Explore Our Initiatives

Initiatives

The impact of technology in early education

Lead: Eddy Kalisa

Location: Rwanda

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This initiative will promote sciences, innovation and technology in pre-school in Rwanda.

We will introduce and innovate using technology in early childhood education. We will enable our pre-school to have access to the internet and introduce a children’s computer lab, eventually establishing a Coding Program

Jamnesia Family Festival

Lead: Olivia Wilmot

Location: Jamaica

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The aim of the project is for families to strengthen positive bonds by creating lasting, meaningful memories through creating art, music, and stories together in nature.

Parents have the opportunity to witness their children’s agency as well as to play as adults by being creative. Children have the opportunity to be in a natural, positive environment creating cultural artifacts with their families. Intergenerational approaches grandparents in creating memories inspired by the activities that embody children’s rights.

Submission of proposal for eradication of hazardous child labour project

Lead: Asaduzzaman Fakir

Location: Bangladesh

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This initiative will address the issue of children working in hazardous sectors. It will engage their families through direct intervention and awareness raising. The children and their families will be offered non –formal education, skill development training and basic health care services.

The PRA approach will be applied in the communities that take part in identifying and working to protect children at work from the hazardous conditions. Local authorities will be sensitized to child labor issues and will be requested to play a major role in promoting responsible parenthood amongst the adults, protecting and promoting children’s rights. The communities will be engaged in a workplace monitoring process which, in the long run, will ensure a child labor free workplace.

Environments to play

Lead: Vera Paolillo

Location: Brazil

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The idea that space is co-responsible for the quality of experiences that children and adults develop in educational environments is not yet sufficiently propagated in the theory and practice of childhood pedagogy.

This initiative works to address that gap and the use of space as a generator of significant experiences in the learning and development of young children. Space educates, just as language or interpersonal relationships do. The organization of a suitable space for playful experiences in early childhood acts as a framework for conditions that includes listening to children.

Technology and research in ECD

Lead: Eddy Kalisa

Location: Rwanda

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This initiative will promote science and coding in a child’s education.

We are to use technology and innovation in early childhood education and promote research into how online games impact children’s play.

Ending violence against children through awareness campaigns and capacity enhancement of child protection structures

Lead: Ziolire Moyo Namondwe

Location: Malawi

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This initiative ensure that children are protected from all forms of abuse and are made aware of their rights and responsibilities. It works to:

1. sensitize communities including children with information of child rights and responsibilities focusing on different forms of abuse

2. sensitize children and community members on reporting mechanisms on all forms of abuses.

3. equip existing community-based child protection structures to facilitate access to vital protection services for vulnerable children in the target areas.

The approach is guided by participatory approaches working with target groups to bring about immediate and systemic change through empowering individuals and building more stronger supportive systems.

1. At the community level: The project will promote positive parenting model to reduce Violence Against Children (VAC) within the home. Activities will be implemented through existing grassroots organizations and will use
the Community Score Card (CSC) process to facilitate monitoring, empower communities and improve accountability of VAC service providers including the police.

2. At the district level the project will engage law enforcement officers and social workers in a participatory capacity assessment in terms of the ability to provide effective services to address VAC using an adapted score card approach. This assessment will inform the development of a training and capacity building plan. Working with district level officials the project will propose specific targets for addressing VAC related cases.

Early Childhood Citizenship

Lead: Ana Luiza Oliva

Location: Brazil

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This project works to evaluate what is available for young children in each of 15 localities. From evaluation, it will then develop improvement plans, involving: children, families, professionals across health, counselling, social assistance, education and play amongst others.

Improvement plans will expand provision that is available so that the holistic needs of children can be provided for. In some instances, it may lead to the development of new buildings, in others, it will utilise what is available and improve practice. Our purpose is to drive improvement in the positive experiences that young children have and experience in their local environments, their homes and preschools. Our focus is on a child’s right to access resources that improve their current early years experiences (including healthcare, counselling, education, and play, and that provide what they need to maximise child development potential that will positively impact on their future.

