Advocacy Projects - 2010

Priyanka Zutschi, India

As a Global Leader, I am focusing on a project to advocate on early childhood education among the student fraternity through a university colloquium. I have focused on this group because I believe that in the future, some individuals from this cohort could contribute significantly to the reform process in key social sector constituencies such as education, health, livelihoods etc in India. Introducing and engaging with them on the issue of early childhood education is a key aspect of the project.

To achieve this goal, I will be making presentations to some colleges/ universities in India to introduce students to early childhood education and encourage them to participate in the colloquium. Students will be encouraged to submit an entry/ project on early childhood education for the colloquium. Some students will then get an opportunity to present their ideas at a colloquium. Following the colloquium, some student projects will be disseminated/ shared in the public domain through online education networks, workshops, conferences etc.

Dr Jigisha Shastri & Dr Joyeeta Sengupta, India

Synergy between Early Childhood Professionals and Pediatricians: Developing an Agenda for ‘Good Practices’

The project was undertaken with a view to document good practices by professionals in two domains - Health and Early Childhood. This documentation consequently is meant to disseminate the information to pediatricians, early childhood professionals, & relevant Government Departments. As an initial step, a perspective from both the groups on what according to them are ‘good practices in early childhood’ has been obtained. The ECD professionals have responded and their data will be analyzed and shared. Personal contacts have been made with the pediatricians. Meetings have been held with lead pediatricians of Vadodara city. These pediatricians are also office bearers of their Indian Association of Pediatrics (Vadodara Branch).

The initial response has been very encouraging. The project has taken two different trajectories in Vadodara and Mumbai. In Mumbai, the good practices of a group of pediatricians are being video documented. This video-documentary will be used for advocacy with other health professionals. In Vadodara, a joint Meet will be organized in July beginning. The purpose is to get the two groups together to discuss relevant issues. The workshop will result in developing a shared understanding. Consequently, advocacy materials will be developed which include posters (for display in pediatricians’ clinics and preschools), report (for sharing with the relevant Government Departments of the State of Gujarat).

Maria Thereza Marcillo & Gustavo Amoras-Freitas - Brazil

May A. Ajram & Abeer Abou Zaki – Lebanon

ECCD portfolio in Lebanon is taken care of by different community actors, the Higher Council for Childhood (HCC) under the trusteeship of the Ministry of Social Affairs, NGOs, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and the Ministry of Health. Although there are a lot of ECCD initiatives in the country, they are not contextualized nor integrated under a proper framework. There is a big need to scale up some important success stories and to launch a series of workshops that can provide us with baseline data and indicators to guide our plan of work. As Global Leaders, ECCD situation requires that we raise up high the profile on ECCD issues with identified potential champions in order to put the ECCD on the national agenda.

To achieve this end, and in close coordination with the HCC, a series of meetings with different national committees working on Education, Legislation, Health, Special needs, Protection, Media and Culture took place. In addition, a national workshop to discuss the draft of the ECCD national strategy was organized and included 76 ECCD professionals, academicians, government and NGO representatives and the 4 global leaders of Lebanon. The workshop was organized under the patronage and the presence of the Minister of Social Affairs and the General Secretary of the Higher Council for Childhood who actively provided their input on the draft framework of the national strategy. The final phase of this project will be concluded by a press conference launching key ECCD messages that will highlight and advocate for the importance of ECCD in Lebanon.

JANET NDETO MWITIKI & Maggie Kamau – Kenya

ICRI-Africa has been working with community groups in Kenya for the last four years. During this time, we realized that early childhood in Kenya, like in many parts of the world, is seen as early schooling and children spend most of the time sitting down indoors doing homework, written work that is copied from the teachers work and hardly any opportunities to stimulate children to be creative thinkers. This is contributed by the Parents high expectations from their Children through their teachers. The health and safety concerns we found in the community are brought about by lack of information or misinformation, poverty, ignorance, socio-cultural barriers and lack of referral services.

Therefore, the Caregiver Resource & Development Project (CRD) will seek to provide information through a campaign on the importance of early childhood quality care with special emphasis on health and safety environments for children. The project will also develop materials to be used by caregivers to help them improve the health and safety of the environments for the children.

The project will target policy makers, early childhood education providers, community groups working with children and parents of young children.

Through the Caregiver Resource and development Project, a number of parties will be involved in the assessment of the needs in order to come up with possible interventions to improve the lives of children.

Maria Morfin Stoopen – Mexico

The Children’s Rights Convention recognizes the right boys and girls have to express their opinion about matters that concern them. In Mexico, a variety of organizations and public institutions have worked to create real opportunities for voicing and listening to what children have to say. However, most of this work has centered on children of school age and teenagers. Little has been done to make sure that younger children are able to exercise their right to be heard.

This vacuum prompts us to seek spaces in which younger boys and girls have the opportunity to express their opinion about matters that interest and affect them, and where the adults around them can listen and consider their opinions when making decisions in their interest.
This project aims at creating a guide, or handbook, for parents and preschool educators which will furnish them with the tools needed to make them better listeners of girls and boys between 3 and 6 years of age.

