Catch Up with RET (No. 4)

Hello, happy 2024 ??, and welcome back to Catch Up with RET, our bi-weekly newsletter that highlights stories from our work around the world.

In the coming months, we'll also be publishing stories in multiple languages (Spanish, French, and Turkish, to start), to improve accessibility. Look for newsletter items with ??, and let us know what you think.

Now, on to the news...

IN BRIEF

We're currently active in 14 countries across three continents. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been up to in a handful of them:

• ???? Niger: The community-driven rehabilitation of the road to Abala's livestock market marked a pivotal moment in promoting peaceful coexistence among refugees, locals, displaced persons, and returnees. Click here to read more about this project with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency .
• ???? Burundi: As part of our ongoing KOMEZA WIGE education project, we organized a five-day training for trainers on "Social and Emotional Learning Methodology and Life Skills" focused on fostering a conducive school environment. To date, 260 teachers have been trained in emergency education aligned with Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) standards. Read more here.
• ???? Mauritania: In Mbera and host communities, we've been supporting school instructors by distributing teaching materials across 26 schools, as well as conducted a training for 115 teachers, emphasizing new pedagogical techniques. Read more about this inspiring work here.

READING LIST

If you're interested in a longer (but still concise) read, here's a roundup of a few ways our programs are directly impacting local communities:

• ???? Panama: Last month, we held a meeting of adolescents and young people “Towards a municipal volunteer program” in La Villa de los Santos (Los Santos province) Panama. Sixty-three young people from across the country shared their experiences, achievements, progress, and obstacles – all in the name of collaborative networking to discover new opportunities to strengthen their work as youth leaders contributing to Integrated Disaster Reduction Management (IDRM) in their communities. Read more here. ?? También disponible en espa?ol.
• ???? Belize: As part of the SAFE Belize project in October and November of 2023, we engaged students and out-of-school youth from across Belize on issues like gender-based violence (GBV), violence against women and girls, and human trafficking. These sessions culminated in the third annual Youth Panel Discussion that took place in Belize City on Thursday, December 7.?Check out our review of the event here.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, serving as a global call to action to – among other goals – end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030, all people enjoy peace and prosperity. At RET, we're committed to helping achieve these goals. How? Read more here.

Help spread the word! If you've found our newsletter through a link, subscribe today to receive news as soon as it's released. You can also have a direct impact projects like ones mentioned above by making a donation today.

That’s it for this edition. As we work on future ones, we'd like to hear from you! What stories resonate with you, and what would you like to hear more about?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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