“Rainbow of Hope” Final Evaluation Report

The “Rainbow for Hope” project, a U.S. Embassy-funded program, took place in 25 locations around Lebanon and imparted English literacy and/or conflict transformation skills to over 1,200 Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian children so that they are able to overcome pre-existing prejudices and develop mutual understanding, empathy and friendships with each other. In regards to English and conflict resolution education, the teachers demonstrated increasing confidence and ability to combine the two in their curriculum. Some adjustments and additional efforts had to be done throughout the project to address student attendance and retention. The English capabilities of the students visibly increased by an average of 28.7% and over 93% of the students were reported having positive interactions with children from different nationalities. The centers which at first reported the highest level of tensions between Lebanese and Syrian children had the greatest improvement in regards to the children’s interactions throughout the project. The children learned to resolve conflict through communication and understanding the other side’s perspective.
In the area of English and Conflict Resolution education, SFCG recommends further capacity support on classroom management, child protection, teaching in multicultural setting, knowledge of different teaching methods and teaching to special learning needs. To address student retention SFCG recommends: a lower number of class sessions but increase in their duration, limitation of 20 students per class to assure individualized attention and interactions with the teacher, and an attendance policy to ensure engagement. SFCG recommends regular teacher meetings with both parents and students outside of the classroom. To address communication and organization challenges with some area partners, SFGC recommends the reduction of location to 15 from 25.