Parents and educators will be invited to a series of sessions in which we will discuss the need of acquiring tools of this kind, and explore from their point of view which issues it would be important to address in such material as we plan to create. Once the guide is completed it will be offered to a more diverse public, first through the internet and then in printed format. The guide will be disseminated through education and parenting networks and through other related groups as well.

Ana María González Garza - Mexico

In Mexico, a glance around society shows us the incidence of poor physical health, repressed emotional life, lack of individual thinking and problem solving ability, as well as denial of individual spirit. So, in order to live a richly fulfilling and satisfying life that enables us to realize our own unique potential and develop the ability to engage with the challenges presented to us today, all aspects of our own self need to be developed in balance with each other. From this perspective, I have been able to comprehend that education should be understood as the art of cultivating the moral, emotional, physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of the developing child. Therefore, as we estimate that each of us is, at the same time, educator and apprentice, we need to be aware of how, at each moment, our actions, behavior, attitudes and values are carrying out educational actions without being aware of the impact that our way of being and living are having in our environment.

The prime interest and aim of this project is to support, defend and speak in favor of the significance and implications that the evolution of consciousness of educators have in early childcare and education. This goal has been approached by the design, development and operation of a handbook directed to favor the growth of the potentialities and capacities of the biological, psychological, personal, social and spiritual dimensions of human nature to their most high levels. This expansion of consciousness will help educators to accept themselves in order to be able to accept others; to value themselves in order to be able to value others; to love themselves in order to be able to love others and to transform themselves in order to be able to transform their personal, social and moral environment. The handbook has been distributed among government officials, school supervisors, directors, teachers, parents, colleagues, students and social workers who will provide us with the necessary data to measure its impact, influence, efficacy ad value.

Hannah Botchway - Ghana

The issue if Early Childhood Development in the country has been an issue of concern to the Ministry of Education. This has therefore been the main focus the project is working on in Ghana. on the good practices of the ECCD. The private sector has taken over the education on ECCD, they do this with the focus of money as the paramount, hence several homes with extra rooms, just use those rooms and start the ECCD. Training of the providers of the ECCD has now become a demand, so there has been collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) Department of Social Welfare, Ghana National Association of teachers (GNAT) training the proprieters, handlers of the infant on the approach to teaching as child centered and activity based teaching.

The projects also sees to visist the ECCD's and offer advice to them on good health yenvironment, making the ECCD child friendly. Introducing them to the programmes and activities of the WFF, Sharing brochures, so they log on the wesbite, since there has not been any directory to check on the ECCD. Thr program is also collecting information on the ECCD's in Ghana to be able to have a directory, this we are collaborating with the various stake holders. Encouraging them so that, they prepare for the forum in 2010 in Hawai. Introducing Drama to the ECCD as a tool for change, as the children enact play on vital issues. Encouraging the ECCD to use culture as an effective tool for change through drama, dance, songs, and poetry recitals.

Indu Capoor - India

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-III) reveals that undernutrition and anaemia
has increased in Gujarat state. For instance, in the age group of 6-35 months, the
percentage of anaemia has gone up to 80.1 per cent in 2005-06 from 74.5 per cent in 1998-
99. Gujarat, which is considered to be a progressive state industrially and economically,
also lags behind in several other health and social development indicators. Some statistics:

• Only 45.2 % children below 2 years of age are fully immunized
  
• IMR continues to be high and 45% of children under 3 are malnourished
  
• 66% of infant deaths occur in the first month of life due to low birth weight
  
• Under 6 sex ratio has declined from 928 in 1991 to 879 in 2001
  
• Female literacy rate is 59% compared to 81% of males; drop out rate among girls from

1st to 5th standard is 21%
Towards ensuring the rights of children based on the Government of India commitment in
the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN-CRC), the
Government of India (GOI) has National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC), which was
launched by the Ministry of HRD (Human Resource Development), Department of
Women and Child Development (WCD), Government of India (GOI) on August 20, 2005
at New Delhi. Following this, different states of India have drafted their State Plans of
Action for Children (SPAC). The Government of Gujarat (GOG) has drafted the State
Plan of Action for Children (SPAC), Youth policy and the Women’s empowerment policy
for Gujarat.

CHETNA has actively contributed in forming, reviewing and strengthening the drafts of
all the above mentioned policies, especially NPAC and SPAC (Gujarat and Rajasthan)
along with networks and NGO partners at the national and state level such as India
Alliance for Child Rights (IACR), New Delhi, Child Rights Collective Gujarat (CRCG)
and Forum for Crèche and Child Care Services (FORCES).

Bonita Birungi – Uganda

The goal of the project is increased National ECD Network Capacity for improved coordination and planning of ECD Service Provision. The National ECD Forum is a pivotal meeting point for all stakeholders to contribute to the development of national wide implementation plans for ECD service provision. I propose to implement the Capacity project to contribute to addressing the above mentioned gaps with the aim of capacity strengthening the National ECD Forum in order to increase comprehensive planning and coordination of relevant government and civil society ECD stakeholders at the national level.

