Animating Change: 1001 Nights

This project seeks to implement the 1001 Nights Civic and Peace Education Program to support the learning continuity of children in grades four to six during the coronavirus pandemic while promoting peace and stability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The 1001 Nights Program is a multi-platform educational entertainment program that uses cartoons to teach children between the ages of 6 and 12 life skills and civic values including non-violence human rights democracy and gender equality in formal and informal learning environments. By increasing children’s understanding of civic values this project aims to reduce the vulnerability of children in the BARMM to the drivers of instability. Project activities include: (1) translating and dubbing of the 1001 Nights episodes and materials into three local languages; (2) providing equipment and materials including teaching guides and lesson plans to the BARMM’s Ministry of Basic Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE); (3) providing training to the MBHTE and its teachers on methodologies to teach peace and civic education; (4) broadcasting the 1001 Nights episodes in television and radio; and (5) implementing the curriculum for in-class and distance learning by the MBHTE with support from parents/caregivers. This project expects to target 50 000 children (of which 30 000 are girls) and 1 500 teachers (of which 1 000 are women) in 100 schools in the BARMM as well as 5 000 parents/caregivers (of which 3 000 are women).

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved provision of distance-based peace and civic education that normalize inclusivity and gender equality by the MBHTE and parents/caregivers in the BARMM; and (2) improved behavior of children in the BARMM in deconstructing and countering drivers of social instability.