Scaling up high quality ECD programmes in the FCDC counties: challenges and opportunities

We held a webinar in partnership with the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) and the United Nations SDG Partnership Platform (UN SDGPP) that brought together Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners, stakeholders and the FCDC leadership. Through the webinar, we sought to engage in a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of ECD in the 10 counties that are part of the FCDC.

Care for Child Development

An Adaptation Guide for East and Southern African Region

Leveraging the Community Health Strategy and Multi-Sectoral Partnerships Towards Scaling Up Nurturing Care in Rural Communities

Madrasa Early Childhood Programme’s Implementation of Care for Child Development in Kenya

A community engagement approach for an integrated early childhood development intervention: a case study of an urban informal settlement with Kenyans and embedded refugees

Background: Community engagement is crucial for the design and implementation of community-based early childhood development (ECD) programmes. This paper aims to share key components and learnings of a community engagement process for an integrated ECD intervention. The lessons shared are drawn from a case study of urban informal settlement with embedded refugees in Nairobi, Kenya.

Supporting Child Development Through Parenting Interventions in Low- to Middle-Income Countries: An Updated Systematic Review

Background: Over 250 million children in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not achieving their fullest developmental potential due to co-occurring risks such as poor nutrition and inadequate learning opportunities. Early intervention programs integrating the aspects of nurturing care, that is, good health, adequate nutrition, safety and security, responsive caregiving, and learning opportunities, may ameliorate against the negative impact of these adverse conditions.

Bridging Culture, Research, and Practice in Early Childhood Development: The Madrasa Resource Centers in East Africa

Abstract

The Madrasa Resource Centers in East Africa have adapted features of Euro-American theory and practice into a service delivery system responding to local cultural and socioeconomic realities. After 25 years of implementation in predominantly Muslim communities with high poverty and low literacy rates, the program could serve as a model for other parts of the continent with similar population profiles. This article examines some of the program’s key features and discusses the prospects that the program’s integration of research into service delivery holds for developmental research in the region. It proposes that university partnerships with such programs could yield productive inquiry with benefits to local universities, community-based programs, and developmental science.

The role of partnerships in promoting early childhood development

2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the Aga Khan Foundation – supported Madrassah Early Childhood Programme (MECP). On the other hand, the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) engagement in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) arena in East Africa spans back at least a century, with well-baby clinics and educational facilities for the community that then spread across the region.

IHD study reveals risk factors for child development

A recent study by the Aga Khan University Institute for Human Development (IHD), has revealed low promotion of play among surveyed households in the informal settlements of Dagoretti sub-County in Nairobi, Kenya. These statistics are worrying considering the vital role of play in promoting healthy child development.​

Aga Khan University urges Policy Makers to invest in Early Childhood Development

The Aga Khan University’s Institute for Human Development, (AKU-IHD), held a policy makers workshop for health and education county directors of various counties constituting the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) consortium’ in Kenya.