Alam Simsim uses live action, animation, and colourful characters in an effort to meet the educational needs of young children (ages 3-6) in Egypt - through an entertaining medium. Sesame Workshop collaborates with local producers, child development experts, educators, and child psychologists to develop the educational curriculum in response to local needs. Through this curriculum, Alam Simsim encourages children - especially young girls - to be proud of who they are, appreciate different ways of life, and respect each other. The content of Alam Simsim is also designed to help children learn about health and hygiene, the environment, and letters and numbers in fun and engaging ways.

A key strategy involves creating "a lively and friendly place where all children are always welcome" through "a dynamic studio set, animation, live-action films, music composition, and a warm cast of characters." Specifically, Muppets interact with their human friends to solve problems and have fun together in ways that aim to help young children learn more about themselves and their peers. For instance,
Khokha is a four-year-old character with a passion for learning; she is curious, creative, industrious, resourceful, and loves to solve problems. The sweet-natured, gentle, and patient Nimnim delights in life and nature; to him, everything is fresh and amazing. He loves to share his love and enthusiasm for life and nature with his many friends. Filfil is an ageless character who has a ready-made solution for every problem; he is eager to offer advice.

To help extend the messages of the TV series, an outreach initiative was launched in December 2002 that sought to provide parents and caregivers with information and materials to improve their children's health, hygiene, and nutrition, as well as to promote the use of media as an educational tool in improving children's readiness for school. Working closely with local community development associations (CDAs), the outreach team developed a 2-month training component, as well as educational materials for parents and children (such as booklets, flash cards, and a healthy habits calendar). The Alam Simsim outreach team and CDS provided training and educational materials to 10,600 parents, teachers, and other caregivers in Minya, Beni Suef and Cairo governorates during its pilot
phase, which took place from April 2003 through January 2004.

Early Childhood Development, Education, Health, Nutrition.