USAID, Sesame Street Partnership Takes Muppets Global
THIS MOCK PRESS RELEASE WAS CREATED BY CHILDREN OF
USAID EMPLOYEES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE 2007 "TAKE YOUR
CHILD TO WORK" DAY PROGRAM.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2007
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is helping bring child-favorite Sesame Street to children and families around the world.
The New York-based Sesame Workshop, which produces or co-produces the Sesame Street television shows, premiered its first episode in the United States in 1969 to help children with their reading, math and social skills. Today, versions of Sesame Street appear on televisions in more than 120 countries, including India, Russia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Brazil, Portugal, Sweden, Israel, Poland, Turkey, Kuwait, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Each local production helps children learn letters, numbers and social skills. Sesame Workshop also hires writers, producers and artists from each home country to create story lines and characters that speak to the social, cultural and political issues these children face. In Mexico, for example, children learn about nutrition and gender equality. Some of the new Muppets to join Big Bird, Elmo, and Oscar the Grouch are Tuktuki, a 5-year old girl in the Bangladesh version of Sesame Street who enjoys singing, dancing and making her own dolls, while on Takalani Sesame in South Africa, Kami, another 5-year old girl, is good at finding creative solutions to problems.
In Egypt, the Sesame Street production is gearing up for its 10th birthday. The award-winning Alam Simsim uses humor, music and depictions of daily situations to teach important life lessons to Egyptian preschoolers.
"We at USAID are proud of our involvement in helping Alam Simsim contribute to the education of young Egyptians," said Kenneth Ellis, USAID/Egypt mission director. "We look forward to Alam Simsim's continued success in the future."
After viewing a video on the USAID Sesame Street program during this year's "Take Your Child to Work" Day program, Kamala (10) and Mina (9) Eyango said, "Sesame Street has always been a TV show for kids in America, and USAID helped make it fun for others around the world."
USAID, Sesame Workshop and partner organizations believe international productions of Sesame Street are effective because they combine education with entertainment. Further, more than 1,000 studies show that Sesame Street programs improve literacy and math skills of the children who watch the shows.
For more information about USAID's work with Sesame Street, please visit: www.usaid.gov or www.sesameworkshop.org.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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