Across the developing world， millions of childrens lives are forever blighted because they lack a basic human right， the right to a quality education. The right to an education begins before children go to primary school， because， if children dont know what to expect when they get to school， theyre much more likely to either not enroll on time or to drop out.

UNICEF and its partners are addressing this challenge with an innovative pilot program that shows pre-schoolers what to expect when they get to school. Called “Getting Ready for School： A child-to-child approach，” it was launched in 2007. It starts with teaching youngsters the very basics of school life so theyll be socially and academically prepared.

What makes this program different is that the tutors or facilitators are not much older than the children， so it builds on the natural phenomenon of children learning from their older friends.

Maekelech Gidey （UNICEF Education Specialist， Ethiopia）： （via translator） The main reason for this is that the program was designed to work within our culture. It is our culture that neighbours work， eat and play together.

The child-to-child pilot program has been introduced in six countries. Pre-school education is rare in much of rural Ethiopia. Ba-ati Akor School is one of seven schools in Ethiopias Tigray region， where the child-to-child program is using effective and innovative techniques to stimulate a childs natural desire to learn. In Tigray， nearly a quarter of children drop out before completing a full year in the first grade. With strong community support， the child-tochild program is reversing that trend.

Since the program began in Ethiopia in 2008， it has grown rapidly. Children who are in the program perform better in school and drop out in fewer numbers than those who do not. And the benefits are not restricted to the pre-schoolers. Facilitators also find their lives improve [sic]. They earn respect amongst their peers and elders， and learn leadership and responsibility.

Despite her teaching commitment， Shefena has more time for her studies because her parents no longer give her as many household chores.

Shefena： （via translator） It makes me very happy because， while I make plans for my students， it allows me to be focused on my studies as well.

The simplicity of the child-to-child program is the key to its effectiveness. Its a low-cost way to bring pre-school education to children who would otherwise be vulnerable to failing almost as soon as they had begun.

Building on the success， UNICEF and its partners plan to expand the child-to-child program to other countries and regions and to integrate it into other UNICEF quality education programs， giving many more children the chance of a different life and a future where all their rights can be realized.

在眾多發(fā)展中國家里，有數(shù)百萬兒童因?yàn)闊o法享受有水準(zhǔn)的教育這項(xiàng)最基本的人權(quán)，他們的一生被徹底地毀了。孩子們受教育的權(quán)利從他們上小學(xué)之前就開始了，因?yàn)槿绻麄儾恢郎蠈W(xué)后會(huì)遇到些什么事情，他們就很可能不會(huì)適時(shí)報(bào)名上學(xué)或者會(huì)輟學(xué)。

為了解決這一難題，聯(lián)合國兒童基金會(huì)及其合作伙伴啟動(dòng)了一個(gè)創(chuàng)新的試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目，讓學(xué)齡前兒童了解他們上學(xué)后會(huì)面對(duì)什么。這個(gè)項(xiàng)目始于2007年，名叫“為上學(xué)作準(zhǔn)備：一對(duì)一幫扶”，它會(huì)讓小孩子知道學(xué)生生活最基本的內(nèi)容，那樣他們?cè)谏蠈W(xué)前不管是在與人交往方面，還是在學(xué)業(yè)上都可做好充分準(zhǔn)備。

這個(gè)項(xiàng)目的不同尋常之處在于其中的導(dǎo)師或者是輔導(dǎo)員，他們自身并不比小孩子大多少，因此它的實(shí)施是建立在大孩子教小孩子這種自然現(xiàn)象的基礎(chǔ)上的。

麥基利奇·吉地（聯(lián)合國兒童基金會(huì)在埃塞俄比亞的教育專家）：（通過翻譯）這么做的目的是確保該項(xiàng)目在我們的文化體系內(nèi)發(fā)揮作用。在我們的文化傳統(tǒng)里，鄰居們本來就會(huì)在一起干活、吃飯、玩耍。

目前已經(jīng)有六個(gè)國家引入了這個(gè)一對(duì)一的試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目。在埃塞俄比亞的農(nóng)村里，學(xué)前教育是非常罕見的。埃塞俄比亞的提格里地區(qū)共有七所學(xué)校推行這個(gè)一對(duì)一項(xiàng)目，而巴阿提阿哥就是其中的一所。在學(xué)校里，該項(xiàng)目采用有效的創(chuàng)新辦法激發(fā)孩子的學(xué)習(xí)天性。在提格里州，幾乎有四分之一的孩子還沒有讀完一年級(jí)就輟學(xué)了，而這個(gè)項(xiàng)目利用當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)的有力支持，正在扭轉(zhuǎn)這個(gè)趨勢(shì)。

該項(xiàng)目自從2008年在埃塞俄比亞開展以來，發(fā)展迅速。與那些沒有參加這個(gè)項(xiàng)目的孩子相比，參加了項(xiàng)目的孩子在學(xué)校有更出色的表現(xiàn)，而且輟學(xué)率更低。此外，從中得到好處的并不限于學(xué)齡前兒童。項(xiàng)目中的輔導(dǎo)員也發(fā)覺他們自己的生活有所改善，因?yàn)樗麄冓A得了同齡人和長(zhǎng)輩的信任，自己也學(xué)會(huì)了如何當(dāng)個(gè)領(lǐng)頭人和承擔(dān)責(zé)任。

希芬娜盡管肩負(fù)教其他孩子的責(zé)任，她卻可以有更多學(xué)習(xí)的時(shí)間，因?yàn)楦改覆辉傧褚郧澳菢幼屗稍S多家務(wù)活了。

希芬娜：（通過翻譯）這一切讓我很開心，因?yàn)槲以跒槲业膶W(xué)生制定學(xué)習(xí)計(jì)劃的同時(shí)，可以專注于自己的學(xué)習(xí)。

簡(jiǎn)單易行是這個(gè)一對(duì)一項(xiàng)目得以發(fā)揮效力的關(guān)鍵，對(duì)于如何讓孩子們接觸到學(xué)齡前教育，這是一個(gè)低成本的方法。如果沒有這一項(xiàng)目，這些孩子們很可能剛剛開始上學(xué)就會(huì)面臨輟學(xué)。

該項(xiàng)目已取得了一定的成功，在此基礎(chǔ)上，聯(lián)合國兒童基金會(huì)與其合作伙伴聯(lián)手，計(jì)劃把這個(gè)項(xiàng)目擴(kuò)展到其他國家和地區(qū)，與其他基金會(huì)有效的教育項(xiàng)目進(jìn)行整合，讓更多的孩子有過上新生活的機(jī)會(huì)，有一個(gè)能充分享受應(yīng)有權(quán)利的未來。