International Conference on Early Childhood Care and ...documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/414421468204868562/pdf/373… · Chair for the day - Mrs. Margaret Kabiru 0900 - 1030 Session

International Conference on Early Childhood Care and DevelopmentKampala, UgandaSeptember 6-10, 1999Summary Report

Conference Organizing Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Conference Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Abstracts of Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Presenters and Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Appendix A: Opening and Closing Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

E C C D C O N F E R E N C E P R O C E E D I N G S

Support for this Conference was provided by:

The World Bank in cooperation with the Government ofthe Republic of Uganda, UNICEF, Bernard van LeerFoundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Save the ChildrenFund (USA), Early Childhood Development Network inAfrica (ECDNA), Association for the Development ofEducation in Africa (ADEA), University of Victoria andMakerere University.

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International Organising Committee

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Uganda

Secretary General, National Council for Children, Uganda

Prof. Alan Pence, Conference Planner, University of Victoria, Canada

Dr. Marito Garcia, World Bank, Washington DC

Dr. Susan Opper, World Bank, Washington DC

Caby Verzosa, World Bank, Washington DC

Dr. John Mutumba, NECD Project Co-ordinator, Uganda

Caroline Pond, NECDP Communications Specialist, Uganda

Harriet Nannyonjo, Operations Manager, World Bank, Uganda

Nikki-Morton Nutter, Conference Organiser, Uganda

Sarah Mukwaya, Conference Organiser, Uganda

Lisa Albion, Proceedings Coordinator, Canada

Hon. T Mutesasira, Chairman, NECDP Advocacy Committee, Uganda


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ForewordIn Africa, as in virtually all other parts of the world, there is a growing awareness of the importance of the early years in a

child's life—not only in terms of individual health and well-being, but in societal well-being more broadly. It is in the early

years that human development takes place most rapidly. Providing appropriate nutrition, stimulation and care in the early

years is perhaps the most powerful investment a country can make in influencing its future.

Defining “appropriate” is, however, not a simplistic exercise: “one size does not fit all”. Countries committed to their

children and to a stronger future must look to their own traditions and values, as well as to the ideas and perspectives of

others.

This Conference was conceived as an opportunity to share the richness and innovation of ECD experience within Africa.

While 30 presenters had been identified by the organizers and support institutions, it was also noted at the opening that

“At this Conference we are all teachers and we are all learners.” The more than 170 participants took this directive to heart,

and at the breaks, over meals, and following every presentation, stories were shared, friendships forged and contacts

established. It is our hope that this Summary Report conveys some sense of the excitement and energy that characterizes ECD

in Africa as we enter a new Century and a new Millennium.

The Conference was an important step in the evolution of African ECD, and it will not be the last. It is perhaps appropriate to

end this “Foreword” with some of the “Post-words” of those who participated. In their comments there is not so much a

sense of conclusion as there is of forging ahead.

Asked “What have you gained to help you in your work?”, participants characteristically responded:

“The way forward is through community-owned ECD solutions and the generation of a policy development

process that addresses community needs.”

“Believe in people as capable and creative owners of their own realities, including their own solutions to

the hurdles in their lives.”

“The whole world of information technology is an incredible tool for information sharing and

communication.”

Asked “What have you learned?”, they responded:

“…there are substantial ECD works, studies and research in Africa…”

“The family is the centre of ECCD. Documentation of innovation is necessary.”

“The need for focussed programming (we cannot do everything), and the need for partnerships.”

Asked “What is the most important accomplishment of the Conference?”, they responded:

“Partnerships, confidence building and reaffirmation among the practitioners and programme developers.”

“Gaining an African perspective.”

“Establishing powerful contacts amongst African countries involved in ECD, between funding agencies and

countries implementing ECD programmes.”

We are committed to assist in the forming of these “powerful contacts”,

Sincerely,

The Conference Organizers


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Monday 6 September 1999Chair for the day - Prof. Alan Pence, Conference Planner

0845 - 0910Welcome and conference overview, background and guiding philosophy

Prof. Alan Pence

0910 - 0920Ugandan Children’s Event performed by children from ‘Daughters of Charity’

0920 - 0945Challenges facing ECCD in Africa

Prof. Barnabas Otaala, ECDNA and U. of Namibia

0945 - 1015The World Bank’s commitment to ECD

Mr. James W. Adams, Country Director - Uganda, World Bank

1015 - 1045Uganda’s commitment to ECD

Hon. Mrs. Janat Mukwaya, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development

1045 - 1130Official opening of ECCD conference

H. E. Dr. Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe, Vice-President of the Republic of UgandaPresented by the Minister for the Vice President’s Office, Mrs. Betty Okwire

1130 - 1200Group photograph of Conference participants on steps of Conference Centre

1200 - 1400Buffet Lunch in the Conference Dining Hall

1410 - 1500Session #1 Advocacy and ECD in Uganda

Rev. Dr. Kefa Ssempangi

1500 - 1545Promoting Children’s Health and Well-being

Dr. John Mutumba

1600 - 1645Session #2 From Theory to Practice—

An experience of Networking and Training in Africa Mrs. Jolly Nyeko

1800Press Conference in Addis Room

Your work is providingyoung children with astrong start in life, andtoday’s children will deter-mine Africa’s future.

Callisto Madavo, Vice-President, World Bank, AfricanRegion, Session #5 video con-ference

Conference Agenda

Tuesday 7 September 1999Chair for the day - Mrs. Margaret Kabiru

0900 - 1030Session #3

Aga Khan, Madrasa Programmes in East Africa Ms. Kathy Bartlett, Ms. Haljarah Ndayidde, Mr. Suleiman Omar Ahmed, Mr. Peter Mwauru

1030 - 1045Coffee Break

1045 - 1215Session #4

Innovative ECCD in Nigeria Ms. Margaret Akinware, Mrs. Uche Ezirim, Dr. Yemi Onibokun

1215 - 1245Questions and Discussions

1245 - 1400Buffet lunch in the Conference Dining Hall

1400 – 1730Session #5

The African Virtual University and ECD-VU: New Tools for ECCDIntroductions by Dr. Susan Opper, Dr. Alan Pence

Teleconference addresses by: Mr. Callisto Madavo, Vice President, World Bank, Africa Region, Washington;

Dr. Fraser Mustard, Founder’s Network, Toronto; and facilitated by Ms. Caby Verzosa, World Bank, Washington

1730 - 1800Discussion—The Potential for AVU and ECD-VU in Africa

2000African theme buffet in Nile gardens, with Ndere Dance Troop.

Hosted by the World Bank


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In this conference,and in our futureactivities, pooling ourresources can providea rich synergy, if done withthe intention of knowledge exchangeand collaboration andin partnership.

Barnabas Otaala -Opening Speech

Wednesday 8 September 1999Chair for the day - Dr. Cyril Dalais

0900 - 1030Session #6

Save the Children, US Innovative Partnerships in Burkina Faso and EthiopiaMs. Amy Jo Dowd, Ms. Maria Kere, Mr. Mengistu Edo

1030 - 1045Coffee break

1045 - 1215Session #7

ECD Innovations in MauritiusDr. D. Gaoneadry, Mr. Ho Tu Nam, Dr. S. Kahleeah

1215 - 1245Questions and Discussion

1245 - 1400Buffet Lunch in Conference Dining Hall

1400 - 1500Session 8

1. Introduction and demonstration of CD-ROM ‘Early Childhood Counts: Programming Resources for Early Childhood Care and Development.

A resource kit for researchers and practitioners.’Ms. Margaret Saunders

1500 - 1515Tea Break

1515 - 1615Session #8 (continued)

2. Introduction and demonstration of the ECD African Website Ms. Simone Kirpal


1645 - 1700Option A: Further demonstrations of the CD-ROM and Website in Addis Room for interested delegates

Option B: NECDP Panel Review of information to date in Committee Room B

PMDelegates at leisure to join non-hosted, theme dinners at:

Fang Fang restaurant, Maharaja Indian Restaurant, or Rock Garden Bistro.


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We have to be carefulabout using the words“truth” and ”best practice”.Truth and best practicehave both promoted and decimatedcultures. I prefer a quoteby Kahlil Gibran, "Godmade truth with manydoors to welcome all thosewho come there.” We needto ensure that the doorsare open so that the voicesbehind them are heard. Weneed to find the spacebetween the truths in whichto create new understand-ings.

Alan Pence, Commentator

Day Two

Thursday 9 September 1999Chair for the day - Ms. Abeba Habtom

0900 - 1030Session #9

The Pillars of RSA ECD Policy: Building on Children’s RightsMs. Margaret Irvine, Ms. Ntuthu Ngobeni


1045 - 1215Session #10

ECCD Research in AfricaProf. Barnabas Otaala, Prof. Urbaine Dembele,

Prof. Tuntufye Mwamwenda, Dr. Yemi Onibokun


1245 - 1400Buffet Lunch in Conference Dining Hall

1400 - 1545Session #11

The Diverse Faces of Bernard van Leer and ECCDMs. Paula Nimpuno - Parente, Mr. Philip Motlhaolwa, Mr. Stephen Lenaiyasa,

Ms. Jann Jacobs, Mr. Michael Mapako


1600Excursion to African Cultural Village (National Theatre Craft Centre).

orECDNA meeting in Committee Room B

2000Barbecue Buffet dinner with live band at Nile Hotel.

Hosted by World Bank


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Changes that haveoccurred in moderntimes have to be under-stood and appropriatetransitional trends andcoping mechanismsdeveloped so that theAfrican ECD as it used tobe practiced does notnecessarily die out;termed primitive anddetrimental by some, itis important that thegood is identified, pre-served, encouraged andtaught.

Jolly Nyeko - Day 1 Session 2


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Friday 10 September 1999Chair for the day - Dr. Julius Enon

0900 - 1030Session #12

Innovations in ECCD Training in KenyaMrs. Mercy Birichi, Mr. Ndungu K Gakungu


Session #131045 - 1215

UNICEF and ECCD: Past, Present and Future.Dr. Cyril Dalais, Dr. Olivia Yambi

1215 - 1300Final Questions, Discussions, and Evaluation.

