Working Group on Early Childhood Development

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The WGECD Website: http://www.ecdafrica.com

The crucial importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs is now fully accepted. Proper nutrition, health care, and stimulation during the early years improve learning and other abilities. Programs that facilitate the development of the child in all its dimensions have considerable long-lasting effects on the child’s life.

To date, however, ECD has had low priority in government policies, ECD initiatives are limited and unevenly distributed, and there are wide differences in quality of the initiatives. Most ECD programs are developed and maintained by private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations. They suffer from inadequate funding and a lack of coherence, coordination, sustainability and long-term policies. This is particularly true in Africa, where scarce resources, especially for education, suggest that investment in ECD could endanger the commitment to other education sectors.

What is the Working Group on Early Childhood Development (WGECD)?

Recognizing the importance of the early years for the development of a child, and acknowledging ECD as an integral part of basic education, the Working Group on Early Childhood Development was created in 1997 with UNICEF as the lead agency. In 1998 the leadership of the Group was moved to the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. WGECD is guided by a consultative group composed of representatives of African countries who have demonstrated interest in ECD and international agencies and sub-regional organizations with strong commitment to ECD.

What are the WGECD’s objectives?

The goal of WGECD is to encourage and support national governments in Africa that commit to and invest in ECD. The Group’s work is underpinned by the following principles:

• All aspects of a child’s development "emotional, social, cognitive, physical and spiritual" are interdependent and of equal importance (holistic child development).
• The critical stage of ECD begins before birth and continues into the early years of formal schooling.
• For the maximum development of children, as much attention needs to be given to the support of the parents/caregivers and the family as to provision for children.
• ECD interventions should respect the practices and cultural beliefs that are part of the development of children in each society.
• Involvement of parents and communities is crucial to the development of ECD policy and to the provision of ECD services.
• National government commitment is essential for the develop-ment and expansion of ECD policies. Distinctive and cross-sectoral policies supporting holistic ECD are likely to be the most effective.

  With these principles in mind, the Working Group aims to promote the development and implementation of an integrated and holistic approach to ECD by acting as a facilitator and catalyst to:

• promote advocacy and mobilization of political and public support for ECD in Africa;
• stimulate policy review and development at the national level;
• motivate partnership-building and networking among all ECD stakeholders;
• facilitate capacity- and knowledge-building and exchange around relevant ECD issues.

What does the Working Group do?

The Working Group’s activities cover areas of research, information dissemination, advocacy, networking and capacity building in order to enhance the capacity of policy makers to make informed decisions where it concerns the rights and development of children under eight years of age. 

After the first conference on the early childhood, organized in 1999 in Kampala, in Uganda and the 2e international conference on the development of early childhood (DPE) Asmara, in Erythrée in 2002 (Click here to download the archives).

The Working Group organizes this year the 3rd international conference on the development of the early childhood in Accra in Ghana of May 30 at June 3, 2005. It will have as a subject "To advance the development of the early childhood in Africa".

In recognition of the critical importance of protecting the rights of young children (children from birth to eight years of age) to develop their full cognitive, emotional, social and physical potential, early childhood development (ECD) has found expression in international declarations and frameworks adopted for the development of countries in Africa. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Cairo Declaration, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Education for All (EFA) goals and the Declaration and Framework for Action of the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children (UNGASS), all have provision for inclusion of early childhood development as a priority area for human resource development in support of national development processes. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has also called for the revision of its agenda to include a focus on early childhood development. Unfortunately, following the adoption of these important international declarations and frameworks, early childhood development has still not received the support needed, in concrete terms, in most national development plans and processes in Africa. Many children in Africa continue to die before their 5th birthday, many children still repeat and drop out of the educational system because they are not ready/prepared for the school system and children in difficult circumstances are not receiving the needed care and support. It is in light of the above, that the 3rd in a series of African International Early Childhood Development Conferences will be held in Accra, Ghana from May 30 - June 3, 2005, with the theme “Moving Early Childhood Development Forward in Africa”. The 3rd conference follows the first which was held in 1999 in Kampala, Uganda and a second in 2002 in Asmara, Eritrea. The focus of the 3rd African International ECD Conference will be on three important priority action areas that are necessary to move the ECD agenda forward in Africa - a. Ensuring effective caring practices within the family and community b. Ensuring access and use of quality basic services and c. Ensuring a supportive policy environment The conference will include three-days of technical workshops based on the 3 action areas indicated above and a one and a half day Ministerial meeting under the leadership of the chair of ECOWAS, H.E. President John Agyekum Kuffuor. The outcome of the conference is expected to draw increased political commitment to early childhood development in Africa, facilitate accelerated action at country levels and also feed into other development processes including PRSPs, EFA, SWAPs and NEPAD plans. The conference is being organized by the Working Group on Early Childhood Development of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA-WGECD), representing a partnership between international organizations including UNICEF, the World Bank, UNESCO, WHO, the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU), the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Development (CGECD) and national governments.

 

Policy-studies project

The Working Group initiated a policy-studies project aimed at getting a better insight in what would be required to enhance governments’ commitment and involvement in ECD. Three countries, Ghana, Mauritius and Namibia, which have made steps toward a distinct and cross-sectoral ECD policy and which acknowledge the importance of holistic child development, carried out case studies analyzing the processes involved in the formulation and implementation of their ECD policies. WGECD and UNICEF provided financial and technical support. Concurrent with the case studies, the Working Group carried out a survey of ECD provision and policy in all African countries, through a questionnaire sent to ministers of education.

On completion of the case studies and the survey, WGECD, together with the teams from each of the three countries, carried out a meta-analysis of the findings and produced a report that provides guidelines for African countries interested in developing their own ECD policies.

Policy guidelines booklet

Based on the experiences with the policy-studies project, a set of guidelines are under preparation to support African countries interested in developing or improving their own ECD policies. The main purpose of the guidelines is to provide information and to stimulate discussion among ECD policy makers. Whenever appropriate, additions and amendments will be made.

HIV/AIDS and the young child

The effects of HIV/AIDS on very small children are devastating, and the growing group of children who are infected through mother-to-child transmission have slim chances of surviving past the age of five years. WGECD is committed to enhancing the work of partner organizations in this area by supporting action research and facilitating partnerships and information exchange. Countries will be encouraged to develop strategies to help young children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Organization of the Working Group

The Working Group provides an informal platform to enhance co-operation and collaboration among organizations (national, regional and international) that are actively engaged in ECD promotion in Africa, such as national governments, regional networks, multilateral and bilateral organizations. The Working Group also seeks opportunities to work with other ADEA Working Groups. In the long term, the Working Group intends to hand over its leadership to an African organization or institution.

Working Group Publications

Click here for a list of reports of meetings and publications. Full text copies are available for selected publications and reports of meetings.

How to contact the Working Group

Ms. Jeannette VOGELAAR
WGECD Leader
Basic Education expert
Royal Netherlands Embassy
P.O. Box 1163
Maputo, MOZAMBIQUE
Tel: + 258 1 49 00 31
Fax: + 258 1 49 04 29
E-mail: jeannette.vogelaar@minbuza.nl

Ms. Stella ETSE
WGECD Coordinator
UNICEF-United Nations Children's Fund
UNICEF House
4 - 8 Rangoon Close
P.O. Box AN 5051
Accra North, GHANA
Tel: +233 21/ 77 25 24/ 77 79 72/ 77 35 83
Cell: +233 24 333 9076
Fax: +233 21 77 31 47
E-mail: setse@unicef.org