eBASE, effective basic services:Using Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions to improve access and Retention, quality of learning, and Social, Mental, and Behavioral Outcomes for IDPs in Cameroon: The Big Mama Project

The project

The ​‘Big Mama’ Project seeks to improve the social and emotional needs of Internally Displaced Persons in 15 primary schools in 3 regions of Cameroon (Centre, Littoral and West). The project is adapted from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework to include concepts of crisis and African culture. It consists of 5 main components:

1. Teacher Professional Development (Training of Teachers and Pedagogic Inspectors) to enhance their knowledge, skills, competences, and attitudes towards the use of SEL techniques in teaching to mitigate the social and emotional problems of IDPs.
2. Healing Classrooms (Teachers) to identify pupils with SEL needs and using SEL skills to address these needs. This is a whole class approach.
3. Friendship Clubs (Peers): School clubs created by teachers to encourage social interaction and reduce stigmatization amongst pupils. 
4. The Ubuntu pedagogy (the spirit of love, peace and sharing): An African approach which encompasses the Collective Finger Theory which states ​“a thumb, though strong, cannot kill an aphid on its own; but requires the collective cooperation of the other fingers (Ngubane & Makua, 2021). This promotes the spirit of Solidarity, Compassion, Survival, Respect and Dignity. This is a humanizing approach to teaching and engaging students in the learning process.
5. Family Training to support and promote SEL within cultural and religious values and beliefs which improves parental engagement on the child’s education and the school community leading to positive effects. When families provide an environment that promotes SEL, children learn that there is a connection between their emotions, and their wellbeing.

Why are we rolling out this intervention?

Cameroon has over the last 8 years been affected by conflict and education is one of the domains that has been most affected. Learners have been forced to move to new areas to commence school and in most instances, their specific social and emotional needs have not been taken into consideration. In addition, social and emotional learning does not constitute a major component of the teachers’ training curriculum in Cameroon hence managing learners from conflict areas is a major challenge.

How are we evaluating it?

This is a pilot study which employs mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) to assess the feasibility and acceptability of SEL approaches for IDPs in Cameroonian primary schools. Other outcomes will be explored to guide a subsequent trial, including testing educational attainment outcomes, the use of storytelling diaries, and randomisation.

A baseline and endline double arm design will be used to address the research questions through surveys. This will be complemented with qualitative approaches, including key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Finally, an indigenous approach for knowledge generation will be tested through collecting stories using diaries.