Pregnancy, Parenting and Play Workshop

Lead: Nicole Kabasuga

Location: Uganda

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The Pregnancy, Parenting and Play Workshop is launched as information dissemination project for caregivers that focuses on various aspects of child development and caregiver-child interactions. Our workshops aim to equip mothers and other primary caregivers with effective strategies on; – Boosting maternal health, nutrition, and emotional well-being on the child’s development in the womb. – Creating a safe and loving environment for children. – Building positive caregiver-to-child relationships through emphasizing nurturing care, setting boundaries, and encouraging appropriate behavior through communication and understanding. – how to engage children in age-appropriate hands-on activities and play experiences that promote learning, exploration, and creativity. – Provide caregivers with practical skills and ideas for creating low-cost toys using everyday materials. Our ultimate goal is to empower caregivers with knowledge, skills, and support to improve the experiences of babies and very young children.

Meeting and Playing Area Il Paese dei Balocchi

Lead: Aldo Fortunati

Location: Italy

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The project of the Meeting and Playing Area Il Paese dei Balocchi has the aim of empowering parental skills and competences in a context that gives value and visibility to children as protagoinists of their own processes of growth and learning.

Roundhouse Children’s Garden

Lead: Brenda Nolan

Location: Canada

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This initiative sets up vegetable gardens onsite at daycare locations. All of our care programs (daycare 0-5yrs, junior kindergarten 4-5yrs & out of school care 5-12yrs) have actively taken part in all aspects of this children’s garden. The children plant seeds for the garden and grow vegetables with school aged children helping younger children build structures and trellis for some of the vegetables.

Integration of Services with Mind, Body, and Soul at the Forefront

Lead: Jessica Pablo

Location: California, United States

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This initiative aims to improve upon the integration of services for children and families with our Mind, Body, and Soul framework at the heart of our work. Our hope is to refine and strengthen the work that we are currently doing so that we have outcomes to present to the local community for dissemination and replication. This will allow more children and families to have a similar experience with regards to their education, health, and community.

Early Childhood Quality Indicators Project

Lead: Rick Fiene

Location: Pennsylvania

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This initiative will provide parents with an easy to use tool for identifying early childhood quality indicators in their early care and education program selection process.
The tool has gone through extensive reliability and validity testing in the US and Canada and is now ready to be released to the general public. The tool will be made available to parents for free via download on various public websites and blogs. It has been shared locally in south central Pennsylvania, throughout the state and now it is being disseminated both nationally and internationally. It is readily available on https://rikinstitute.com

Children and hope

Lead: Joseph Stephane Wilfrid Junior Merise

Location: Haiti

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This project will lead by a team of social workers and psychologists who will work on a document promoting the rights of children according to the law in Haiti and according to the convention of the united nation on the rights of children and the various methods of combating sexual violence. There is a sensitization in 2 steps: the first we will sensitize children in schools with psychosocial activities, in the second step we will work with local leaders, school teachers, local radio, in churches to sensitize people and to involved them in the fight against the sexual violence that is very often suffered by children in this locality.

Initiatives for Married Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment in Nagarkurnool districts of Telangana State

Lead: Laxmanrao Yellini

Location: India

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This initiative focusses on’ Empowering Early Married Girls towards Social and Economical Independence’ by collectively involving Government, CSOs and Communities to be responsible in addressing the needs towards sustainability. As an organisation SVK strives to address the problems like inequality, discrimination, injustice in the society in accessing the resource by people of different socio-economic strata, gender, age and abelism. SVK emphasises changing the capabilities of communities, supporting self-sustainability and independence. SVK focuses on addressing all forms of child right violations and child protection concerns

SVK is trying to address are lack of awareness in communities about their rights and entitlements, low capacity in managing their own development, low or no accessibility of health, education services by children especially the girls from poorest and poor communities, Dalit families and from tribal groups, lack of skill and knowledge among the service providers in effective implementation of Government Acts and provisions. SVK especially focuses on addressing the issues of child protection such as child trafficking, child marriage, child labour and so on. Besides all of the above, SVK works to address the issues of inclusiveness among children with various disabilities.

SVK emphasises on empowerment of children, youth, women and the communities to access their rights and entitlements and manage their own development.

