SHARE READ II Evaluation & Diagnostic of the Education Context in Northern Ethiopia

Due to the series of major crises—COVID-19, drought, and violent conflict—over the past two years, USAID/Ethiopia’s education programming has shifted dramatically to meet the basic needs of children and schools (USAID 2021). Shifting away from its original focus on reading and writing, READ II proposed a series of “pivots” from the original program description and budget to address the conflict-affected parts of Amhara, Tigray, Afar, and Oromia (if/when affected by the Northern Conflict). In response to the armed conflict, the programming shifted to an Education in Crisis and Conflict (EiCC) program under Pivot 6 in 2022 (Headlight 2022). Given the operating environment, READ II’s cross-cutting goals—to prepare vulnerable and at-risk populations to succeed and support adolescent girls through a structured gender approach—are at the forefront of interventions. Implementation supporting the goals adopts different modalities and structures in response to damage to the education systems in each of the four regions. READ II’s main intervention within EiCC includes the Core Package: 1) Support and prepare at-risk populations for return to learning; 2) Reduce the risk of School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) for adolescent girls; and 3) Support child-protection and well-being. READ II incorporates a “trauma-informed” approach to all activities and integrates Psychosocial Support (PSS) in the interventions with “a Contextual and Flexible Approach” (Revised Program Description, Pivot 6). Based on regional needs in the target areas, READ II adapted interventions in each locality. This assessment aimed to study the progress of USAID/Ethiopia’s Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed (READ) II Activity in the conflict- and crisis-affected areas of Afar and Amhara since January 2022 to assess the needs for future programming. This assessment focused on the following: 1) Assess the progress and challenges of the READ II Activity; 2) Identify barriers to education/learning in the current emergency contexts; 3) Explore promising practices to support students and teachers for students’ learning continuity in the current context in target regions; and 4) Document beneficiaries’ perceptions of the services provided by the Activity and additional needs for support.