The project will utilize two key strategies to accomplish the above stated goal, 1) technical assistance and capacity building through training and sustained mentorship of key ECD Forum Members, including the pre-primary department, and 2) support of National ECD Forum to develop its Terms of Reference. These two strategies will enable the National ECD Forum to strengthen the coordination and planning process of a multiplicity of inputs and resources from both government ministries and Civil Society at national level. These strategies will build on existing infrastructure and mechanisms within the ministry of education as an entry point with the aim of engaging with all ministries and partners relevant to ECD service provision at national level.

Project implementation will involve a series of consultative meetings and quarterly joint government ministries and civil society representatives providing ECD services through one day workshops. These efforts are planned to culminate into clearly defining roles and functions of organizations and agencies, modalities for interaction and then identifying, exploring priorities and linking existing government policies that impact the well-being of Uganda’s children within a larger focus.

Karolina Lewandowska & Anna Blumsztajn - Poland

The main concern we would like to address in this project is the lack of data concerning the situation and well-being of young children in Poland. The absolute inexistence of data concerning children aged 0 to 6 reflects the lack of consciousness about the specific developmental needs of young children. No special indicators, except for those widely used (i.e. infant mortality) are focused on young children. This is all the more disturbing that various “signs” show that the situation of young children in Poland is difficult: frequent press reports on drastic child abuse, highest rate of under 16-years old poverty in the EU, smallest rate of preschool enrollment, falling number of pediatricians... Lack of data focused on young children makes it impossible to launch a public debate concerning their situation that is not ideologically biased. It also very difficult to formulate and discuss adequate policy. Partly because there are no data, young children are inexistent as a target of policy – f.i. they do not appear as a group of beneficent form the EU funds for social development in Poland.

The final outcome to be achieved is the formulation of 5 to 8 indicators of several dimensions of children-well being, that key agents and institution working with young children would agree about, together with a feasibility study of their implementation
The indicators will be part of an advocacy report – missing data report – where dimensions of young children well-being will be explored, some existing information about that dimension will be provided, and indicators that could describe this dimension will be formulated and discussed, based on reports and studies published in other countries. For every dimension, there should be a main indicator and some more detailed ones.
The overall goal of the project is to make a step towards greater visibility of children in public policy area. An important aspect of the project would be the consultation phase – once indicators are formulated, they are sent for consultation and debated by all important stakeholders.

Lisa Sams & Monica Duncan, United States

Early childhood programs need leaders who understand and implement quality business practices and viable business models to serve all families, including those with low to moderate incomes. Building an awareness of the importance of quality early care and education (ECE) and that viable business practices have a direct and positive impact on the development of our most vulnerable children. We have three target groups: Early Care and Education Professionals, Community Business Leaders and State and Local Elected Officials.

In Iowa and Michigan, we will engage 1-4 individuals from each target group who are also involved in the development of the Children’s Chamber of Commerce to become advisors to FCF’s development of a new Innovation Awards Program. The Innovation Awards Program will recognize innovative ECE quality business practices while at the same time engaging our three target groups. Through this process, we will also identify gaps in the understanding of our target groups about early care and education and provide education and a forum to discuss issues of concern and opportunities for change.

Betsy Van de Grift - Netherlands

• We know more and more about the braindevelopment of young children: let us share that knowledge with eachother.
  
• The young childsbrain will develop itself better, when the child is properly stimulated to learn: let us use every opportunity in childcare to let the children learn.
  
• Childcare is a practice subject. It’s the pedagogic staff member who is critical for the quality of the pedagogic process. They are able to inspire and help eachother. Let the people from the practice speak.
  
• Just as young children, adults learn best when there is interaction. Let us become smarder and better in the professional pedagogic care.

The Actions:

During a certain week in June or September attention will be spend, with the help of relevant and enthousiastic partners –fans- , on the knowledge of and practice of the development of the childsbrain.

• A book will be published. It contents partial knowledge about the braindevelopment of young children and partial practice examples brought forward by child care centres.
  
• Publications will be made in specialist journals and educational journals- or websites.

Analesi Tuicama & Milika Waqanisau - Fiji

• To create a smooth transition from early childhood to class 1 in Fijian primary schools.
• That together with parents, ECE teachers and primary school teachers the child is well nurtured, prepared, and ready for formal learning
• That there is an increased momentum in awareness of the importance of early childhood education in Fiji’s national economy, developing the society, in villages and communities especially among parents, decision makers, leaders and educators.

B) Processing or Methodology
Target group-

• Head teachers, Class I teachers, school managers, parents & families decision makers e.g. religious leaders and village heads.
• Seven (7) each of these schools religious schools, committee schools , private schools located in the city , rural and island. ( to find out how many have gone through an ECE programme and those not and if there was much difference.)

Global Leaders Advocacy Projects
January, 2008

Afghanistan

Azerbaijan

Bolivia

Egypt

Ethiopia

India

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Indonesia

Lebanon

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Lithuania/Slovenia

Malaysia

Nepal

Northern Ireland

Pakistan

Philippines

Rwanda

Serbia

Slovakia

Ukraine

Vietnam