In the camp, one mother named Mariam harbors a deep desire for her two daughters aged five and four to receive an education. Mariam had to leave her own education unfinished in the sixth grade. Through an interpreter she expressed that literacy is the most vital thing in life.
It was in 1969 when Sesame Street first aired in the US, with a vision rooted in the civil rights movement and President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. It was aiming to bridge the educational gap among disadvantaged children by providing early learning resources at their homes, free of charge.
Just three years later, Sesame Street launched its first co-productions in languages other than English in Brazil and Mexico. It has since carried out 42 such international productions. A comprehensive analysis of a number of studies encompassing over 10,000 children from 15 countries shows that these programs have successfully boosted children’s skills in reading, basic math, social-emotionality, and attitudes towards ‘out-groups’.
An Arabic version of the show (Iftah Ya Simsim/Open Sesame) aired from 1979 to 1989, becoming familiar to many parents in the region during that era. However, Ahlan Simsim was the first purposely designed for children in regions riddled with crisis and conflict, which called for unique sensitivity.
According to Shanna Kohn, the director of international education at Sesame Workshop, the social-emotional learning curriculum for the show had to be entirely redesigned to accommodate the unique cultural context and needs of these children. The team initially proposed a show themed around the western idea of resilience. This idea was met with notable skepticism as it lacked a clear Arabic equivalent. Instead, the team had to consider the basics by crafting relatable stories—like Jad leaving home and feeling alienated by his peers, that would not disturb the young audience.
Sesame Workshop veteran Scott Cameron, with cumulative work experience of 25 years, deliberately excluded traditionally favored preschoolers’ concepts like boats and loud noises like thunderstorms. Even health-related programmes were not included as children lacking adequate nutrition wouldn’t benefit from lessons on the importance of fruits and vegetables.
The research team observed that traumatized children often exhibited a certain degree of emotional numbness, limited to very few emotional expressions like happiness, sadness, or anger. To assist these children in better processing their emotions, the show introduces nine Arabic words representing different feelings: care, fear, frustration, nervousness, determination or hope, jealousy, loneliness, and sadness. Jad and Basma demonstrate various methods for coping with emotions, such as belly breathing, counting to five, physical activity, drawing, seeking help, and planning.
