects and colloquial phrases, the use or omission of which can have a significant influence on the ability to understand spoken conversations. For translation, the IRC collaborated with the Arab Resource Collective (ARC) on translation of the RUL material into Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). IRC country teams made further changes to the language as needed to ensure local relevance and understanding. The IRC and ARC also worked on cultural contextualization of RUL based on an analysis of lessons learned from previous parenting support programs and advice from child development experts in the Middle East. From 2016 to early 2020, as part of the Ahlan Simsim early childhood initiative for the Syrian refugee response region funded as the inaugural MacArthur Foundation 100&Change initiative, the IRC delivered RUL through in-person home visits in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, with caregivers of children 6-42 months receiving weekly or bi-weekly home visits over a 6-month or 1-year period, depending on the context. When the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person programming in March 2020, the IRC Early Childhood Development (ECD) team adapted the RUL curriculum for delivery through phone calls in Jordan. IRC made the decision to deliver this intervention through audio-only phone calls after asking a sample of caregivers about their preferences, and whether they wanted video or picture content. Most caregivers preferred audio-only phone calls as they worried about the data costs of video or pictures. The activities were adapted to be delivered on the phone to caregivers to provide caregivers with stimulation activities they can do with their children using basic household items (plastic bottles, bottlecaps, plastic containers…etc.) Specifically, CHVs recruited caregivers from their social networks and enlist them in the program. They then called them three times a month to (1) check in on their well-being; (2) deliver health messages and (3) tell them about the stimulation activities. A team from NYU led by Prof. Yoshikawa (PI) is serving as the external evaluator on a study of the home visiting in Jordan, Ahlan Simsim, funded by the MacArthur Foundation and in partnership with Sesame Workshop and the IRC. Due to the recent COVID-19 Pandemic, the home-visiting Reach Up and Learn program will be delivered remotely via phone calls in the areas of Irbid/Ramtha, Mafraq and Amman.

携手学习（Reach Up and Learn，RUL）是1975年于牙买加推出的家访项目。2016年，国际救援委员会（International Rescue Committee，IRC）联合阿拉伯资源集体（Arab Resource Collective，ARC），针对黎巴嫩、约旦与叙利亚境内的叙利亚难民及收容社区家庭，对RUL项目进行本土化适配，并将其整合入三地的教育、儿童保护与健康项目体系中。由于上述项目实施国的通用语言为阿拉伯语，但存在大量本土方言与口语表达，其使用或省略会对口语会话的理解造成显著影响，因此IRC与ARC合作将RUL项目材料译为现代标准阿拉伯语（Modern Standard Arabic，MSA），后续IRC国别团队又根据实际需求对语言表述进行调整，以确保内容贴合当地语境且易于被受众理解。此外，IRC与ARC还基于既往育儿支持项目的经验教训分析，以及中东地区儿童发展专家的专业建议，完成了RUL项目的文化语境适配工作。2016年至2020年初，作为“欢迎回家（Ahlan Simsim）”幼儿早期发展倡议的组成部分——该倡议是麦克阿瑟基金会（MacArthur Foundation）首个100&Change资助项目，用于应对叙利亚难民危机——IRC通过线下家访的形式在约旦、叙利亚及黎巴嫩推行RUL项目：针对6至42个月龄儿童的照料者，项目组根据当地实际情况，在6个月或1年的周期内，每周或每两周开展一次家访。2020年3月，新冠疫情迫使线下项目暂停，IRC早期儿童发展（Early Childhood Development，ECD）团队随即对RUL课程进行调整，改为电话授课模式。IRC在征询了部分照料者的偏好后，决定仅通过音频电话提供干预服务，原因是多数照料者顾虑视频或图片内容产生的数据流量成本，更倾向于音频通话形式。项目组对活动内容进行适配改造，使其可通过电话向照料者传递，旨在为照料者提供可借助日常家居用品（如塑料瓶、瓶盖、塑料容器等）与子女开展的益智互动活动。具体执行层面，社区健康志愿者（Community Health Volunteers，CHVs）从自身社交网络中招募照料者加入项目，随后每月致电照料者三次，分别完成三项工作：一是问询其健康与生活状况，二是传递健康相关资讯，三是告知益智互动活动的具体内容。由首席研究员吉川教授带领的纽约大学团队，作为外部评估方，负责开展约旦境内家访项目“欢迎回家（Ahlan Simsim）”的评估研究，该研究由麦克阿瑟基金会资助，合作伙伴包括芝麻工作室（Sesame Workshop）与IRC。受近期新冠疫情影响，原线下的“携手学习”家访项目将通过电话远程开展，服务范围覆盖伊尔比德/拉姆塔、马夫拉克及安曼地区。