Education for Children and Youth Project Quarterly Report Fourth Quarter – July 1st to September 30th, 2016

ECY is implemented by Fundación para la Educación Integral Salvadoreña (FEDISAL) as part of the USAID forward strategy. The programmatic focus of ECY is to reduce educational gaps in El Salvador through increasing educational opportunities to vulnerable/disadvantaged lower secondary students, and out of school youth ages 12-24 years living in selected municipalities with high crime rates. ECY seeks to create safer communities by preparing youth for productive alternatives to criminal gang activity and addressing issues of inequitable access that may be a consequence of violence among youth. The program supports basic education to improve student transition to lower secondary education, teacher development, and expanding the Full Time Inclusive School approach. ECY also supports out of school youth by providing complementary learning activities designed to reintegrate youth back into a formal school setting. The ECY project has made significant progress in its implementation. From July to September, ECY made 673 visits to schools to provide technical assistance in inclusiveness, active learning methodologies, and the promotion of safe learning environments. The project has benefited 100,024 students and 3,319 teachers with a set of training. The project has also developed four cohorts, each 36 months in length, with the goal of developing inclusive schools. Through the visits made from July to September, ECY achievements in schools were found to include trained teachers able to identify students with physical disabilities and curricular adjustments being made to help these students. Additionally, peer-learning circles are innovating resources to improve students' learning process. The promotion of safe learning environments is also a key focus of the project, with ECY working to create a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. ECY supports and coordinates programs with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to improve the quality of education through the practice of inclusive, pertinent, and safe learning environments. The project also complements USAID's Prevention of Crime and Violence (PPCV) activity as well as other activities implemented under the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI). ECY is also supporting the Quinquennial Development Plan of the Government of El Salvador. The ECY project has a strong partnership network, with FEDISAL working closely with five organizations: Fundación Salvador del Mundo (FUSALMO), Asociación Institución Salesiana (AIS), Universidad Don Bosco (UDB), Fundación Pro-Educación de El Salvador (FUNPRES), and an international partner. During the first three years of the project, Family Health International 360 (FHI 360) supported implementation and management of ECY in the context of strengthening institutional capacities of the local USAID partners.