Setiap Kenit (Every Child)

Lead: Raihan Mohamed

Location: Kuala Lumpur

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The aim of the project is to help children thrive by providing a nurturing care environment and supporting the well-being of parents and families. It aims:
– to empower parents and caregivers by equipping them with knowledge of early child development, enabling them to better understand and support their children’s growth and development.
– to stimulate early brain development through engaging children in various activities and providing appropriate care that fosters their cognitive, emotional, and social well-being.

– to create a village of support within the local community, establishing a network of individuals and resources that can provide assistance, guidance, and encouragement to parents and caregivers, ensuring that they have the necessary support system in place to raise thriving children.

Developing intergenerational respect and understanding through social integration

Lead: Anne Sivanathan working with dignitaries Ng Sze Hun and Jen Lee

Location: Malaysia

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This initiative brings a love of literacy to young children by facilitating the opportunity for children to become immersed in shared and individual reading in the home

This project will encourage parents to buy their children a single book and then to participate in an ongoing mobile book exchange. This makes reading an accessible pleasure for all children including the poorest children in the region.

Promoting the well-being of the child through family separation

Lead: Dr Emma Palmer

Location: England, UK

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This initiative aims to:

1 To reduce the impact of family separation on children

2 Provide a gentle guidance to parents going through separation and divorce to remind/help them understand the impact this difficult period can have on young children and to help them understand the importance of giving children a voice during this stressful period

3. Encourage parents to work in a conciliatory way to reduce the impact on children

Supporting intergenerational advocacy through Youth Ambassador programmes

Lead: Gary Brown

Location: Wales, UK

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This intergenerational initiative will:

1 Strengthen the voice of young people in future generation locality and Partnership plans

2 Improve youth advocacy through training and development as an outcome of inclusion

3 Improve the skills of young people to promote future aspiration
We are developing a Youth Academy offering training and development that supports young people to use (and develop) their skills appropriately to support the community.
We will encourage engagement in a future vision for stronger youth voice in local decision making while promoting youths as advocates for current generations and help current youths to see their place in shaping the local community and community organisations as leaders of the future.

Center for children and family – our place to grow and development

Lead: Bozidar Nicolik

Location: Serbia

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Students in the MA will study the philosophy, foundational ideas and the contextualized practices from the infant toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

While exploring the Reggio Emilia Approach, student will benefit from engaged educators who understand the culture, norms, and needs of their unique communities, as well as the value of a research informed, child focused and interest driven, blended learning opportunity that fully hears the voice of the child.

Promoting equity and diversity in play experiences of children in Brazil

Lead: Ana Marcilio

Location: Brazil

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Children reinvent community spaces in the city of Salvador, based on an implied, inclusive knowledge, detached from an adult-centric perspective and free of discrimination based on gender, colour, origin or any other form of violence. Avante is in dialogue with Kindernothilfe proposing a project for their strategy on reducing violence against children. The project has at its core the idea that ensuring the right to play, have fun, leisure and free time to all children is a way to impact violence in their lives.

In that community children and adults have pointed out that gender discrimination and racism are the worst violence they face on an everyday basis.

Within this project we will focus on the right to play in public spaces and through playing we will connect people aiming to fight injustice in public arena.

Improve workforce development opportunities for practitioners working with vulnerable young people

Lead: Connie Duran

Location: Mexico

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This initiative aims to improve training and workforce development through:

1. Hearing the voice of young people

2. Identify opportunities to improve
training course and

3. To Improve training and workforce development materials

Puerta Abierta is a non government organisation working to educate practitioners who work with young people at risk of or who have experienced some form of abuse.

The purpose of this project is to ensure that Puerta Abierta´s ongoing work of Paxia® deepens the participation of young people in its workforce development. Paxia is a reflective program committed to quality improvement and through this project Paxia will:

1. Encourage young people who have accessed support services to reflect upon their experience and to work together to consider what could be improved

2. Provide young people with the necessary support to evaluate training schemes for staff and to consider where improvements could be made to bring about better experiences for young people

By offering young people the opportunity to engage in reflection on their experiences and to reflect on opportunities for improvements, Paxia will ensure that the voice of young people is heard and that improvements will be made that will impact on those accessing services.

