ACR GCD Round 2 Fund Manager for the Office of Education (E3/ED)–CA#‐AID‐OAA‐A‐13‐00074 – Q2 Narrative Report

The initiative is managed by World Vision (WV) as the Fund Manager, in partnership with the Office of Education (E3/ED) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). ACR GCD has made significant progress in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2016, with a focus on profiling opportunities at various events and conducting grantee field visits. The initiative has also continued to support the development of early grade reading materials, family and community engagement, and accessible reading materials for children with disabilities. One of the key activities of ACR GCD is the coordination of prizes and grants, which are designed to support innovative solutions to improve early grade reading outcomes. The initiative has launched several prizes and grants, including the Enabling Writers prize, which aims to develop supplementary reading materials for children in developing countries. The prize has made significant progress, with the first international writer's workshop held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in partnership with Save the Children Ethiopia. Another key activity of ACR GCD is the management of innovation and scale-up funding windows. The initiative provides program management support to all grantees, including monthly discussions on fidelity of implementation, monitoring and evaluation, grant agreement adherence, budgeting, and marketing/media opportunities. School-to-School International (STS) has also provided significant support to the ACR GCD grantees to improve their M&E plans and tools. ACR GCD has also made progress in the area of accessible reading materials for children with disabilities. The initiative has explored a prize activity that will facilitate access to reading materials for children with disabilities, and has met with UNICEF to discuss a potential partnership on a global accessible textbook initiative. In addition, ACR GCD has continued to engage with private sector partners, including Worldreader, Room to Read, Pearson, Orange, and Microsoft, to explore opportunities for collaboration and support. The initiative has also seen an increase in its listserv and Twitter following, with nearly 2,700 subscribers and 1,400 followers, respectively. Overall, ACR GCD has made significant progress in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2016, with a focus on profiling opportunities, supporting the development of early grade reading materials, and managing innovation and scale-up funding windows. The initiative continues to work towards its goal of improving early grade reading outcomes for children in developing countries. The initiative has also supported the development of several prizes and grants, including the EduApp4Syria prize, which aims to develop innovative educational apps for Syrian refugee children. The prize has attracted 78 submissions from 30 countries, and ACR GCD members have been asked to participate in the review process in early Quarter 3. In terms of geographic focus, ACR GCD has a global scope, with activities and partnerships in countries such as Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, and Zambia. The initiative has also engaged with international organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In terms of timeframes, ACR GCD has a multi-year approach, with a focus on long-term sustainability and impact. The initiative has a goal of improving early grade reading outcomes for children in developing countries, and has established a number of key milestones and deadlines to achieve this goal.