Speech of the Chargé d’Affaires, Andrea Tomaszewicz
Early Childhood Education “Play to Learn” Launch
May 25,2023
His Excellency, Minister of the national Education and Vocational and Professional Training
Her Excellence, Minister of Women and Family
Honorable Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to be here with all of you, our partners in this endeavor, at the launch of the “Play to Learn” activity. Early Childhood Education lays the foundation for success in further schooling and later in life. I am delighted to see that our two governments continue to share the common goal of expanding access to quality basic education for all.
This four-year, $14,000,000 activity is funded by USAID and will be implemented by Mott MacDonald in partnership with the Ministry of National Education and Vocational and Professional Training and the Ministry of Women and Families alongside the National Union of Djiboutian Women and Suna Alhaya.
The goal is to support the Government of Djibouti efforts to improve equitable and quality access to education for children aged three to six.
We are proud of the strong partnership that USAID has built with the government of Djibouti since its start here in 2003—a partnership that has worked for the benefit of all Djiboutians. Over the past 20 years, the United States Government has committed $38 million towards education and nearly $35 million towards developing Djibouti’s workforce. These projects span multiple years and are designed to build skills and success for the young people of Djibouti—to have impact for generations. Additionally, in the next few months USAID will launch a second Youth Employment activity that will also partner with the MENFOP and the Ministry of Labor valued at 16 million dollars. USAID’s literacy program, commonly known as DEGRA, resulted in measurable improvements for Djibouti’s schoolchildren. Clearly the United States has been and remains committed to the success of all Djiboutians over the long term.
In closing, I would like to thank all other stakeholders, but especially the ministries, for their close partnership as we launch this new activity.
Thank you.