1300 - 1500Closing luncheon in Nile Hotel.

Guest Speakers: Dr. Marito Garcia, World Bank, WashingtonHon. Dr. Philip Byaruhanga. Minister of State for Health

A country that doesn’ttake care of its youthand children doesn’ttake care of its future.

Oliver Tambo. Cited byMargaret Irvine Day 4Session 9

Presentation Abstracts

Please note that full texts of the Presentations, in their original format, are copied in Volume II of the Proceedings.Volume II is available on a cost-recovery basis for $35USD. For information contact [email protected]

Session #1A: Advocacy and ECD in Uganda – Dr. Kefa SsempangiThe presentation includes: a background highlighting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Ugandan Children’sStatute; and identifies key sectoral interventions and issues such as: child survival and nutrition, child care and protection, early childhood development in education, and the challenges involved in alleviating the problems requiring suchinterventions. A “way forward” section examines policy gaps and promotes the development of ECD policy and strategy and sen-sitization at the national and district levels to integrate ECD issues into sectoral development processes.

B: Promoting Children’s Health and Well-Being: Which strategies should be optimally applicable in sucha diverse domain of geography and culture? – Dr. John MutumbaThere is an interactive relationship between psychological well-being and health and nutrition status. This synergistic relationship is evident in the results of research cutting across a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. Accordingly, health,nutrition, and psychological well being should be approached together. Improved health and nutritional status of young children is one of the most highly desired results of a science-based development efforts in poor nations. This is the strategy ofthe Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project (NECDP). But the search for clarity requires more than specificationsof terms. Because child health, growth, development, and care cut across many fields and can be approached from many per-spectives, side by side, it can confuse as well as enlighten. The field of child development has been changing, but have we?

Session #2From Theory to Practice: An Experience of Networking and Training in Africa – Mrs. Jolly NyekoFor ages past, the African parent has been credited for showing love and care to the child through: mother closeness with baby,including breastfeeding and child strapped on back; father with son on a hunting expedition; in the field grazing cattle; storiesand folklore around the fireplace and so on. At the 1997 Summer School at UNAM it was identified that interventions neededto be repackaged to address culture and current situations as well. Jolly Nyeko discusses her own experiences in community ECDinterventions in African countries including caregivers’ training, identification of appropriate, accessible and less costly play

materials, and other aspects of ECCD.Such interventions have resulted in theestablishment and management of ECDcommunity centres, all done by thecommunities themselves. There isstrength that exists in communities,such that with minimal interventions,caregivers establish and maintain theirown systems. When these are estab-lished, government can then supervisethem so that they are able to meet stan-dards, but should such standards not beflexible?


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Session #3Aga Khan, Madrasa Programmes in East Africa• The Madrasa Regional Programme: Supporting Early Childhood Education – Dr. Kathy Bartlett• Madrasa Resource Centre (MRC) Programmes in East Africa – Ms. Hajarah Ndayidde• The Role of Community Development Officers in the Madrasa Pre-School Programme

Under the MRC – Mr. Suleiman Omar Ahmed• The Role of Research Programmes in MRC: A Process Perspective – Mr. Peter MwauraThis session comprised an overview of the genesis and history of the Madrasa Programme, highlighting key elements throughpictures. By using the example of the Regional Madrasa Programme, operating in Kenya, Zanzibar, and Uganda, the Madrasapanel shared with participants lessons learned and issues that have arisen related to NGO support and training organizationswhich work with communities to develop, pilot, and scale-up early childhood programmes. In particular, issues and lessonsrelated to quality programming, building on local cultural and community strengths and resources, the timing and pace ofscaling-up and sustaining activities, the resulting organizational development challenges and opportunities, and ideas for mon-itoring and measuring change and impact were addressed.

Session #4Innovative ECCD in NigeriaNigeria ECCD Programme: The Conceptual Framework-Ecological Model – Mrs. Margaret AkinwareInnovative Early Childhood Care in Nigeria Using CAP-MM Strategy – Mrs. Uche EzirimCAB: Assessment Tools for Early Childhood Care and Development - Dr. Yemi Onibokun

An ecological model (presented at the UNam ECD Institute) is the conceptualization adopted to highlightthe importance of interaction patterns of the child with the immediate family and community, institu-tional community, and the socio-political framework which constitute the learning environment of thechild. This learning environment is, however, influenced by the society in which the child lives: pre-industrial/rural vs industrial/urban societies. The conceptual framework and typologies of EarlyChildhood Care and Development for Nigeria are developed on the premise that the cultural setting ofany society has a direct impact on the type of care provided by parents and caregivers. In the face of anailing economy, disrupted family ties and weakened traditional family cohesion, the incidence of chil-dren in need of special care and protection is on the increase.

For these reasons, UNICEF is assisting the government to propagate typologies of ECCD services that havetaken inclusionary approaches (involving all stakeholders) in implementing a comprehensive ECCDprogramme of health, nutrition, stimulation, and education for children 0-8 years in six selected states.The inclusionary approaches are based on the CAP-MM strategy, which aims at promoting communityparticipation and partnership in planning, managing, and monitoring of projects. Through thisapproach, strong multi-sectoral linkages are developed for the establishment and management of dif-ferent models of community-owned ECCD facilities that evolve with a strong component on parental edu-cation.

Session #5Pictures for Preschoolers – Dr. Marian ZeitlinIn this brief presentation Dr. Zeitlin described and demonstrated the Pictures for Preschoolers Programwhich is a program of home and family based learning activities for 3-6 year old children in the commune of Dakar-Yoff, Senegal.

The African Virtual University: New Tools for ECCD• Facilitated by Dr. Susan Opper in Kampala, and Ms. Caby Verzosa in Washington• Presentations by Mr. Callisto Madavo, Vice President, World Bank, Africa Region

and Dr. Fraser Mustard, The Founder’s Network, Toronto• ECD Virtual University/University Without Walls – Prof. Alan PenceThis session featured the use of African Virtual University technology to deliver presentations emanating from: The World BankHeadquarters in Washington, DC. (Mr. Madavo and Ms. Verzosa); and Toronto, Canada (Prof. Mustard) to the conference sitein Kampala and a site in Kenya. Questions and discussion between these sites was facilitated. The interactive technology is oneof several methods proposed to support an innovative distance education, graduate level programme in ECD planned for start-up in Africa in 2000-01. Prospective students were surveyed at the conference.


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Prof. Pence described the history of the ECD-VU proposal and the timeline envisaged. Dr. Opper discussed how the technologycould link with countries’ objectives to hone leadership in ECD and develop programmes and materials in interaction with com-munities. Dr. Madavo’s remote presentation highlighted promising features of the World Bank’s partnership with countries to increase needed investment in services aimed at young children and their mothers. Dr. Mustard’s remote presentation drew from research in neuro-sciences, child development, and other fields to analyze the effects of the support andinteraction which children receive in-utero and in the early years on long-term physical, mental health, intelligence,learning, and behaviour throughout the life cycle.

Session #6Save the Children (US): Innovative Partnerships in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia• Six Principles for Building Effective Early Childhood Development Efforts- Ms. Amy Jo Dowd• Developing a New Phase of Action in ECD: An Integrated Project in Burkina Faso – Ms. Maria Kere• Partnerships for Innovations in Education (PIE) – Mr. Mengistu EdoEarly Childhood Development is one of the three components of Save the Children’s (SC) Strong Beginnings Programme world-wide. Traditionally, it has not been a large part of the programme in Africa where the stress has been placed, in recent years, onaddressing the issue of increasing access to primary school. Of late, it has become apparent that ECD programmes can serve toreinforce both what SC does under the Child Survival rubric with very young children and can be the platform for better edu-cation quality in primary school. Increased access by itself is not enough.

ECD is also an area, which is particularly suited to NGO action, given the strain on national education budgets in trying to meetformal education targets. In Burkina Faso, SC has had, extensive experience in complementary child care, with UNICEF support,and is in negotiation with the World Bank to demonstrate the strength of an ECD approach which simultaneously addresses childhealth and infant stimulation. In Ethiopia, SC’s Partnership for Innovation in Education project works together with local NGOsboth to increase their operational capability and to improve the technical quality of what they do, including ECD programmes.The future for SC in ECD in Africa would appear to lie in cross-sectoral action and strengthened local partnerships.

Session #7ECD Innovations in Mauritius – Dr. D. Gaoneadry, Mr. Fock Seng Ho Tu Nam, and Dr. S.Kahleeah Present policies in child health and care are outlined in relation to the evolution of day care in Mauritius. Various studies byUNICEF and World Bank supported the potential for the ECD sector and from that came government policy statements to provide a national programme of affordable care for children in the 0-3 year range. Mauritius wishes to establish a system forchildcare that incorporates regulation and standards around licensing practices in order to support accreditation and quality improvement of childcare. A five year implementation strategy has been approved by government to incorporate advisory and ministry functions, legislation, accreditation, training, parental education, community awareness, curriculumdevelopment, equity and access, and integration of services for early childhood.


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Session #8A: Introduction and demo of CD-ROMEarly Childhood Counts: A CD-ROM on Early Childhood Care andDevelopment - Ms. Margaret SaundersThe learning materials in the CD-ROM provide an extensive data-base of up-to-date resources for trainers, practitioners,programme planners, and policy makers. The CD-ROM is a self-contained product. The centrepiece of it is the comprehensivehow-to programming guide “Early Childhood Counts: AProgramming Guide on Early Childhood Care for Development.”Additionally, the CD-ROM contains six other categories of sup-porting materials such as case profiles, a library of some 300 pub-lished materials, work sheets to help users apply concepts, andECD briefs providing detailed discussion on a range of topics plusa number of video segments and visual presentations with pic-tures and text. Topics include: Needs Assessment; Setting ProjectGoals and Objectives; Making a Choice about Approach; Creatingthe Infrastructure; Monitoring and Evaluation; Costs, Benefits,and Financing.

