Sesame Workshop and World Vision Partner to Tackle Critical Global Health Priority

More than 1,600 children die each day from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene practices. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, will partner with international humanitarian organization World Vision to protect children around the globe from illness caused by dirty water and poor sanitation.

Raya, one of the newest members of the Sesame family, along with her friend Elmo, will teach children and families about positive health behaviors related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Originally developed with generous funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Raya is an adorable girl Muppet who remembers everything she reads and pays close attention to hygiene.

As the largest nongovernmental organization providing improved sanitation, hygiene and clean water access in the developing world, World Vision and Sesame Workshop will leverage the breadth and long-term commitment each nonprofit has established throughout decades of work in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Child focused sanitation and health educational materials featuring Raya and Elmo are being designed to reach children and families through media, schools and community engagement programs. Communities that receive these critical messages about hygiene and sanitation are expected to see measurable effects on health and well-being.

The partnership between Sesame Workshop and World Vision will begin by focusing on rural communities in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa where World Vision has a long-term humanitarian presence and manages hundreds of community and schools development programs.

Sesame Workshop and World Vision believe that this partnership has the potential to save lives in the developing world by tackling the top causes of childhood deaths – including pneumonia and diarrhea caused by lack of hygiene, sanitation and clean water.

For over 45 years, Sesame Workshop has been helping children and families grow smarter and stronger about their health and the well-being of the communities they live in,” says Stephen Sobhani, Vice President, International, Sesame Workshop. “Our work with World Vision surrounding sanitation and hygiene will reach some of the most remote regions of the world—regions where these resources can be lifesaving.” 

“Partnering with Sesame Workshop will help reach children in fun and educational ways so they can grow to be more effective positive change agents in communities” said Greg Allgood, Vice President of World Vision.  “While World Vision already reaches one new person with clean water every 30 seconds and reached 1.6 million people with improved sanitation in 2014, we expect to reach even more in 2015 with messaging from Raya and Elmo.”

About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street which reaches 156 million children across more than 150 countries. The Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Delivered through a variety of platforms, including television programs, digital experiences, books and community engagement, its research-based programs are tailored to the needs of the communities and countries they serve. For more information, visit us at www.sesameworkshop.org.