Since the shared debut of our beloved Plaza Sésamo and its Brazilian sibling, Vila Sésamo, made Latin American history in the 1970s, Sesame Workshop has reached millions of children across Latin America with ABCs and 123s, healthy habits, financial empowerment, social-emotional lessons, and more. Today, our wide-ranging initiatives and partnerships are preparing families for a healthy, prosperous, and peaceful future.

Colombia, Peru, and Brazil — Refugee Response

We’re using emerging technology to reach some of the nearly 5.5 million refugees and migrants who have fled Venezuela. Working with a range of funders and on-the-ground implementation partners, we will provide free access to meaningful educational content to displaced children and families along the migrant route with the Jardín Sésamo device that provides Sesame content over free local WiFi in selected spaces and our Plaza Sésamo and Vila Sésamo ChatBot, which uses WhatsApp to bring caregivers a menu of resources across our renowned whole-child curriculum.

Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil — Healthy Habits and Hygiene

To stem an epidemic of diseases related to sanitation, water, and hygiene in partner, our WASH UP! program reaches Latin American families with easy-to-share lessons about handwashing and healthy latrine use. (A partnership between Sesame Workshop and World Vision, WASH UP! operates in more than 11 countries.) Through a partnership with Mexico’s Ministry of Health known as Ready to Play/Listos a Jugar, Sesame friends model healthy habits like staying active and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Brazil, Mexico — Culture of Peace

In Brazil, the “Living Together” initiative is working to help mitigate the effects of children’s exposure to conflict by fostering a safer, more inclusive community. In Mexico and other areas of the region touched by violence, Plaza Sésamo and Vila Sésamo are bringing Muppet-centric learning and nurturing care to build up children’s resilience in the face of adversity and prepare them for a more peaceful future.

Mexico and Brazil — Girls in STEM

Our gender equity initiatives are designed to improve the quality of educational experiences for all children, with a particular focus on girls’ participation. One example is Pequeñas Aventureras in Mexico and Brazil, a multimedia series that playfully promotes science and math learning through videos, games, and activities that build basic STEM skills while breaking gender stereotypes.

Regional — Autism

An initiative aimed at families, communities, and organizations that coexist with children with autism, the program provides tools that help overcome frequent challenges and simplify everyday activities.

Mexico — Play Every Day

A three-country initiative of Sesame Workshop and the LEGO Foundation, Play Every Day is  designed to position play as a key component of parent-child relationships, a springboard for lifelong learning and a driver for the development of cognitive, social, and emotional competences.

Mexico, Chile, Brazil — Financial Empowerment

Our “Dream, Save, Do” initiative is available to families across Latin America and Brazil. Through Spanish- and Portuguese-language videos and activities featuring Elmo and friends, Plaza Sésamo and Vila Sésamo are empowering children and adults to define their goals, make plans, and understand how their everyday choices can help them fulfill their dreams.

Mexico, Colombia — Digital Literacy

Our regional digital literacy initiatives prepare children to learn and thrive with technology, while protecting them from dangers. Through partnerships with Mexico’s INAI, our “Growing Up Together” project, and video series like “Monstruos en Red,” we’re giving kids a safe foundation for exploration in an online world.

Mexico — Children’s Rights

Plaza Sésamo is part of a national campaign to educate Mexican families that children are entitled to safety, education, humane forms of discipline, and other fundamental rights. Milk cartons printed with the individual 20 rights and the furry friends of Plaza Sésamo were distributed in schools, reaching up to four million kids daily in Mexico.

Costa Rica — Road Safety

A Plaza Sésamo initiative, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Motoring Foundation (fia), which carries messages about road safety, automobiles, public transportation, bicycles and play.

Regional — Zika Awareness & Prevention Initiative

A Sésamo project that brought together partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Google, Unicef, TV stations, and Ministries of Health of Latin American countries. The objective is to distribute educational materials and promote media campaigns so that communities, schools, and families participate in a large network to prevent epidemics caused by Aedes Aegypti.