B: Introduction and Demonstration of the ECCD African WebsiteWelcome to the Africa Early Childhood Knowledge Base – Ms. Simone KirpalThe World Bank’s ECD group is currently developing a regional WEB-site for Sub-Saharan Africa (to be launched in mid-2000).This website is designed to provide a rich knowledge base on early childhood in Sub-Saharan Africa and to assist project managers and practitioners to promote the healthy growth and development of children from birth to age eight. Theaim is to develop country profiles of ECD that will include a history of ECD in the country, ECD projects and programmes,private and public ECD services, and national sector policy guidelines as well as links to other Internet resources. The websitewill be developed in close cooperation with our African partners.

Session #9The Pillars of South African ECD Policy: Building on the Foundation of Young Children’s Rights – Ms. Margaret Irvine & Ms. Ntuthu NgobeniThe new South African policy for young children underpins all of the programmes for young children across all ministries. ANational Programme of Action for young children has been put into place. The Ministry of Education has put an innovative setof policies and programmes together to set this plan in action. They include policies for provision and curriculum, accredita-tion and training, and funding and ECD structures. In discussing the South African policy for young children and the NationalProgramme of Action, this presentation also examined ECD Policy and National Networking; The National ECD Pilot Project,and Training for ECD Practitioners.

Session #10Research in ECCD in Africa and Possible Implications for Programming• Children’s Participation for Research and Programming in Education, Health, and Community

Development: Selected Experience in Developing Countries in Africa – Prof. Barnabas Otaala• What For Our Young Ancestors Back on Earth? – Prof. Urbain Dembele• Early Childhood Education in South Africa: Childrearing Practices and Audit –

Prof. Tuntufye Mwamwenda• Action Research in Early Childhood Education: The IEA Pre-Primary Project –

Dr. Olayemi OnibokunProf. Otaala supported the importance of research in ECCD in Africa and drew attention to programming issues and the needfor community involvement. Prof. Dembele outlined the importance of child-rearing practices, giving some examples of stud-ies in West Africa, while Prof. Mwamwenda presented ECCD studies done in eastern, central, and southern Africa. Prof. Onibokunpresented the Nigerian results of a cross-national study of ECD: The IEA Pre-primary Research Project.


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Session #11The Diverse Faces of Bernard van Leer and ECCD• The Work of the Bernard Van Leer Foundation and Partners in the Africa Region –

Ms. Paula Nimpuno – Parente• Searching for Other Mechanisms of Assisting Families and Parents to Find Solutions for Their

Problems - Phillip Molthaolwa• Building on Cultural Strengths: The Samburu Community Based ECCD Project in Northern Kenya –

Mr. Stephen Lenaiyasa• FCW Family in Focus Programme (Western Cape) – Ms. Jann Jacobs• Developing Alternative Methods of Care (Zimbabwe) – Mr. Michael MapakoA broad framework of what the Foundation sees as the Challenges for the Millenium on ECD in the South, and more specifi-cally in Africa. The presentations looked at what has been the experience so far in supporting ECD policy development and pro-grammes, as well as what is seen as the way forward.

Session #12Innovations in ECCD Training in Kenya - Ms. Mercy Birichi & Mr. Ndungu GakunguThe evolution of teacher training in Kenya provides a historical background to ECD programmes in the country.The presentation considered key time periods:

(a) The Pre-School Project of 1972-82: project objectives, activities, challenges, and outcomes.(b) The ECD programme from 1982-99: role of theMinistry of Education, teacher-training objectives, andcurriculum development vis-à-vis teacher training.The role of partnerships in ECD teacher training programmes and the roles and responsibilities of theKenyan government, communities, and national andinternational agencies was also discussed. Issues in teachertraining were discussed including recruitment, certifica-tion, registration, and funding. Challenges faced includedremuneration of teachers, registration procedures,disbursement of funds, and training demands.Innovations in teacher training were presented andincluded: networking; partnership; flexibility of trainingprogrammes; integrated curriculum development; com-munity participation; and diversification of courses.


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Session #13UNICEF and ECCD: Past, Present, and Future• Early Childhood Development at UNICEF: 1979-99 - Dr. Cyril Dalais• The Future is Now! UNICEF and ECCD - Dr. Olivia YambiEfforts over the past eight years to reintroduce ECCD into the main programmatic framework at UNICEF were presented.Past: In doing so, they have drawn upon the experience and expertise of several partners of the UN system, of internationalorganizations, private foundations, and bi-lateral agencies, who were already very much involved in promoting ECCD through-out the world. Collaboration was sought in updating UNICEF’s policy, which had been presented to the Executive Board in 1984and moved from policy development to implementation.Present: Policy being implemented is a major contribution to human development and links up with several initiatives such asStrong Beginnings (SC), the World Bank Investing in the Future, Bernard van Leer, Aga Khan Foundation, Christian ChildrenFund, USAID, DANIDA, and many others. Policy needs to take into consideration the child’s survival, growth, and developmentand care becomes an important feature for better prevention, nutrition, early stimulation, and education of the child.Future: Strategies are detailed which UNICEF will be developing to ensure an integrated approach to child development. It isbelieved that such strategies will have to focus on advocacy for policy development, capacity building of institutions and parents as major partners, reinforcement of existing partnerships and new ones with the private sector, resource mobilization,and better information-communication strategies with operations research that feed into advocacy.


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PRESENTERSTanzania

Suleiman Omar AHMEDSuleiman Omar Ahmed is currently a Community Development Officer (CDO) with the Zanzibar Madrasa Resource Centre(ZMRC) leading the team of CDOs in Zanzibar (i.e. Unguja and Pemba). His previous experience includes working as a teacherin a primary school, a lecturer at teachers’ college and a principal of a Secondary School. He also has extensive experience ofextension work in agriculture, project planning and implementation following a long service in those areas between 1964 -1995.Contact: ZMRC Project

Tel/Fax: (254-054) 232277 Box 3716,E-mail: [email protected] Zanzibar, Tanzania

Nigeria

Margaret AKINWAREMrs. Margaret Akinware, a Project Officer (Educ) with UNICEF Nigeria, holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Sociology fromthe University of Lagos, Nigeria. She attended a 6 weeks’ Fellowship Programme on Child Study at Tufts University, Boston USAin 1994, and the 3 weeks’ Summer School Training on ECCD at UNAM in 1997. She is the Nigerian recipient of the 1998International Honorary OMEP Award for long service in and special contribution to ECCD. She has a public health nursingbackground and has worked extensively on ECCD and basic education.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (2341) 269 0276 or 269 0280 30A Oyinkan Abayomi Dr.Fax: (2341) 269 0726 Ikoyi E-mail: Margaret_Akinware@PO450A01 Lagos, Nigeria

Switzerland

Dr. Kathy BARTLETT Kathy Bartlett is a Programme Officer with the Aga Khan Foundation and works with the Foundation’s ECD and SchoolImprovement programmes out of the head office in Geneva, Switzerland. Kathy recently took on the role of Director for theConsultative Group on ECCD (seconded on a part-time basis from AKF) and will be working with Louise Zimanyi based atRyerson University in Toronto, Canada, who is the Co-director of the CG’s Secretariat. Kathy trained as an early childhood andprimary school educator and taught in a bilingual classroom in California before serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer inHonduras, Central America with a local NGO who established programmes for young children and families She has an M.A. inEarly Childhood Education and a Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education (emphasis on International Education and Genderand Development) from University of lowa.Contact: Education Program Officer,

Tel: (41 -22) 909-7208 Aga Khan Foundation,Fax: (41 -22) 909-7291 Box 2369, 1211 Geneva 2 Email: [email protected] Switzerland

Kenya

Mercy BIRICHIWith a B.Ed. Honors Degree with Child Development as her Major, and also a Diploma in Montessori method of Education, Mrs.Birichi has worked for the last 12 years at the Kenya Institute of Education at the National Centre for Early Childhood Education(NACECE). Her responsibilities include; coordinating training programmes at NACECE where she is currently the Head ofTraining Programmes, a post held since 1994. Mrs. Birichi also co-ordinates the development of curriculum support materialswhich are used during training of trainers and teachers.Contact: Kenya Institute of Education

Tel: 749900-9/746972 Box 30231,Fax: 745558, 746973 Nairobi, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Ivory Coast

Cyril DALAIS Dr. Cyril Dalais was formerly Senior Adviser in Early Child Development at UNICEF headquarters in New York, and is presentlyResident Representative of UNICEF in Abidjan, Cote d‘Ivoire, West Africa. He is the holder of two higher degrees (doctoral level)in areas of Child Development, and has for the past twenty years been active in promoting Young Child DevelopmentProgrammes in several regions of the world including in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.Contact UNICEF,

Tel: (225) 21-31-31 PO Box 443,E-mail: [email protected] Abidjan, 04, Ivory Coast

Mali

Dr. Nagognime Urbain DEMBELE,Executive Director of Laboratoire des Techniques d’Education pour le Developpement: LTED Sarl, Professor Dembele was bornand educated in Mali. He trained (postgraduate studies) both in UK and USA and has worked for the Institute of Training andApplied Research (ISFRA) University of Mali where he headed research teams on the quality of education, pre-schooling andECD in Mali and Senegal. Professor Dembele has carried out studies for Mali Government with USAID funding on communityschools and is currently involved in studies related to the promotion of ECD at community level.Contact:

Tel: (223) 230 466 PO Box 8023,Fax: (223) 221 715 Bamako, MaliE-mail: [email protected]

U.S.A.

