2.0 MEANING AND FOCUS ECCD IN MALAWI EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD)

1. THE CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE OF ECCD INPROGRAMME IN MALAWIPRESENTED BY FRW CHALAMANDA , C.G. Jeke, C. Kunsaila, and dr. F. KholowaMinisytry of gender, children and community development, ministry of education and chancellor college

2. 2.0 MEANING AND FOCUS ECCDIN MALAWI • EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) • IS A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN FROM CONCEPTION TO AGE EIGHT THAT PROMOTE THEIR SURVIVAL, GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION, PROTECTION AND PARTICIPATION. • ECD IN MALAWI focuses on Children: 0 to 8 Years • Conception to 2 years: Parenting Education & Support • 3 to 5 Years: ECD Centers - Community Based Child Care (CBCC) Centers • 6 to 8 Years: infant classes of primary education • ECD POLICY STATEMENT • Government of Malawi aims at providing all children with high quality early childhood development services at household, community, center, and institutional levels to ensure their early survival, growth and holistic development , protection, stimulation and education that would lead to their active participation in national development.

3. 3.0 Country Context: • 3.1 Malawi the Country • Democratic, peaceful, beautiful, largely relies on agriculture, has four regions (North, Center, East and South) • Population: 13.1 Million, • Children:0-5: 24.4% (2,777,000), • 18 % of children 0-14 years are orphans (1,500, 000) • 52.4 % of the population live in abject poverty. • HIV and AIDS rate is at 12.5%

4. 3.2 ECD CENTER SERVICES TRENDS IN MALAWI YEARCENTERSCHILDRENPERCENTAGE 1996 649 31,866 1.20% 1997 693 37,994 1.45% 1998 785 38,166 1.60% 1999 871 42,249 2.11% 2000 1,155 51,550 2.63% 2001 1,645 72,760 2.91% 2002 2,602 127,036 4.88% 2003 3,207 135,436 5.64% 2004 4,529 229,823 9.70% 2005 5,945 582,407 22.40% 2006 6,240 615,478 26.76% • 2007 7,801683,825 29.77% • 2008 8,398 720,292 30.23% • 2009 8,917 771,666 32.13%

5. 3.3 ACCOMPLIMENTS IN ECCD IN MALAWI: • Opening new 443 ECD centers across the country. • Trained of 688 caregivers and 550 management committee members. • Developed a National ECD Curriculum Framework. • Developing Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) for Malawi. • A Civil Society Coalition for ECD was set up. • Hosted three missions on ECD from the World Bank, one for WUSC, and PRDO. • Landmark Accomplishment: Child Care, Protection and Protection Act passed by parliament. • Malawi’s First Lady launched CallistaMutharika Safe Motherhood Foundation, prioritized ECD & OVC of the 4 programmes.

6. - ACCOMPLIMENTS FOR ACCESSIBLE AND QUALITY ECD - • Briefed the MoF on ECD investing. As a result, Gov has funded USD $140,000 (MK25,000,000.00) • Conducted a study on the impact of CBCCs on children • Oriented 4 District Executive Committees on ECD. • Trained a team of Parenting Education Facilitators. • Held ECD network and TWG meetings • Trained 32 Trainers for Caregivers. • Filming of the ECDVU graduates. • Developed 5 ECD proposals.

7. CHALLENGES TO ECD IMPLEMENTATION: • Low Quality And Access To ECD Services: • Low profile for ECD programme. • Inadequate of capacity at all levels. • Poor infrastructure for ECD centers. • Need for ECD standardized monitoring system. • Need for incentives for caregivers and providers. • Inadequate ECD standardized instructional materials. • Negative attitudes towards children with special needs. • Inadequate mediation, stimulation, learning, and play materials. • Inadequate funding for ECD programme

8. 5.0 OPPORTUNITIES OF ECD PROGRAMME IN MALAWI • Malawi recognizes, accepts, enhances and ECCD guards progress. • Malawi Notable achievements in ECD that can be attributed to efforts made by the Government of Malawi and our partners. • There are potentials for the country to achieve maximum results in ECD implementation. • Children accessing ECD Center services in Malawi in by 2010 are only 771,666 representing 32 percent, 68% need support. • A functional Child Development department to coordinate implementation of ECCD. • Availability of ECD Policy, ECD Strategic Plan, Implementation and Curriculum Guides, and Advocacy materials.

9. ECD OPPORTUNITIES IN MALAWI – • National Network for ECD with membership of various organizations implementing ECD. • Twelve ECD Trainers graduated in ECD certificate, 370 districts officers trained as ECD Caregivers Trainers for caregivers. • Networking and Partnership with national and international ECD Forums. • Successful implementation of C-IMCI and ACSD in all districts of the country. • Launch of the 2009 – 2014 National ECD Strategic Plan. • Launch of the National ECD Advocacy and Communication Strategy. • Malawi’s First Lady is the Eminent Advocate for ECD • Availability of National ECD Policy. • Availability of some ECD instructional materials.

10. -ECD OPPORTUNITIES IN MALAWI – • Successful ECD Advocacy and Communication Strategy • Awareness raising directed at legislatures, technocrats in key ministries, cooperating partners, and civil society organizations in Malawi. • To create greater understanding of ECD and how individual ministries, donors and organizations can contribute to strengthening ECD. • To create greater understanding of the linkages between ECD and other sectors like health, education, nutrition, water and sanitation. • To ensure ECD is mainstreamed in national and sectoral plans and accorded the necessary priority in resource allocation & implementation. • To advocate for improved linkages among sectors and programmes and the creation of support structures in key ministries and organizations. • Key Strategies for moving ECD Advocacy Strategy: Study tour of policy and decision makers, Interpersonal meetings, Lobbying activities, Sharing evidence-based information kits from research documents, Use commemoration days, Sessions of the Malawi Children’s Parliament, Conferences and seminars and human interest stories – testimonies, demonstrations.

11. MMERA MPOYAMBAINVEST IN YOUNG CHILDRENTHANK YOU ZIKOMO!