Center for children and family – our place to grow and development

Lead: Bozidar Nicolik

Location: Serbia

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The aims of the initiative are to:

1. Contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction in Serbia by improving access to early development and education of Roma children

2. Developing incentives and more secure family environment for children from poor Roma families and empowered them to be able to be equal with their peers

3. Support for enrolment of Roma children at an early age in preschool educational programs

4. Support for the process of transition of Roma children from preschool to primary education

This is a developmental, educational program with a pronounced holistic approach in response to solving problems in the development and education of Roma children at an early age. Program activities are aimed at children aged 3 to 5, as well as their parents and family members. In addition to the main target group of Roma families and Roma children at an early age, the project includes preschool institutions and local self-government and others relevant local institution as target group in the context of the development of sustainable local policies in the field of improving the education of Roma children at an early age.
The main project activities are :

  • Educational workshops for parents
  • Educational and creative workshops for children
  • Local team to support Roma child and families
  • Actions in settlements – the mobilization of the Roma community

Developing a standardised quality improvement tool for early childhood settings in Nepal

Lead: Dr Meenakshi Dahal

Location: Nepal

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This initiative will:

1. Improve opportunities for self-evaluation in early childhood settings in Nepal

2. Promote standardised expectations of good practice

Quality provision has been shown to have a positive and significant impact on the holistic development of children. The purpose of this project is to bring about sustainable improvement in childcare provision for the benefit of the child.

This project will focus on the self-evaluation aspect of the internal quality improvement cycle and will co-develop a standardised self-evaluation for settings. This will be made available to all interested settings and will be evaluated for effectiveness.

Including stakeholder engagement in the Inclusive Outdoor Classroom

Lead: Anne Sivanathan

Location: Malaysia

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The aims of this initiative are to promote an understanding of a children’s right to be included, educated and supported. Our aim is to broaden and develop key partnerships in the community (resident representative council zone 3) Municipal Council of Subang Jaya for the benefit of children in Malaysia. We recognise that the Inclusive Outdoor Classroom provides a high quality, developmentally appropriate programme and that the planned expansion of the Inclusive Outdoor Classroom provides an opportunity to promote an understanding of a child’s right to be included.

To do this we will:

1. promote an understanding of children’s rights by encouraging external stakeholders to engage in the vision for Outdoor Classrooms and

2. involve these stakeholders (including children and young people) in planning for future Inclusive Outdoor Classrooms.

Development of an accredited quality qualification pathway for ECEC Learners

Lead: Mmatsetshweu Ruby Motaung

Location: Durban, S Africa

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This initiative will work on collaboration with recognised partners to articulate and develop a strong, recognised pathway for practitioners in South Africa. This will provide children with the benefits of a cohesive and standardised workforce better able to meet their needs.
It will:

• To develop an accessible qualification pathway for all practitioners

• To provide practitioners with the coaching and mentoring support required to improve successful outcomes

• To improve retention of practitioners on qualifications in the ECEC sector

• To improve outcomes in relation to successful completion of recognised and accredited qualification at HE level.

Promoting intergenerational Environmental Protection and Enjoyment

Lead: Jo Smith

Location: Wales, UK

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The aims of the initiative are:
1. to inform families about areas of environmental interest

2. to encourage families to explore areas of natural beauty including coastlines, heritage and nature based activity in order to promote child and family mental health and well-being

3. to teach children and families about Environmental Protection and their responsibility to it

Recognising that children benefit from being outdoors and are more at risk from environmental problems than adults, this project aims to encourage intergenerational respect for and engagement with the environment. Using tourism as a driver for interest, the Flintshire Tourism Association working with Wrexham County Council, have developed a project that will promote sites of interest and activities to children and families. Integrated into this project is promotion of the importance of environmental responsibility and protection. By teaching children environmental responsibility at an early age, the project aims to contribute to intergenerational environmental protection and through educating children of today an ongoing lifetime enjoyment of the environment and interest in environmental protection.