Amy Jo DOWD Amy Jo Dowd has been involved in International ECCD efforts since graduating from Stanford University with a Masters degreein which she focussed on designing context appropriate ECCD programming in developing contexts. As a member of Save TheChildren’s Strong Beginnings Team, she has assisted dozens of field sites worldwide to design and implement community-basedECCD programs. In 1996 she co-authored Review of Early Childhood Policy and Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa at the WorldBank. She is currently an Education Specialist at Save the Children and is pursuing her doctoral degree at Harvard University’sGraduate School of Education.Contact: Save The Children (US)

Tel: (203) 221–4191 54 Wilton Rd.,E-mail: [email protected]. Westport, CT 06880

Ethiopia

Mengistu EDO Mr. Edo served as an Instructor of Pedagogic and Child Psychology in Deber Berhan Teacher Training Institute and Head ofBasic Education Division in the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. In 1993 he joined the School of Graduate Studies in AddisAbaba University and got a second degree (M.A.) in Curriculum and Instruction. Thereafter, he worked as a Senior expert inEducational Research and Evaluation, Head of Educational Projects (coordinating the activities of NGOs and Donors in edu-cation) and as Head of Educational Planning and Project Department in Oromia Regional Education Bureau. He has been withSave The Children since November 1997 and has worked in Partnership for Innovation in Education as Project Leader and iscurrently working as Education Project Manager.Contact: Save the Children (Ethiopia)

E-mail: mailto:[email protected]

Nigeria

Mgbechikwere Uche EZIRIMMrs. Ezirim is an Education Project Officer at the UNICEF Zonal Office in Enugu, Nigeria. She facilitates the planning imple-mentation, management and monitoring of Basic Education Programme. Zone A is made of 10 states (198 Local GovernmentAreas) with a population of about 28 million. Mrs. Ezirim holds a B.Ed. in Adult Education and M.Ed. in CommunityDevelopment. She also facilitates the implementation of Innovative ECCD activities at Community level.Contact: No 1 B Chime Lane

Tel: 042-252 373 PMB 1644 GRAFax: 042-252 100 Enugu, Nigeria E-mail: [email protected]


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Kenya

Ndungu K. GAKUNGUWorking with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development Kenya, Mr. Gakungu is an Assistant Director ofEducation and the Deputy Coordinator of the ECD Project. His responsibilities involve assisting the Project Coordinator with theoverall programme management and administration.Contact: Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development

Telephone: 334411 Extn.30664 Jogoo House ‘B’Fax: 224905 PO Box 30040E-mail: [email protected] Nairobi, Kenya.

Mauritius

Dr. D. GAONEADRY Contact: Ministry of Women, Family

Tel: (230) 240 3281 Welfare & Child DevelopmentFax: (230) 216 2061 Port Louis, MauritiusE-mail: [email protected]

U.S.A.

Dr. Marito GARCIA Marito Garcia, Ph.D., is a senior economist at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He is currently leading the World Bank’s pro-gram on early childhood development in the Africa Region. He is also currently managing a portfolio of Bank projects in earlychildhood development in Uganda, Kenya and Eritrea. Dr. Garcia has written extensively, with four books and more than 20journal articles on nutrition and child development issues in developing countries, and was lecturer on nutrition and childdevelopment at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Garcia has worked on child development issues in more than 15 countriesincluding the Philippines, Kenya, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Thailand, the United States, Mexico, Eritrea, Uganda, Tanzania,Ethiopia and Brazil.Contact:

Tel: (202) 473-5385 World BankFax: (202) 473 8299 1818 H Street. N.W.Email: [email protected] Washington, D.C. 20433

Mauritius

Fock Seng HO TU NAMFock Seng Ho Tu Nam is the officer responsible for the Young Child Development Programme at the Port Louis UNICEF office.His operational experiences include ECD policy formulation and analysis, development of curriculum for early years, trainingof childcare workers, and parenting education. He has a M.Sc. in Community Services Management from the University of Wales(Swansea). His research work focused on the design of a national system for the provision of care outside the home for chil-dren, 0-3 years, in Mauritius.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: 230-211-1725 10 Intendance St., 3/F Fax: 230-208-3823 Anglo Mauritius House,E-mail: [email protected] Box 253, Port Louis,

Mauritius

South Africa

Margaret IRVINE Margaret Irvine is a lecturer in early childhood development at Rhodes University in South Africa. She has long been involvedin the development of ECD in South Africa from an NGO perspective. She was one of the facilitators of the “More and BetterECD” joint Training Initiative in Africa. At present she is coordinating up-grade diploma courses for practicing teachers whichhelp them to transform the education system in their own school communities.Contact: Department of Primary Education

Tel : (27) 043 735 4598 Rhodes UniversityFax: (27) 043 704 7113 25 Commissioner Street Email: [email protected] East London 5201,South Africa


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South Africa

Jann JACOBS Ms. Jacobs is presently the Coordinator of the Family in Focus Programme (FIF) in the Western Cape Foundation of CommunityWork (FCW), Capetown, South Africa. Her responsibilities include the overall coordination and management of the Programme,capacity building life-skills training and staff training and development. Previously, Ms. Jacobs was employed at the Centre forEarly Childhood Development, involved in coordinating the National Certificate Programme in ECD, Leadership, Management,and Administration.Contact: Coordinator FIF Programme,

Tel: (021) 637 9148/ 4 Western Cape FCW,Fax: (021) 638 7661 Box 89, Lansdowne 7779

Cape Town, South Africa

Mauritius

Dr S. KALEEAH Contact: Ministry of Women, Family

Tel: (230) 240 5451 Welfare & Child DevelopmentFax: (230) 240 7717 Port Louis, MauritiusE-mail: [email protected]

Burkina Faso

Maria KERE-SORGHOMs. Kere has been working since 1995 as Programme Representative of Save The Children (USA) in Burkina Faso. She haseighteen years experience in multi-sectoral community development with SCF where she has helped design and implementcommunity schools, and community-managed village credit and savings banks. She is co-founder and Executive Secretary ofEducation NGO’s Network in Burkina Faso. Ms. Kere is a gender and development trainer and SCF’s Woman/Child ImpactProgramme FACETS Coordinator (Family and Community Empowerment Training System).Contact: Save The Children (USA)

Tel: 226-36-4119 Box 642,Fax: 226-36-4121 Ouagadougou,E-mail: [email protected] Burkina Faso

U.S.A.

Simone KIRPALSimone Kirpal was born in Berlin, Germany. She holds a B.A. in Economics and a M.A. (1997) in Sociology. Areas of her expert-ise include migration, ethnic conflicts, minority issues, and labour markets. Before entering University she worked as a day careprovider in Berlin and spent two years in Northern Nigeria as a volunteer working with disabled and abandoned children. In1999 she joined the Early Child Development Team of the World Bank focusing on disability as well as on ECD in Sub-SaharanAfrica and in (post-) conflict situations.Contact: ECD Team

Tel: 2~2 458 98 25 Human Development NetworkFax: 202 522 3233 EducationE-mail: [email protected] World Bank, Washington, D.C.

Kenya

Steven LENAIYASA Mr. Lenaiyasa is the Programme Coordinator, Christian Children’s Fund, a partner in Samburu ECD Project in Kenya. The proj-ect in Samburu focuses on home-based care approaches contrary to the conventional and institutional mainstream solutionsto ECD in an environment of rich cultural practices of the Samburu people. Before joining CCF, Mr. Lenaiyasa was headmasterat the Longewan Primary School, Samburu District and also worked as a Schools Inspector for the Samburu District, Kenya.Contact: Program Manager

Tel: (254) (2) 444 890; 444 428, 444 893, 440 232 Christian Children’s FundFax: (254) (2) 444 426, 224 504 Box 14038, WestlandsE-mail: [email protected] Nairobi, Kenya


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U.S.A.

Callisto E. MADAVO As one of the two Vice Presidents of the World Bank’s largest region, Mr. Madavo directs Bank activities in twenty-five of Sub-Saharan Africa’s forty-eight countries. He is chair of the Special Program for Africa (SPA) which mobilizes targeted funding forcountries in particular need. In addition, he oversees World Bank participation in the recently announced United NationsSpecial Initiative for Africa and cooperation with such development institutions as the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa,the African Development Bank, and the Organization for African Unity.Contact: Regional Vice President

Tel: (202) 458-2856 Africa Region, World Bank 1818 H Street, N .W. J5 -093Washington, D.C. 20433

Zimbabwe

Michael MAPAKOCurrently the Programme Coordinator, Child Protection Society, Zimbabwe, Michael coordinates the Highfield Community-based fostering project. The project is exploring community-based strategies that are sustainable, culturally appropriate, andoffers the best alternative for the increasing number of orphan children of the AIDS pandemic.Contact:

Tel: (263-4) 780 079 Box BE 2201Fax: (263-4) 664 370 Belvedere,E-mail: [email protected] Harare, Zimbabwe

South Africa

Phillip MOTLHAOLWAHe is currently Project Manager of the Kopanang Consortium in the Free State, South Africa, which is exploring different optionsand strategies to work with children who have no opportunity to benefit from the services provided by the conventional pre-school model. Mr. Motlhaolwa has also been involved with the Young Christian Ministry, the Free State Provincial Programmeof Action for Children, the Provincial ECD Forum, the Home Instruction Foundation, and the South African Congress for ECD.Contact: Regional Coordinator KCP

Tel: 051 -4323590/4321803 Box 21073 Heidedal,Fax: 051-4323590 BloemfonteinE-mail: [email protected] South Africa

Canada

Dr. J. Fraser MUSTARDDr. Mustard is the Founding President of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR), a unique institution involvingover 160 researchers in Canada and internationally addressing complex issues in the sciences and social sciences. He current-ly works through the Founders’ Network with the individuals who helped build CIAR. He is Co-Chair of the Early Years LearningStudy for the Ontario government, Chairman of the Board of PENCE (Protein Engineering National Centre of ExcellenceProgram), a Board member of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, and Board Member and Past Chairman of Ballard Power inVancouver and of The Institute for Work and Health in Toronto.Contact: The Founders’ Network

Tel: (416) 593 5999 401 Richmond St. West,Fax: 416) 593 9093 Suite 281,E-mail: [email protected] Toronto, ON M5V 3A8

