Through the thoughtful and impactful programs we create, Cities for Children caters to the three rights of each child – right to read, to play, and to safety – and help associate learning with joy and motivate children to stay in education. Our Seekho Sikhao Saathi (Partners in Learning) programme is one such program.
Cities for Children conducted the fifth iteration of Cities for Children’s signature Seekho Sikhao Saathi programme at Junior Jinnah Trust school located in Burma Town, Islamabad from June 2022 to January 2023. The program featured 13 sessions focusing on socio-emotional learning, building literacy and numeracy skills, and inculcating a curiosity of science.
The program was initially piloted in response to the COVID-19 mandated school closures, based on an evidence-based Child to Child school readiness model, whereby Big Partners (grades 5-7) are trained to engage and lead groups of Little Partners (at the preschool level) in their communities / schools through hands-on and curiosity-nurturing early learning activities.
Since its pilot in 2020, Cities for Children has implemented the Seekho Sikhao Saathi program with three different partners. Our various iterations of the program have reached over 1700 children across Pakistan and have created champions of education among Pakistan’s urban slum communities. Our findings, thus far, have revealed that:
- All Baray Saathi reported an increase in confidence.
- 100% reported an increased motivation to learn in class.
- A particular impact on the 9 girls who participated in the programme, who emerged as confident young leaders.
Click here for the full Seekho Sikhao Report which provides a programmatic overview and rationale, pilot elements, evaluation criteria and tools used, key insights and impact of the programme, and recommendations:
CfC-JJT Seekho Sikhao Report 2023
We would like to acknowledge our technical consultants, Science Fuse, who worked closely with us to understand our needs and curated the science component of the content which was piloted in this iteration. The expansion of the programme to include science content was made possible by the funding support of the Montessori Group, UK.