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Being Committed: Washington Visits ELSA Initiatives

November 27, 2007

November 18, 2007- Elzadia Washington, the new Deputy Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) displayed her commitment by visiting the various interventions implemented by the Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance (ELSA) through USAID‘s Education Quality and Access Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) program.

During her visit to Koronodal Proper Elementary School, Washington expressed that USAID will continue to be committed in assisting in the development to access education and livelihood skills. "USAID is 100 percent committed to prosperity, peace and partnership. We will continue to provide support with regards to the educational needs,” she said during her address. The visit enabled Washington to interact with the implementers and different beneficiaries of the ELSA initiatives. USAID Office of Education Chief Thomas Crehan, Education Development Center’s Chief of Party William Potter also joined her during the project visit.

The Koronodal Proper Elementary School, Polomolok, implements text2teach, an intervention that uses mobile technology to bring interactive multimedia education programs to classrooms for Grades 5 and 6 and Alternative Learning System (ALS) which provides learning opportunities to out of school youth. Polomolok Municipal Mayor, Eng. Isidro Lumayag conveyed his appreciation for USAID’s assistance in addressing the educational needs of the students of Koronodal.

Through USAID's assistance to ELSA under the EQuALLS program, 122 more schools in Mindanao were provided with the text2teach technology, benefiting a total of 105, 933 students. The project has also developed 113 Alternative Learning System Audio Visual materials and livelihood modules.

SEAMEO-INNOTECH, through the Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance, implements the text2teach project and school-based Alternative Learning System in Mindanao.