Uganda

Dr. John MUTUMBADr. Mutumba is currently the Ugandan Nutrition and Early Childhood Project Coordinator. He is a qualified medical doctor, hav-ing trained in the UK. He has 14 years experience in general medicine, as well as in training, management research and projectformulation and design. He has previously worked as the Deputy Project Director for CARE on the Ugandan Family Health Project,Medical Coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Research Fellow at the Institute ofChild Health, London University, Health Advisor for CARE Uganda, Acting Director for the Mwanamugimu Nutrition Centre,Uganda, Health Care Coordinator for the SCF Distance Learning Programme, and Medical Officer; and Casualty Officer.Contact: Project Coordinator NECDP

Tel: (256) (41) 220 257 58 Luthuli Avenue, BugolobiE-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

South Africa

Dr. Tuntufye MWAMWENDA Born in Tanzania, Dr Mwamwenda is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Transkei, Umtata, Eastern Cape,South Africa. Currently he is Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of that University. He has researched and written reportsfor UNICEF, in addition to participating in workshops and seminars on early childhood education. He is the author of a popu-lar textbook entitled: “Educational Psychology: An African Perspective”, in which the African child’s social, physical, and intel-lectual development are addressed extensively. He was a member of the staff of the Summer Institute held in Windhoek,Namibia, in September/October 1997.Contact: University of Transkei

Tel/Fax: (27)(47) 502 2215/6 or 502 2970 Private Bag Xl, UNITRA, Umtata,E-mail: [email protected] Eastern Provice, South Africa

Kenya

Mr. Peter MWAURAPeter A. Mwaura is currently the lead researcher in the Madrasa Resource Centre regional research department. He holds a mas-ter’s degree in Educational Psychology with a special focus in Early Childhood Education and Development and is currently aPh.D. candidate specializing further in the area of ECED. Peter Mwaura was a lecturer at Kenyatta University in the EducationalDepartment and the Centre for Early Childhood Education between 1990 and 1998. He has also been an external lecturer inNairobi University Kikuyu campus as well as the Medical Training College Kenya and the Kenya Institute of Education partic-ularly the National Centre for Early Childhood Education (NACECE).Contact: Madrasa Resource Centre

Tel: (254) (11) 313 952 Box 42409,Fax: (254) (11) 226 585 Mombasa, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Hajarah NDAYIDDECurrently the Project Director of the Madrasa Resource Centre (Uganda), Ms. Ndayidde specializes in Early ChildhoodEducation. She has experience in primary school teaching, as well as 3 years experience as a Primary Teacher Trainer. She hasalso worked for five years on a Child-to-Child programme.Contact: Madrasa Resource Centre

Tel: (256) (41) 270 593 Box 14092,Fax: (256) (41) 343 040 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

South Africa

Ntuthu NGOBENI Ms. Ngobeni is the national Deputy Chief Education Specialist for ECD. She is stationed in the Department of Education’s HeadOffice and is involved in the development of ECD policy, intersectoral networking, and the National Pilot Project for ECD. Shehas had extensive experience in ECD matters as well as in curriculum issues with the implementation of the new Curriculum2005 in the schools. She is particularly interested in curriculum development and ECD policy.Contact:

Tel: (012) 312 5288 Private Bag X895ax: (012) 325 4001 Pretoria, 0001 E-mail: [email protected] South Africa

The Netherlands

Paula NIMPUNO-PARENTEMs. Nimpuno-Parente is a programme specialist/Africa Desk with the Bernard van Leer Foundation in the Netherlands. Sheholds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. She has worked and doneextensive research on development, in particular on Women and Housing and credit and saving schemes. For the last ten years,Paula has been working on programme development with children and families and has an interest in grant making issuesespecially linking policy and practice with respect to children’s programmes.Contact: Programme Specialist

Tel: +31 (0) 70 351 20 40 Bernard van Leer Foundation Fax: +31 (0) 70 350 23 73 Box 82334,E-mail: [email protected] 2508 EH The Hagueor [email protected] The Netherlands

Uganda


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Jolly P. Tumuhairwe NYEKO Mrs. Jolly Nyeko is currently the Country Director at Feed the Children, Uganda, an international childcare NGO with headquarters inOklahoma USA. She previously worked as a Senior Probation and Welfare Officer within the Ugandan Government, and also estab-lished the National Council for Children and later worked as its Senior Programme Officer for communication, advocacy, monitoringand evaluation. Mrs. Nyeko participated in various international evaluating programmes for the care of children, as was involved inthe Uganda National Programme of Action for Children (NPA) from its inception at the World Summit to its implementation.Contact:

Tel: 234 397/8 Box 30009Fax: 234 398 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

U.S.A.

Dr. Yemi ONIBOKUNYemi Onibokun is the Deputy Director of the Human Development Center, a Chicago based agency committed to strengtheningfamilies, creating jobs, and building communities. The center administers 17 child care services. As professor of early childhoodeducation at the University of Ibadan, she served as the National Research Coordinator for the Pre-primary Project; a longitu-dinal 15 nation study conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of EducationalAchievement (IEA). She also developed the Child Assessment Battery for UNlCEF (Nigeria) to facilitate the assessment of thehealth and developmental status of children 21/2 -8 years.Contact: 2201 S Stewart

Tel: (630) 424 1507 Lombard, Chicago, IL 60148E-mail: [email protected] USA

U.S.A.

Dr. Susan OPPERSusan Opper is an Education and Early Child Development Specialist at the World Bank in Washington D.C. She manages theFemale Literacy Program in Senegal, and a portfolio of ECD projects in Senegal, Guinea, Burundi and Mauritius. Prior to joining the Bank, Dr. Opper was Education Program Officer at the Aga Khan Foundation. She has held positions with theEuropean Union, the Swedish Government, and the Universities of Uppsala and California. She has worked in program and policy development and academic research at all levels of education, in the formal and non-formal sectors. She has written orcontributed to five books and has written some two dozen refereed journal articles and monographs.Contact: The World Bank

Tel: (1-202) 473 9332 AFTH4, 1818 H Street, NWFax: (1-202) 473 8107 Washington, DC 20433 E-mail: [email protected] USA

Namibia

Dr. Barnabas OTAALADr. Otaala brings over thirty years of work experience in early childhood care and development. He has worked in eastern andsouthern Africa, promoting mainly work in early childhood care and development, and interacting with many agencies, includ-ing the Child-to-Child Trust in London of which he is a member of the International Advisory Committee. He is currentlyCoordinator of the African Virtual University (AVU) and the Unit for Improving Teaching and Learning at University, at theUniversity of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.Contact: University of Namibia

Tel: (264) (61) 206 3313 or 3312 Private Bag 13301,Fax: (264) (61) 206 3320 or 206 3980 Windhoek, NamibiaE-mail: [email protected]


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Canada

Dr. Alan PENCEBefore coming to the University of Victoria in 1980, Dr. Pence had worked in the field of child care services for a period of tenyears, serving as a child care worker, field trainer, college instructor and director of early childhood programmes. He hasauthored over 60 refereed journal articles, book chapters and monographs on a range of education and childcare topics, andedited, co-edited or written 8 books. Since 1989 Dr. Pence has focused primarily on cross-cultural early childhood training andprogram development, working in partnership with aboriginal organizations in Canada and supporting the development of anumber of ECCD Training Seminars/lnstitutes in various parts of the Majority World.Contact: School of Child and Youth Care,

Tel: (250) 598 4383 University of Victoria,Fax: (250) 598 4370 Victoria BC V8W 2Y2E-mail: [email protected] Canada

Uganda

Caroline POND A UK Qualified Pharmacist with both commercial and social marketing and communications experience, Mrs. Pond is currentlyworking as part of a unique tripartite agreement between The Government of The Republic of Uganda, The World Bank, andSmith Kline Beecham International (representing the Private sector) in Uganda on the extensive communications componentof the Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project. Caroline has previously been involved in the organization of majorpublic health communication programmes across East Africa and the design and development of multi-lingual public infor-mation and general marketing material for use in the African market place.Contact: NECDP


U.S.A.

Margaret SAUNDERS Ms. Saunders is a Health Specialist with the Human Development Group of the World Bank Institute, at World BankHeadquarters. She has worked on maternal/child health and nutrition issues, as well as issues of health reform, in LatinAmerica, Africa, and Asia for the past 17years. She holds Master’s degrees in Human Development and Psychology from HarvardUniversity and in Social Planning and Management from the London School of Economics. Her principal work in ECD cur-rently involves managing the completion and piloting of the CD-ROM “Early Childhood Counts, Programming Resources forEarly Childhood Care and Development”, in collaboration with the Consultative Group for Early Childhood Care andDevelopment (CG). She is keenly interested in the development of training capacity in ECCD.Contact: The World Bank

Tel: (202) 473 6448 1818 H Street, NW,Fax: (202) 676 0961 Washington, D.C. 20433E-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Rev. Dr. Kera SSEMPANGIReverend Ssempangi is currently the Chairman of the Ugandan National Council for Children. Prior to his present appointmenthe was a Member of Parliament for Mukono Northeast and Deputy Minister in the Ugandan Ministry of Rehabilitation.Reverend Ssempangi studied in the USA, Amsterdam and London.Contact: National Council for Children

Tel: (256) (41) 236 519 Box 21456,Fax: (256) (41) 232 311 Kampala, Uganda


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U.S.A.

