Children under four years old in the North Rupununi now have access to Early Childhood Development (ECD), to assist them in their journey to well-rounded, educated adulthood thanks to a collaboration by Canada, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MoHSSS), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF yesterday said in a release that a dedicated ECD space – the first ever at the Annai Health Centre, was opened on Monday, 22 November following the training of 15 healthcare and community workers from Annai and surrounding villages in the North Rupununi, Region Nine. This is the first such event under the ECD component of the Canada-funded “Promoting safe and healthy learning and living environments to migrants and host communities in Guyana’s hinterland” project, which is being implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in close coordination with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. The ECD aspect of the project focusses on ensuring that all girls and boys, 4 years and younger, and their parents, have access to quality ECD programming.
Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Development Programme, Global Affairs Canada, Sharon Peake, who was present with local health and other officials at the handover event stated that much of Canada’s work in Guyana focusses heavily on supporting indigenous women, youth, vulnerable and hard to reach populations. She highlighted that the project with UNICEF also caters for migrants from neighbouring Venezuela who have been forced to flee the harsh economic conditions in their homeland. “The project will work in Annai and other similar communities across Guyana and will focus on early childhood development activities for children under 4 years of age as well as on providing safe, healthy, gender-friendly and climate smart dormitories for adolescent children,” Peake explained while declaring that “all of Canada’s international assistance is guided by a Feminist International Assistance Policy which places the empowerment and advancement of women and girls as the key priority.”
According to the release, fifteen community health and community stakeholders from Annai, Wowetta, Aranaputa, Rupertee, Kwatamang, and Surama were trained in ECD activities over a period of three days. Aside from the dedicated space at the Annai Health Centre, materials were handed out to each of the communities to aid with delivery of ECD sessions. These will include sessions at health facilities and through home visits with parents of children attending antenatal, and infant and pre-school clinics, all adhering to COVID-19 protocols. Some 417 children from the district are expected to initially benefit in the near term.
Adolescent & Youth Development Officer at UNICEF, Jewell Crosse, explained the concept of ECD. “In the first three years of life, the child’s brain develops more rapidly than at any other time of his or her life and the care they receive will determine the adults they will become. These are the years when the foundation for growth and development, health and nutrition, physical, social, language, creative and intellectual abilities is laid. That is what early childhood development is about; to lay that foundation to improve the quality of life of children. This has been the focus of the training.” She pointed out that healthcare workers from Annai and other communities are now better equipped to support parents and others to help the children have “the best start in life, including better performance at school.”
Doctor in charge of the Annai Health Centre, Dr Narash Torres, who was present at the ceremony acknowledged the need for such a programme in the area to give children a better start in life. He noted that hinterland children did not have similar access to resources as others and the ECD programme will set the foundation for better education and a more promising future. “We have our staff well equipped with the training and skills required… we will do our best to get our children stimulated at a very young age so they can grow up to be well rounded and educated adults.”
His views were echoed by Yasmin Andries, the Community Health Worker for Wowetta, who iterated that the ECD materials for the communities will assist greatly in their outreach to parents. She noted that part of the training included developing their outreach plans and they are ready to begin immediately.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Executive Officer of the Ministry’s ECD Unit, Lavern Thorne, said the ministry recognises the significant impact ECD has on the lives of children and has joined with partners to ensure that all children thrive and meet their potential. The ministry, she said, looks forward to continued support from UNICEF and Canada to help accomplish these goals.
The release stated that the ECD component of the “Promoting safe and healthy learning and living environments to migrants and host communities in Guyana’s hinterland” project seeks to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal # 4 by 2030, and to ensure that all girls and boys under 5 years have access to quality early childhood development, so that they are ready for primary education.
The project will prioritise quality services to give a jumpstart especially to the most marginalised children, including migrants living in the targeted communities, to ensure that no one is left behind. It will also address the challenge of poor water and sanitation practices. It is expected that by December 2022, at least 75 per cent of girls and boys under 4 years of age in 100 communities in the targeted locations in regions One, Two, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine, have access to quality ECD programmes and family support services and have readiness skills for easy and on time transition to nursery school. Another component of the project focuses on safe, secure, healthy learning environments for secondary school adolescent boys and girls living in dormitories in Guyana’s hinterland, through system strengthening and gender responsive programming for healthy lifestyles, the release added.
