‘Sesame Street’ receives $100 million grant to help Syrian refugee children

The nonprofit behind children’s television program “Sesame Street” is launching a series of projects in the Middle East aimed at helping refugee children.

Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee were awarded a $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation to start a childhood education program in Syria and surrounding areas.

According to a release from the MacArthur Foundation, the organizations’ goal is to address the “toxic stress” that affects refugee children.

Jeffrey Dunn, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, called the Syrian refugee crisis the “humanitarian issue of our time.”

{mosads}”This may be our most important initiative ever and we are humbled by the trust and confidence that has been placed in us,” Dunn said in the release. “These children are, arguably, the world’s most vulnerable and by improving their lives we create a more stable and secure world for us all.”

The project will fund a local version of “Sesame Street” for Syrian refugee children to teach reading, language, math and socioemotional skills. The program is estimated to reach 9.4 million children.

“Embedded in the content, Sesame’s Muppets will model inclusion and respect, and gender equity, and they will provide engaging educational messages, always from a child’s perspective,” the release reads.

Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee will launch home visits to provide families with toys, games and picture books, and parenting resources. The project will also fund the creation of child development centers.

Sesame Workshop has also developed local programs in Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, South Africa and other locations, according to the release.

“We are compelled to respond to the urgent Syrian refugee crisis by supporting what will be the largest early childhood intervention program ever created in a humanitarian setting,” MacArthur President Julia Stasch in the release. “The longer-term goal is to change the system of humanitarian aid to focus more on helping to ensure the future of young children through education.”