Caby VERZOSA Ms. Verzosa is a Senior Development Communication/Capacity Building Officer in External Affairs of the World Bank who hasimplemented communication programmes in developing countries for the past 20 years. These communication programmessupported global health initiatives including immunization, child survival, nutrition, AIDS, water and sanitation. Her mostrecent work has included communication training for Ugandan nationals involved in various health and education pro-grammes. Ms. Verzosa also conducted communication training for sector specialists of the Human Development network andprepared an accompanying communication toolkit, “Communication for Behaviour Change” (World Bank 1996).Contact: World Bank

Tel: (202) 757 0488 1818 H Street NWFax: (202) 522 2654 Washington DC 20433E-mail: [email protected]

Kenya

Dr. Olivia YAMBIA nutritionist by training, Dr. Yambi’s work has mainly focused on policy and programme development and community basedinterventions. Her interests in ECD hinge on the need to strengthen nutrition interventions (cutting-food, health and care) dur-ing the period of pregnancy and the child under 3 years of age to promote growth and development of the child. As care takesplace mainly in the home and the community, her major preoccupation is on strengthening household and community capac-ity for care. Prior to joining the UNICEF Regional Office in Nairobi, Dr. Yambi worked as Chief of the Child Development andNutrition Section with UNICEF in New Delhi, India.Contact: UNICEF- ESARO

Tel: (254-2) 622 200 Box 44145,Fax: (254-2) 622 678 Nairobi KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Senegal

Dr. Marian F. ZEITLINMarian Zeitlin, Ph.D. is the co-director of a Senegalese NGO, Centre de Resources pour l’Emergence Sociale Participative(CRESP), located in Dakar, where she has worked with the community to create a home-based, parent supported ECD program.She also is technical advisor to the popular urban information system pilot project (www.siup.sn), which CRESP (EcoYoff) hascreated for the Dakar Region. In addition to its development work, this project also creates commercial web pages. She is authorof a book on the family in international development which analyzes the determinants of growth and cognitive test scores inNigeria and Indonesia, and co-author of a textbook prepared by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education in Nigeria on nutritionand child development in Nigeria.Contact: (CRESP) Centre de Ressources pour

Tel: (221) 820-9200 l’Emergence Sociale Participative E-mail: [email protected] BP 8873, Dakar - Yoff,Senegal


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PARTICIPANTSGhana

Betty A. AKUFFO-AMOABENGMrs. Betty Akuffo-Amoabeng has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Commission on Children since May1994. Mrs. Akuffo-Amoabeng is a member of the ADEA working group on Early Childhood Care and Development; the WorldBank /UNDP National Poverty Reduction Programme (focus on Nutrition and Food Security); the World Bank/UNDI~ NPRP(focus on Street Children); the Save the Children Fund (UK) Social Work Coordinating group) and the National CensusCommittee.Contact: Ghana National Commission on Children

Tel: (233) 21 223 425 Box M273,Mobile: (233) 27562 356 Accra-North, GhanaFax: (233) 21 225 297 Email: [email protected]

Canada

Lisa ALBIONLisa Albion has worked and studied in the area of cross-cultural Early Childhood care and development for the past fifteen years.She is currently studying her Masters degree and working with the First nations Partnership Programme at the University ofVictoria, Canada. As well, she is seeking opportunities to combine her thesis research with fieldwork in ECCD in Africa.Contact:

Tel: 61-7-33001987 25 Glen Rd., The Gap,E-mail: [email protected] Brisbane, Queensland,

Australia 4061

Uganda

Beatrice ANGEYOContact: Nutrition Focal Person

Ministry of HealthDistrict Medical OfficeBox 17,Kitgum, Uganda

Uganda

Hon. Amongin APORUContact: Member of Parliament

Tel: 075-692-816 Box 7178, KampalaUganda

Uganda

Robinah BABIRYEContact: World Vision International

Tel: 251642/2; 345758; 543717 Box 5319,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Dr. Hanifa BACHOUDr. Bachou is presently the Senior Medical Officer having worked for many years in pediatrics and nutrition, and medical andnursing training. She is also a member of the advisory board for the NECD project, the executive of the Association of UgandaWomen Medical Doctors, the working group developing a national guideline for management of severe malnutrition, the work-ing group on a proposed urinary iodine study, and the board for the Morning Star Babies Home in Rubaga.Contact: Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit

Tel: (256-41) 530324/222683 Mulago Hospital,Fax: (256-41) 541044 Box 7072,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda


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Zimbabwe

Auxilia BADZAAuxilia is currently an Education Officer in-charge of Early Childhood Education and Care in the Ministry of Education (Sportand Culture) based at Head Office. Her responsibilities involve monitoring and coordinating ECD activities at national level andnetworking with other ministries and NGOs in ECD. She has experience in infants teaching and specialized and worked withchildren with special needs, with particular interest in early intervention.Contact: Ministry of Education

Tel: 04-721632/734051 Box CY121, CausewayFax: 734075 Harare, Zimbabwe

Uganda

Alexander BAGARUKAYOAs a Principal Probation Welfare Officer and Coordinator of Community Services, Alexander Bagarukayo has been in charge ofchild care and protection programmes since 1984. There is a need to bring together government and NGO programmes toaddress the nutritional needs of children since their emphasis has been on other material areas. Mr. Bagarukayo has beencharged with the duty of ensuring amalgamation of all government and NGO child programmes and their incorporation in thenext Rakai District Development Plan.Contact: Rakai District Administration

Box 21,Kyotera, Uganda

Kenya

Dr. Mamadou BAGAYOKODr. Bagayoko specialized in Developmental Psychology with special emphasis on cognitive psychological development of chil-dren from infancy to early adolescence and adolescent psychology. Dr Bagayoko advocates the need to have young child devel-opment recognized as the cornerstone of national human development effort and for the promotion of innovative approachesto ECC-SGD in Kenya.Contact: UNICEF (Kenya)

Tel: (254) (02~ 622 158 Box 44145,Fax: (254) (02) 622 746 Nairobi, Kenya Email: [email protected]

Uganda

Edinance BAKEHENA Contact: ECE Specialist

National Curriculum Development Centre

Uganda

Dorothy BALABAContact: Association of Uganda Women Medical Doctors

Tel: 041-251333/077-422763 Box 10035,Kampala, Uganda

Burundi

Pontien BIKEBAKOMr. Bikebako has been the Director of the Social Action Project in Burundi since 1995. The approach of this project is based oncommunity participation and has realized successfully a basic social infrastructure such as health and school centres, in thefirst phase. The second phase includes Early Childhood Development as a new component. All of the components are interre-lated to promote the well-being of the community and, particularly, the vulnerable groups.Contact: Twitezimbere Asbl

Tel: 257-22-1804 Rohero, Av. Bururi #37,Fax: 257-22-8451 Bujumbura, BurundiE-mail: [email protected]


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Uganda

Annette BIRUNGIContact: National Association of Women

Tel: 041-258463 NAWOU, Box 1663,Fax: 041-245293 Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Ouma D. BROWNContact: West Nile Child Care (WNCC)

Box 56, Nebbi,Uganda

Uganda

Margaret Musoke BUKENYAContact: AMREF

Tel: 250319/344579 17 Nakasero Rd.,Fax: 344565 Box 10663,

Kampala, Uganda

South Africa

M.J. CHAUKEContact: Northern Province ECD

Tel: 015-81-21911 Box 397,Fax: 015-81-23412 Masingita, 0832

South Africa

Tanzania

Hilary CHOWO The main role of EMAWATA is to facilitate providers of early childhood services in terms of advocacy, advice, and co-ordinationof the services being given. Having formerly worked as an early childhood specialist in the Ministry of Education and Cultureand as a consultant to UNICEF, Mr. Chowo is currently involved in early childhood care and education consultancy and train-ing for day care assistants and pre-school teachers.Contact: Chairperson, The Association of Early Childhood

Tel: (255) (51) 450 999 Care, Development and Education (EMAWATA)E-mail: [email protected] Box 6451, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Uganda

Dorothy Apedo CLARKEContact: Alfa Contractors and Development Consultants

Tel: 077-500762/077-410310 Box 16744, KampalaFax: 077-530958 Uganda

South Africa

Harold COETZEEMr. Coetzee is a social worker by profession who initially worked with children and families in the statutory care system. Heassists donor agencies to develop programmes and sponsorships to NGO and community-based ECE programmes. He is cur-rently the director of Grow Early Learning Trust (GROW) which plays an important role with NGOs and government agenciesto promote innovation and partnerships to reach more parents, families, and young children.Contact: Grow Early Learning Trust

Tel: 27-11-8374961/8376065 Box 96311,Fax: 27-11-8375688 Brixton, Johannesburg,E-mail: [email protected] South Africa

Tanzania

Chanel CROKER Chanel is the Director of AMANI Arts-Environment-Education, which is a Tanzanian-based foundation. AMANI is currentlyinvolved in facilitating community participation in an orphanage sustainable land-use initiative. Recently, AMANI has facili-tated the formation of a collaborative team of early childhood professionals who are committed to addressing our communityneed for an active, national coordinating body which is advocating and networking on behalf of young children’s care and edu-cation in Tanzania.Contact: Director AMANI

Tel: (255) (51) 850 326 Arts-Environment-Education East Africa Fax: (255) (51) 850 309 PO Box 11245 E-mail: [email protected] Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Guinea

Dirus Diale DORE Mr. Dore leads a team in charge of implementing government policies for ECD and child protection. As past ambassador inGhana and Mali, Mr. Dore also lectures in African philosophy at the University of Conakry.Professeur d’Universite et Directeur National de I’Education Prescolaire et de la Protection de l’Enfance Ministere des AffairesSociales de la Promotion Feminine et de l’Enfance.Contact: National Office of Pre-school Education

Tel: (224) 45-42-60/41-25-10 BP 4568, Conakry,Fax: 41-46-60/45-55-70 Republic of Guinea

Uganda

Kenneth A. EBONGContact: Busia District Local Government

Tel: 077-458155 Box 124,Busia, Uganda

Uganda

Kari EGGEKari Egge is the Senior Programme Officer and Deputy Representative, UNICEF; Uganda. She is a nutritionist with long experi-ence from the Norwegian Consumer Council where she acted as nutrition advisor. She has worked as relief coordinator, Headof Africa Section in Redd Barna and as Relief Coordinator in Norwegian People’s Aid. She joined UNICEF in 1993, as head ofCommunity-Based Programmes in Tanzania.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (256) (41) 234 591/2 PO Box 7047,Fax: (256) (41) 259 146 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Ethiopia

Mequanint EJIGUMr. Ejigu is a project officer and focal person for ECCD in UNICEF (Ethiopia), having previously taught in secondary schoolsand worked as senior social and economic expert in the Ministry of Planning.Contact: UNICEF (Ethiopia)

