A three year global program will see H&M Conscious Foundation and UNICEF join forces to provide 73,000 children with access to early childhood development programs and to help shift global perceptions of the importance of early childhood development and education. The program is also engaging community members in making the education accessible to their children.
One community that will benefit directly from the global program is Mbuye in the Ruhango District of Rwanda where an Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Family Centre will be opened mid-2015. The new centre will serve 396 families including the surrounding villages and will improve the lives of young children and community members, including the poorest families and those with disabilities.
Engaging the community in the new ECD & Family Centre
In order to achieve long lasting change the community is being engaged in the construction and management of the new ECD & Family Centre. UNICEF, in partnership with Imbuto Foundation, are providing support regarding community engagement, facilitation of services and training of caregivers. The performance will also be monitored over one year, after which the centre will be handed over fully to the community.
Community members are already engaging in the preparations for the construction of the new ECD & Family Centre. During Umuganda, a community service day which takes place one day a month in Rwanda, around 300 community members gathered to help in the levelling of the steeply sloped site to prepare for the construction. They also learned more about the ECD & Family Program and gave their own thoughts on the design.
“The turnout for this Umuganda spoke for itself. People are happy to participate in the leveling of the plot to prepare for the construction. They are motivated as they understand the benefits of this centre for their children and themselves,” stated Mbabazi Xavier, mayor of Ruhango District.
The ECD & Family Centre will consist of three rooms for development and learning activities for young children, a hall for community meetings and parenting sessions, a demonstration kitchen to help improve nutritional practices, specially designed latrines with water collection systems for young children, as well as a play area with outdoor equipment.
“The ECD & Family Centre is very important for me because it will help my child socialise with other children and learn new things. I will also benefit from lessons on how to care for myself in order to provide quality care for my children,” explained Mukansonera Rosette, a mother who took part in the Umuganda activities.
Long-term policy change
This ECD & Family Centre in Ruhango is an example of a model site where UNICEF has supported the development of an essential package of services which can also guide the development of national standards and guidelines for the scale-up of ECD services in the country.
Working with transformative change on a policy level is part of the objectives for the H&M Conscious Foundation’s global program. The work aims to strengthen the ability of governments to translate policies into action and generate new evidence that reinforces the rationale of investing in early childhood development. By working on multiple levels the H&M Conscious Foundation and UNICEF hope to contribute to shift global perceptions of the importance of early childhood development and to harness more support for the early years of every child’s life.
“The significant contribution from the H&M Conscious Foundation will help UNICEF to strengthen its investment in early childhood development and bring about lasting benefits for children.
“We are confident that our joint ambition will lay the foundation for positive change and harness additional support for the early years of children’s lives”, says Pia Britto, UNICEF senior advisor and chief of early childhood development.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by H&M, sponsor of the sustainable fashion hub
