Publications and Resources
iACT uses our learning and experience to assist people affected by the refugee crisis and shape humanitarian policy and practice. Browse our publications and resources.
A Child’s Right to Early Childhood Education in Emergency Contexts
This paper explores how iACT invests in the capacity of refugee community members to provide an early learning program that exceeds global standards for child-friendly spaces and the nurturing care model by prioritizing children’s rights.
Refugee-Led Early Childhood Education: Little Ripples Implementation in Greece
Little Ripples, an iACT education program, is a refugee-led and culturally-relevant early childhood development program that builds the capacity of displaced women and improves the early development of children ages three to six. iACT works directly with refugee teachers and leaders to establish, adapt, and implement LR—laying the foundation for a lifetime of wellbeing, learning, health, and peace for children affected by displacement and violence.
Home-Based Child Care: a Global Study
Home-based child care (or HBCC) is one of the most popular forms of child care for the world’s 0.8 billion children under six […] Yet despite the prevalence of HBCC, very little is known about the programs that support HBCC providers in their role.
BEYOND SCHOOL WALLS: INSPIRATION FROM DISRUPTION
Little Ripples profiled by Education Above All (EAA) as an innovative organization with education programs grounded in community and designed for their unique contexts.
Please Remember Us: iACT’s Little Ripples helping refugee families during the pandemic
Levels of displacement are the highest on record: as of February 2019, 68.5 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced, of whom 25.4 million hold refugee status – over half of them under the age of 18 (UNHCR, online). An estimated 87 million children under age 7 have spent their entire lives in conflict zones (Inter- agency Network for Education in Emergencies, 2018). Yet humanitarian funding for education – and, especially, early childhood programming – remains alarmingly low. iACT developed the Little Ripples programme to address the needs of young children affected by humanitarian emergencies and forgotten crises.
Mindful Learning: Early Childhood Care and Development for Refugee Children in Tanzania
This field note presents findings from an assessment conducted on the Little Ripples program, which was piloted with Burundian refugee children ages three to five in Tanzania…
Little Ripples Assessment 2019: Refugee camps Kounoungou and Mile, eastern Chad
This report provides an overview of iACT’s Little Ripples early childhood education program and the recent results from a one year assessment of the program in refugee camps Kounoungou and Mile in eastern Chad. The goal of the assessment was to provide iACT and its partner, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), with concrete information about aspects of LR that are working, areas that need adjustment, and what additional learnings to distribute. This report has been prepared to provide an overview of assessment methodologies, key results, learnings, and next steps.
Integrating Mindfulness, an iACT program overview
To address and support the emotional health and well-being of refugee and displaced communities – and to help individuals learn how to cope with stress, build resilience, and restore hope – iACT integrates mindfulness training and curricula into each of our programs. Put simply, mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose and without judgment, in the present moment. The practice of mindfulness helps us to be aware of our thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they arise, and to notice what we are feeling and thinking, without judgment. Mindfulness develops life skills to help us respond and relate to what’s going on around us, with wisdom and compassion.
From little ripples to big waves: comprehensive early childhood programming for young refugee children
Levels of displacement are the highest on record: as of February 2019, 68.5 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced, of whom 25.4 million hold refugee status – over half of them under the age of 18 (UNHCR, online). An estimated 87 million children under age 7 have spent their entire lives in conflict zones (Inter- agency Network for Education in Emergencies, 2018). Yet humanitarian funding for education – and, especially, early childhood programming – remains alarmingly low. iACT developed the Little Ripples programme to address the needs of young children affected by humanitarian emergencies and forgotten crises.
Little Ripples in Tanzania
While the influx of Burundian refugees into Tanzania slowed significantly in early 2018, a large school-age population (145,052) existed across the camps. Though a structured education system operated in the camps, a high number of refugee children (44%) remained out of school in early 2018. During this period, there was a critical lack of services and an accumulation of risk particularly for refugee children ages three to five. The number of child-friendly spaces and pre-primary classrooms across the camps was insufficient to accommodate all young learners and many learning spaces were located far from newer camp zones, making the walking distance too great for young children. Additionally, there was a lack of value placed on the importance of early childhood care and development (ECCD) by parents and caregivers, resulting in low registration and participation.