Tel: (251) (1) 51-51-55 Addis Ababa,Fax: (251) (1) 51-16-28 Ethiopia

Uganda

Dr. Julius C. ENONDr. Enon has many years’ experience in the teaching profession. He has also worked as a consultant for UNICEF IDRC and var-ious universities, as well as Curriculum Review Consultant with WHO. He is currently a lecturer in psychology at MakerereUniversity in Uganda. A member of the American Educational Research Association, Dr. Enon is also experienced in the field ofconducting research and analyzing data.Contact: Department of Educational Psychology

Tel: (256) (41) 531 908 School of Education, Makerere University Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda


28

Uganda

Ms. Francesca ERDELMANN Contact: Nutritionist - World Food Programme

Tel: (256) (41) 251 113 /231 112 PO Box 7159,Fax: (256) (41) 251 760 / 254 850 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Kenya

Helena EVERSOLE Ms. Eversole has worked with NGOs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America for 15 years, and then joined UNICEF in 1993 in Somalia.Ms. Eversole is trying to find ways to best implement early childhood and development programmes such that they support,rather than increase the burdens of, parents and communities; and how to monitor the effects and impact of these programmes.As Programme Coordinator for UNICEF Kenya Country Office, Ms. Eversole is interested in finding ways to improve ECC-SGD atinter-ministerial as well as community levels.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (254) (2) 622 136 PO Box 44145 Fax: (254) (2) 622 746 Nairobi, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Eritrea

Tesfamicael GERAHTUMr. Gerahtu is the Director General of General Education responsible for the development and implementation of the NationalCurriculum, textbook development, supervision and monitoring of the ECE and school system, and the development and imple-mentation of National Examinations. He has completed post-graduate work at the Institute of Education (University ofLondon): “The Process of Innovation and Curriculum Change: Experiences of the National Liberation Struggle in Eritrea -Policies, Problems, and Strategies” with an MA in Education and Development..Contact: Ministry of Education

Tel: 00-291-1-114242/115037 Box 1056,Fax: 00-291-1-201659 Asmara, Eritrea

Eritrea

Dr. Solomon GHEBREYESUSContact: Ministry of Health

Tel: 11-73-03/20-27-30 Box 3353,Fax: 291-1-125338 Asmara, Eritrea

U.S.A.

Michael GIBBONSMichael Gibbons has served since 1998 as Associate Director of the Banyan Tree Foundation, which supports NGO efforts in basiceducation (including ECD) and human rights in developing countries. Mr. Gibbons has worked in basic education, communi-ty and organizational development in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Prior to Banyan Tree Foundation, Mr. Gibbons worked for12years for Save the Children US and helped design and coordinate the “Strong Beginnings” global basic education program.Contact: Associate Director

Tel: 202-628-9706 Banyan Tree Foundation Fax: 202 628 0901 700 11th St NW, Suite 640E-mail: [email protected] Washington, DC. 20001


29

Eritrea

Abeba HABTOMAs Head of the Pre-school Panel (Curriculum Development Branch, Ministry of Education) Ms. Habtom oversees the develop-ment of policy, training programmes, and regional resource centres and community awareness activities.Contact: Ministry of Education

Tel: 291-1-11-5961 Box 1056,Fax: 291-1-20-1659 Asmara, EritreaE-mail: [email protected]

Australia

Dr. Jacqueline HAYDENDr. Hayden has worked in the field of early childhood care and education for over two decades. Currently she lectures in theearly childhood education program at University of Western Sydney, Australia. Her research projects include emergent literacyfor under 5s, health promotion in early childhood settings, and dealing with traumatized children in child care centres. Dr.Hayden is currently investigating the components of appropriate systems of foster and community-based care for orphaned andunaccompanied children.Contact: School of Learning, Development and Early Education

Tel: (61 -412) 317 706 or (61 -2-47) 360 782 University of Western Sydney Fax: (61 -2-47) 360 413 Box 10, Kingswood,E-mail: [email protected] New South Wales, Australia 2747

The Netherlands

Claudine HELLEMANAs an education specialist, Ms. Helleman works with basic education policy in the context of Dutch development cooperationprogrammes. She coordinates the Working Group on ECD of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Ms.Helleman has worked at the Centre for Studies on Education in Development Countries (CESO) and the Centre for Policy Studieson Gender and Development (VENA).Contact: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tel: 31-70-348 6712 Box 20061,Fax: 31-70-348 6436 2500 EB The Hague,E-mail: [email protected] The Netherlands

Uganda

Dr. Timothy HITIMANACurrently the Deputy Secretary General of the National Council for Children, Dr. Hitimana is responsible for programme plan-ning and management with focus on child rights advocacy, child-focused development planning, capacity building of nation-al and district level Social Services sector, and national level monitoring of the Ugandan National Programme of Action forChildren. Dr Hitimana coordinates the Ugandan Early Childhood Development programmes nationally under the auspices ofECD Technical ForumContact: National Council for Children Tel: (256) (41) 236 519/ Mobile: 077 420 900 PO Box 21456,Fax: (256) (41) 232 311 Kisozi House Complex,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

UgandaNamibia

Immanuel IITHETEImmanuel Iithete is currently Director of Housing Habitat Community and Early Childhood Development with the Ministry. Heholds a Masters degree in Sociology from the University of Helsinki (Finland), a Masters degree in Social Work from theUniversity of Howard (USA), and is a Ph.D. Candidate at Howard.Contact: Ministry of Local Government and Housing

Tel: 061-2975267 Box 13289,Fax: 061-226049 Windhoek, Namibia


30

Teddy INZIKURUContact: Probation and Welfare Office

Box 1, AruaUganda

U.S.A.

Adriana JARAMILLOMs. Jaramillo is a Colombian National who has been working in Human Development since 1986. Ms. Jaramillo joined theWorld Bank in April of 1996, as part of the team that launched TechNet; since July 1997 she has joined WBI as Coordinator forthe World Program in Latin America. She launched and implemented the technology in education initiative in Brazil, Chile,Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Turkey.Contact: The World Bank

Tel: 202 473 1084 1818 H Street NWFax: 202 473 8216 Washington, DC USAE-mail: [email protected]

Gambia

Madi JATTAMr. Jatta is the National Coordinator of Early Childhood Care and Development with the Department of State for Education,Basic Education Directorate. Mr. Jatta served as a lead consultant during the development of The Gambia’s National ECCD draftpolicy/programme documents. In addition to his official function as Coordinator as head of the ECCD component of the BasicEducation Directorate, he also served as UNICEF Focal Point at the Department of State for Education of The Gambia. He is alsoa teacher trainer (Part-time) with Gambia College School of Education (ECCD Training Programme) and a member of theNational Task Force of the Implementation of the ECCD policy.Contact: Senior Education Officer

Tel: (220) 225 839 / 995 875 Department of State for Education Email: [email protected] Bedford Place Building, Banjul,

The Gambia

South Africa

Betsy JOUBERT Mrs. Joubert is the Coordinating Head of the Pre-schools and the ECD Training Department with the Project for the Establishmentof Pre-Primary and Primary Schools (PEPPS). PEPPS was started in 1998 by a group of community leaders from the black com-munities in the then Apartheid South Africa to provide affordable, quality pre-primary and primary education.Contact: Project for the Establishment of

Tel: (27) (12) 664 5420 Pre-Primary and Primary Schools,Fax: (27) (12) 664 5316 Box 16471,E-mail: [email protected] Lyttleton, South Africa

Kenya

Margaret KABIRU Margaret Kabiru holds a B.Ed. and a M.A. in child psychology. She has been onvolved in Early Childhood programmes for 25years. She was attached to the National Centre for Early Childhood Education for 22 years. Since 1996, she has been the direc-tor and founding member of Mwana Mwende Child Development Trust, an NGO involved in capacity building of ECD workers,parents and other providers. The Trust also engages in research in child rearing with special interest in teenage mothers. Shealso works as a consultant in ECD in Kenya and in some other African countries.Contact: Mwana Mwenda Child Development Trust

Tel: (254) (2) 520 521 Box 73385,Fax: (254) (2) 520 521 or 545 129 Nairobi, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]


31

Uganda

Susan KAJURA Ms. Kajura is the Education Programme Cooridinator for World Learning Inc. in Uganda heading the “NGO in EducationProject” which forms partnerships with indigenous NGOs to increase community involvement in pre-school and primary edu-cation. She is the author of “The Adventures of Tema”, a children’s series printed in Uganda’s leading newspaper.Contact: World Learning Inc.

Tel: 256) (41) 234 900 Box 9007,Fax: (256) (41) 231 743 Kampala, Uganda E-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Francis KANSIIMEContact: National Association of Women

E-mail: [email protected] Box 105,Mubende, Uganda

Uganda

Charles KASHUNGWAContact: Ntungamo Distict Administration

Box 1,Ntungamo, Uganda

Uganda

Dr. Sam KATABAAZIContact: DMCI

Tel: 269298 Box 10140,Fax: 232716 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

F.I. KATUNGYEContact: Focal Point Person

Tel: 20002 (Mbarara) Mbarara DistrictBox 1,Mbarara, Uganda

Uganda

Mary KATUSHABEContact: ACORD



32

Uganda

Grace KATUSIIMEContact: Masaka District Office

Tel: 20362 Box 144,Masaka, Uganda

UgandaVen. Canon Enoch W.M. KAYEEYEContact: African International Christian MinistryTel: 0486-24257 Box 459,

Kabale, Uganda

Guinea

Dr. Kamussa Sano KEITATrained as a medical doctor, she is the Head of Pre-school Education at the National Directorate and Vice-President of the ECDNetwork in Guinea. Dr. Keita has considerable experience on community-based issues and communications in the areas ofhealth, nutrition, breastfeeding, and education.Contact: Directorate for Pre-school Education

Tel: (224) 41-25-10/41-14-59 Box 1166, Conakry,Fax: (224) 45-55-70/45-55-60 Republic of Guinea