Promoting relationships and early child development: Improving understanding of the importance of communication in the earliest months of a child’s life

Lead: ECE India

Location: India

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This initiative will provide information and guidance to parents and practitioners on the importance of early childhood communication and relationship building to child development by:

1. Developing a resource for distribution to parents and practitioners that outlines key messages and resources for further information

2. Distributes resources produced across parenting and practitioner networks

3. Provide training and workforce development materials

Linked to bonding, socialisation and holistic development opportunities it is imperative that we recognise early stage readiness for communication with newborn babies, and enjoy the opportunities it offers to both the child and parents/caregivers.
With that foundation of understanding, this initiative is intended to broaden that same message and to help parents/caregivers understand the value and importance of communication in the earliest months. It will help those engaging with children understand the journey from non-verbal communication to emerging vocalisation and the impact this early communication has on developing relationships and socialisation and speech. This will be evaluated for impact.

The Nurture Approach

Lead: Michelle Demirtas

Location: England, UK

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This initiative will focus on The Nurture Approach. It focuses on children’s emotional wellbeing, neuroscience, self-regulation and attachments within the early stages of children’s development to influence their future trajectories. We will deliver the training programme and support staff development while assessing and measuring the impact of the learning.

Promoting understanding of risk in play of children, aged 2 to 3 years

Lead: Active Childcare

Location: Wales, UK

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The aim of the project is to:

1. Help the staff team understand the importance of allowing young children to manage their risk in play, in a supported environment

2. Encourage young children to take age and stage appropriate risks, allowing them to gauge their activities with confidence

3. Promote, in young children, a healthy approach to balancing play activities and developing an awareness of positive risk taki.

Creating safe spaces for children, learning to walk to promote a child’s right to stage appropriate development in a mixed age setting

Lead: Active Childcare

Location: Wales, UK

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The aim of this project is to:

1. Improve the provision that is currently offered in a mixed age setting

2. Support children learning to walk by ensuring that their access to the appropriate environment is made available

3. Support parents in understanding the importance of encouraging children to engage in experiences that give opportunities to walk, even if they appear risky.
Project Description. Briefly describe what you will do.

Promoting communication through improved feeding techniques with very young babies

Lead: Active Childcare

Location: Wales, UK

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This initiative focuses on:

1. Strengthening communication between staff and babies during bottle feeding

2. Ensuring bottle feeding, preparation and practices are in line with the latest legal and recommended requirements for day-care

3. Through this work for babies, better opportunities for communicating with adults as participants rather than recipients of care.

Promoting the use of Welsh language and the rights of a child to develop an early and lifelong understanding of the native language of Wales

Lead: Active Childcare

Location: Wales, UK

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The aim of this project is to:

1. Promote the use of incidental Welsh language through play in the story telling, imaginative, play, and circle time

2. To promote the importance of developing the Welsh language at this early stage through parent/career networks

3. To promote respect for the culture and language of Wales.

Helping African Orphans

Lead: Perezi Mugisha

Location: Uganda

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The purpose of this initiative is to support young, orphaned children by helping them to access a holistic education. Providing mentorship and access to resources this initiative supports young girls, helping them to remain in school while addressing mental health issues and emotional healing.

Ha’paot Center- GrowHub

Lead: Anat Bar

Location: Israel

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GrowHub brings together various stakeholders working in the world of early childhood such as government offices & local authorities, early childhood organizations, professionals, entrepreneurs. leading companies, investors and parents.

* We Create A Platform For Cutting Edge, Innovative And Diverse Content About Early Childhood.

* Enable The Establishment And Activity Of Interdisciplinary Communities In The Field Of Early Childhood.

* Encourage, Promote And Provide A Platform For Innovative And Effective Solutions To Early Childhood Challenges.

* Connect Stakeholders, Entrepreneurs, Educators, Parents, Professionals, Local And National Governments, And Early Childhood Organizations.

* Provide Multidisciplinary Advice By Early Childhood And Innovation Experts

Ogangai Child Care & Support Project

Lead: Rev. James Arikosi

Location: Uganda

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The aim of this project is to support abandoned and orphaned children needing nutritional support, healthcare and education. The purpose of this work is to compensate for distressing childhood experiences and to improve the life-chances of children.

