UNICEF Social Protection& Education Services for Vulnerable Children in Jordan-2

The results that have been achieved are the following: Since June 2024, the focus of this programme has been on the Reading Recovery Programme (RRP). The program targeted children in refugee camps who were unable to read at grade 3 level, reaching over 3,700 students (49 per cent female) in 34 camp schools and 221 adolescents (57 per cent female) in 26 nonformal education centres in 2024. The rationale is that children who lack in reading skills have a higher chance of dropping out of school. Of these targeted children, 1,126 students and adolescents (51 per cent female) graduated from the programme, having developed reading fluency and comprehension at a grade 3 level. Students with learning difficulties were identified and additional support was provided. UNICEF also established 73 classroom libraries in 25 camp schools, providing over 8,900 books for borrowing, and conducted activities to develop early grade reading skills for 3,319 children (50 per cent female) in KG2 centres. Additionally, 840 parents (72 per cent female) attended sessions to build skills and knowledge to support their childrens reading.In the drop out programme, 3,188 boys and girls previously out of school were enrolled in the drop out programme of which 563 were enrolled under the Sida support. In addition, UNICEF finalized a two-year transition plan for the Drop-Out Programme that was approved by the Ministry of Education in Jordan (MOE). The plan outlines how UNICEF will hand over implementation of the programme to the MOE, as a government-owned and accredited education pathway and how UNICEF will continue to support the MOE with technical support throughout this process. The transition plan envisions handover of all Non Formal Education (NFE) centres to the MOE by December 2021. The drop out programme allowed girls and boys out of school to complete their basic education through enrollment and retention in accredited non-formal education where reduction in school drop-out rate among eligible girls and boys by 2.5 % and an increased enrollment rate by 10 per cent has been achieved. An increased number of 5,286 of which 568 girls and boys are supported by Sida previously out of school, enrolled in Drop-Out classes: , 300 girls and boys previously out of school enrolled in NFE classes. In the social protection programme, 10,932 girls and boys from 3,038 households were reached with social protection services of which 2,545 children were reached with Sida support. Hajatis 'Cash Plus' model builds on global best practices demonstrating that cash assistance, when accompanied by additional services, such as referrals and information provision, is a gateway to significant, long-lasting improvements in the lives of beneficiaries. In this model, the Hajati cash grant is combined with the provision of education-related information and awareness raising, via short message services (SMS), that promote school retention rates and distance learning. Complementary social services are also important to ensure comprehensive social protection interventions. The contribution supported cash transfers to 2,400 vulnerable children in Years 1 and 2 respectively (50 per cent girls 11.5 per cent children with disabilities during the second semester of the 2022/2023 academic year) and 2,800 vulnerable children in Year 3 (49 per cent girls, 11 per children cent with disabilities during the first semester of the 2023/2024 academic year). Hajati positively contributed to increasing school enrolment and attendance among vulnerable children and the reduction of multidimensional vulnerabilities among beneficiary households. Among the children receiving support through Hajati, 97 per cent were enrolled in school during the 2021/22 school year, and 99 per cent were enrolled in school during the 2022/23 school year, indicating an increase of 7.4 per cent from the updated baseline indicator (91.63 per cent).The Hajati cash transfer programme has proven to be a key safety net for beneficiary families and promoted the wellbeing of children and their school participation. Sida's funding to this program ended in 2023 when focused was moved to the reading recovery program.

The overall objective of this intervention is to enhance access to basic services and livelihood for vulnerable school-aged children and adolescent boys and girls (Syrian refugees, Jordanians and others), either at risk of dropping out of school or currently out of school and support their enrolment and retention in education services. Two specific outcomes are intended to be achieved at the end of the intervention:  - Drop-out rate decreases and enrollment rate increase in primary schools, following alleviation of financial pressure on vulnerable families. - Access to certified non-formal education increases and expands for vulnerable boys and girls currently not eligible to enroll in formal schools.