Program Initiatives Early Childhood Development
| Early Childhood Development | |
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In order to adequately prepare children in our target areas, Rupani Foundation in collaboration with Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan, is currently piloting two ECD programs, Agah Walidain (Informed Parents), pre-natal to age three, and Project Umeed (Project Hope), ages three to six. The programs are designed to create a microcosm in which the needs of the whole child can be met and educators can provide an environment where holistic development can take place. It is not generally known that the most effective way to ensure a child develops to his/her full potential is to intervene during the formative years between prenatal to six years. It is with a setting that is nurturing and conducive to learning that the rural child will be able to break out of the poverty cycle and contribute effectively to the upliftment of their families and communities at large for generations to come. The Foundation believes that when we invest wisely in children and families, we build a pathway for responsible and productive citizens of the future; however when we fail to provide children with the necessary tools to build a solid foundation, we put our future prosperity and security at risk.  Agah Walidain is a home-based customized program that aims to engage families with infants and toddlers to begin their child's development through talking, playing, reading, nurturing and use of non-violent discipline techniques. RF has completed the process of training four full and part time staff, as well as the first batch of honorary workers, who are delivering one-on-one services to 118 families through established Agah Walidain Centers in Gilgit and Gich. Both centers are expected to increase capacity by at least 100% next year during which demand projections will require the program to deliver services to around 250 families by the end of 2010. Current plan calls for the establishment of a 3rd center in a different part of the region so that all the 3 major rural population areas are covered for equal access to our program services. Parents can improve many aspects of their lives as they relate to their children. For example, their general knowledge about their child's health and hygiene, and nutrition, as well as their own, can be exponentially improved with an appropriate ECD program. Adults who take part in ECD programs will find an improvement in their attitudes and practices towards health and hygiene, preventative medical practices, nutrition and diet. This will also enable them to become role models as better parents in their communities. This is a high impact program which has been very well received within the local community where access to homes is culturally most sensitive in allowing outsiders to visit on a regular basis. Our success in achieving this access is primarily due to the high level acceptance of our skills development program (the Gemstone Cutting and Polishing Centers) in the area. The Agah Walidain Centers have the potential to make significant impact over the long term predicated on our belief that the government may not have the resources to put a school in every village, but the Agah Walidain program can train the mother to become a teacher in each home.  Project Umeed is a grass root Montessori based ECD program for the 3-6 age group that aims to provide age appropriate facilities, sustainable resources, and encourage active parental involvement in the classroom setting, in order for parents to become aware of their child's developmental needs. RF has targeted the 20 Community Based Schools (CBS) in Sindh which are rural based. Its pilot program is under implementation at the Khyber Community Based School where it will cater to over 100 students, with plans to increase the number of targeted students two-fold with a projected replication in 2010.Children benefit in numerous ways from ECD programs. Their health is improved due to increased chances of survival and reduced morbidity. ECD programs work to improve their nutrition, hygiene, and even their weight and height for their age. Psycho-socially, you will find that ECD programs help improve children's ability to think and reason, their relationships with others, their self-image and sense of security, and their language and communication skills. As far as school is concerned, children in ECD programs will have a higher chance of entering primary school, with higher performance rates and a lesser chance of having to repeat grades or classes in school, a common problem at present. As part of the pilot phase, we have successfully completed the total renovation of the entire ECD section of the Khyber School which will house the program. Significant measures have been taken to recruit and involve members of the local community to volunteer and participate during this setup phase. The project is targeting marginalized families to allow potentially brilliant minds to develop and access quality education, as well as establish programs that are sustainable through community ownership and participation. Project Umeed is envisaged to evolve its targeted constituency over time to cover all the grades in each CBS school so that a child that enters the school into its program gets to continuously benefit and grow until graduation. This will eventually require both the pilot programs to merge into one and evolve together so that a newly born child is nurtured by this combined program through high school. In order to ensure sustainability, both programs are village based, empowering the entire community to engage itself. |
