MacArthur Grant Will Create ‘Sesame Street’ for Syrian Refugees
Great news! Earlier this week, the MacArthur Foundation has awarded $100 million to Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee to create early childhood development programs for Syrian refugees. It will focus on displaced children in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, seeking to reach them at a key time for brain development. The five-year grant will fund a localized version of “Sesame Street,” distributed through television and digital devices, and home visits using “Sesame Street” content for an estimated 1.5 million children. Instead of the stars that Americans grew up with, like Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch, the characters would be tailored to the region, speaking Arabic and Iraqi Kurdish.
KJ
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