HighScope Indonesia Care

Lead: Antarina Citra Cininta

Location: Jawa Barat, Indonesia

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The primary aim of our project is to provide free preschool education to children in our neighborhood, ensuring that every child has access to quality early childhood education regardless of their socio-economic background.

By investing in the early education of our neighborhood children, we aspire to create a positive and lasting impact on the overall well-being of the community. Well-educated and socially aware individuals contribute to the development of a thriving and cohesive neighborhood. Advocacy for Early Childhood Education. Through this initiative, we aim to advocate for the importance of early childhood education at local and regional levels, emphasizing its role in shaping the future of individuals and communities.

ECA-GAIN Play Project

Lead: Dr Swati Popat Vats

Location: India

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The aim is to highlight the importance of play and traditional toys in early childhood development, as outlined in NEP 2020, and to promote natural play experiences over digital games.

This project is designed to enhance the understanding of parents and educators regarding the critical role of play and toys in early years of children, emphasizing natural forms of play, providing children with opportunities to engage with traditional toys and working to mitigate their immersion in digital games. We will connect with different schools, and stakeholders in education field to inspire them to start toy and play pedagogy in their school/early childhood centre. As part of this project, we will also connect with parents to spread awareness on how play can be beneficial and inculcated in their child’s daily lives for holistic development.

Improving Early Childhood Education in Nepal

Lead:Dr. Meenakshi Dahal

Location: Nepal

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This initiative works to improve quality of teaching learning in the ECE within Kathmandu Metropolitan City and beyond.

Dr. Meenakshi Dahal is working on behalf of Kathmandu University to provide quality teaching and learning experiences to 400 early childhood educators (ECE teachers) to help therm improve the quality of direct provision for children and their own understanding of what ‘quality’ and reflection means in this sector.

Mother to Mother: Supporting Mother Groups of Autistic Children in Nepal

Lead:Bishal Kumar Bhandari

Location: Nepal

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The primary objectives of this initiative are to promote autism awareness among
mothers who are raising autistic children.

The initiative:

1. Offers psychological assistance and mentoring support for parents, facilitates the sharing of resources and experiences, and cultivates a feeling of solidarity among
parents, individuals, and families

2. Provides a counselling program

3. Provides parental assistance as needed

4. Supports the livelihoods of parents and provides support for therapy and
medication

Schools Where All Belong – Building a scalable model for mainstreaming education and healthcare for children with disabilities in India

Lead: Diana Vincent

Location: India

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The project is a holistic approach to enhancing inclusive education for children with disabilities (CWD) by engaging multi-stakeholders and empowering the local
communities. FWF has designed a ‘glocal’ model that aligns with the global policies
and standards for inclusive education while also being adaptive to the local and
cultural contexts. The goal of the project is to eliminate barriers and create
opportunities for children with disabilities in rural areas to access mainstream
education and healthcare. It aims to enhance inclusive learning environments and provide essential physical therapy and age-appropriate education for these children.

The program is not only about providing education and therapies, it focuses on the
empowerment of local communities, creating agents of change and amplifying voices of inclusive education and rights, thus ensuring every child has access to equal
opportunities. It embodies inclusion, innovation and impact, revolutionising education for children with disabilities.

Indigenous Child Protection Support Project

Lead: Ciani Quevai Yoka

Location: Republic of Congo

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This initiative works to support he rights of indigenous children. It works:

– to train community and indigenous leaders on the texts for the protection of
indigenous children

– to train local technical services and NGOs in the locality on the texts for the
protection of indigenous children

– to carry out awareness-raising and popularization actions on children’s rights in indigenous environments

– to set up a sustainable action committee for the protection and support of
indigenous children.

To achieve the expected results, this planned project will train 20 community and indigenous leaders on child protection texts, namely: Law No. 5-2011 of February 25, 2011 on the promotion and protection of indigenous populations, Law No. 4-2010 of June 14, 2010 on the protection of children in the Republic of Congo and the
International Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989. It will train 20 people
from local technical services and NGOs, namely: nurses, teachers, civil society
actors, social affairs, police officers, judges and raise awareness in indigenous
communities in collaboration with the community authorities in the planned locality