Kenya

Manani Henry KEMOLIMr. Kemoli is the Deputy Programme Coordinator at the National Centre for Early Childhood Education (NACECE) Division atthe Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) Nairobi, Kenya. He is responsible for the initiation and the development of the earlychildhood and Islamic Integrated Education Programme (IIEP). In 1992, Mr. Kemoli was a consultant for UNICEF (Namibia)on the development of National guidelines and caregivers support manual on the Early Childhood Protection and Developmentprogramme and early childhood teacher training programmes for Southern Sudan.Contact: Kenya Institute of Education

Tel: 749900-9 / 746972 Box 30231,Fax: 745558, 746973 Nairobi, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Hon. Rosemary KERWEGIContact: Ugandan Parliament (Apac District)

Box 7178,Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Gidion Francis KHAWUKHAMr. Khawukha is the Youth Officer and Focal Point officer with Nutrition and Early Childhood project in the Mbale DistrictDepartment of Community Based Services. He holds a B.A. in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University.Contact: Mbale District Administration

Tel: 33202 Box 931,Fax: 33542 Mbale, Uganda


33

Uganda

Irene KHAYINZAContact: National Association of Women

Tel: 041-258463 (NAWOU-Busia)Fax: 041-345293 Box 1663,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

Tanzania

Saada KITINE Ms. Kitine is an early childhood educator with a special interest in developing active and dynamic learning environments foryoung children. She studied an Advanced Diploma in ECE in Vancouver, Canada, where she continued to work in this field fora period of six years. Since returning to Tanzania she has been concerned with the issues related to broadening and diversify-ing the experiences where young children are involved in the pre-school and day-care settings; as well as the issues related tochildren in need of special protection such as orphans and neglected children in our communities.Contact: Amani

Tel: (255) (51) 668 544 Arts - Environment, Education East AfricaFax: (255) (51) 850 309 Box 6122,E-mail: [email protected] Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Uganda

James KIWALUContact: National Association of Women


Uganda

Specioza KIWANUKAContact: Buganda Cultural and Development Foundation

Tel: 271870 Box. 7451,Kampala, Uganda

Finland

Dr. Riita-Liisa KORKEAMAKIDr. Korkeamaki is a senior lecturer at the University of Oulu. Her expertise is in EC and primary education; research includesliteracy and implementation of child-centred curriculum. She has published in international scholarly journals. Her experi-ences in developing countries come from Zambia and Namibia. Mrs. Korkeamaki is a member of the ADEA working group onECD.Contact: Department of Teacher Education

Tel: 358-8-553-3701 University of Oulu,Fax: 358-8-553-3744 Box 2000, SF 904,E-mail: [email protected] Oulu, Finland


34


35

Uganda

Hon. KWERONDA-RUHEMBAContact: Minister for Economic Monitoring

Tel: 230067/342582 Office of the President,Fax: 343377 Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

John KYAKULAGAContact: Idudi Development Association

Tel: 077-444735 Bugiri District, Box 2019,Busesa, Uganda

Lesotho

Matseliso LETSUNYANEMs. Letsunyane has many years teaching experience at both primary and high school level. She started work with the Ministryof Education as an Assistant Education Officer in a District where she supervised and monitored the ECCD centres and othereducational institutions’ activities. Whilst Senior Education Officer in the District, she was involved in the awareness campaignson ECCD. She is currently the Chief Inspector of Field Services and is in charge of four programmes, including ECCD.Contact: Chief Inspector (Field Services)

Tel: (266) 313 628 / 322-946 Ministry of Education, Box 47,Fax: (266) 310 562 / 310-206 Maseru, Lesotho

Lesotho

Martha LLANOSDr. Llanos, a Peruvian national, is a specialist in Human Development, with a worldwide track record in the field of ChildDevelopment. She has devoted her life to promoting and enhancing opportunities for children growth and development. Shehas worked extensively in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. She has supported pioneer and innovative policy and actionsin many international organizations - in UNICEF as he first Child Development Regional Adviser for Latin America and as aConsultant for the World Bank, UNESCO, WHO, WFP and Bernard van Leer Foundation. She is currently working in Lesothofor UNICEF.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (51 - I ) 422 7657 Los Castanos 240,Fax: (51-1) 222 5618 Lima 27,E-mail: [email protected] Peru

Uganda

Samuel LWANGA Mr. Lwanga holds a B.A. in Social Sciences and was previously working as a Personnel Officer for PLISK (U) Ltd. before takingup work as the Probation and Social Welfare Officer for Iganga District.Contact: Iganga District Administration

Tel: (0495) 242 450 Department of Probation and Social Welfare Box 358, Iganga, Uganda

Uganda

Cornelius K. MAGARAMr. Magar holds certificates and diplomas in Education and a B.A. in Social Work and Administration. He was a primary andsecondary teacher before joining ActionAid Uganda as a Field Development Coordinator and later as Logistics Manager.Currently, he is a Community-Based Services Coordinator in Kabarole charged with managing a team of community developmentspecialists handling probation, culture, youth, gender, rehabilitation, general community development, labour, and social welfare.Contact: Kabarole District Local Government

Tel: 0483-22269 Box 38, Fort-Portal, Uganda

Uganda

Stephen MAGERO Mr. Magero worked as a Research Supervisor under the Child Health and Development Centre at Uganda’s Makerere Universityand is currently the District Probation and Social Welfare Officer for Bugiri District. He has been identified as the focal personfor the NECD Project in the Bugiri District.Contact: Bugiri District Administration

Tel: (256) (77) 418 417 Box 37,Bugiri, Uganda

Kenya

Stella MANDA Ms. Manda has been involved in family-based child development monitoring initiatives for early identification of handicappingconditions, and promotion of early childhood psycho social and mental stimulation. She has been involved in a survey to iden-tify ECCD neighborhood and/or family arrangements for integrated outreach programme interventions. She is currentlyinvolved with PLAN-Kenya in the conceptualization, design and conduct of a baseline survey on psycho social development of0-8year olds in selected PLAN supported areas in Kenya.Contact: Plan International

Tel: (254) (2) 577 132 or 134 or 143 Box 25196,Fax: (254) (2) 577 149 Nairobi, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Joel MASEMBEContact: Masaka C.M.A.

Tel: 541080 Box 31159, KampalaUganda

Tanzania

Prof. Akundaeli S. MBISEAkundaeli Mbise is an Associate Professor of Child Psychology and Education at the University of Dar es Salaam. Apart fromteaching and research in psychology of child development, educational psychology, research methods, and ECE, he works withearly childhood educators and preschool teachers. He trains ECE tutors for teacher training colleges and is working withUNICEF in early childhood development care and education. Prof. Mbise was the lead consultant in the family and preschool-based Child Development Milestones in Tanzania. He is currently the Coordinator for the University Early ChildhoodDevelopment and Preschool programme.Contact: Faculty of Education

Tel: 410500-8 (ext. 2444)/72914 (h) Box 35048,E-mail: [email protected] Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Uganda

Neill MCKEE Mr. McKee is presently Chief of Basic Education, Child Care and Adolescent Development Section, UNICEF Kampala, Uganda. Hecomes from a communication background and has specialized in recent years in adolescent development and HIV/AIDS. Hewas Regional Communication Advisor for UNICEF based in Nairobi and was Chief of Programme Communication andInformation for UNICEF in Bangladesh. He has also held various positions with CUSO and IDRC Canada.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (256) (41) 259913/4 Box 7047,Fax: (256) (41) 259 146 Kampala,E-mail: [email protected] Uganda


36

Tanzania

Bertha MENDEMs. Mende’s background in Music education has led her to understand the importance of activity-based learning and it is thisstrength which she brings to the field of early childhood education. As the pre-school curriculum in Tanzania is currently beingreviewed and revised, she is helping to emphasize the importance of children’s active participation in their learning processes.Contact: ECE Curriculum Developer,

Tel: (255) (51) 73005, 75087, 71108 Tanzanian Institute of EducationFax: (255) (51) 74420 Box 35094,Email: [email protected] Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Uganda

Alex MENYHAContact: FASERT (Uganda)

Fax: 041-345580 Box 68,Busembatia, Uganda

South Africa

Thoko MKHWANAZI-XALUVAContact: Office of the State President

Tel: 27-12-3375175 Room 150,Fax: 27-12-3214566 Union Buildings,E-mail: [email protected] Pretoria, South Africa

Tanzania

Bertha MLAYMrs. Bertha Mlay is working with UNICEF as Project Officer for Nutrition and is fully involved in ECCD activities. She attendedher Masters degree in Sociology at the University of Dar-es-Salaam in 1996 and B.Sc. in Home Economics and Human Nutritionat Sokome University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania in 1988. Bertha has wide experience working with communities, threeyears with World Vision and five years with the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) in Tanzania. She also hasbackground in the medical field as Nurse Midwife and Nurse Teacher with the Ministry of Health.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: 255-051-150811 Box 4076,Fax: 255-51-151603/151593 Dar-es-Salaam,E-mail: [email protected] Tanzania

Uganda

Magall MORITZMr. Moritz is a Probation and Social Welfare Officer in Kumi District, having previously worked as an HIV/AIDS CounsellorSupervisor with TASO-Kumi. He has trained in special needs education and is now the district focal person for NECDP.Contact: Kumi District Administration

Box 44, Kumi,Uganda


37

United Kingdom

Nikki MORTONContact: International Conference on ECCD

Tel: 01 785 604531 5 Sandringham Close,Weeping Cross,Stafford, UK

Lesotho

Moeketsi MOTJOLI Mr. Motjoli is an ECCD Inspector with the Ministry of Education in Lesotho. His responsibilities include assisting in planing forECCD activities, training ECCD teachers, mobilizing communities about ECCD education and monitoring and evaluating ECCDactivities at a national level.Contact: Ministry of Education

Tel: (266) 325 957 Box 47,Fax: (266) 310 562 / 310-206 Maseru, LesothoE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Dr. Susan MPANGAContact: Nutrition and ECD Project

Tel: 220257/077503597 Plot 58 Luthuli Ave.,Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Edward MUBIRUContact: DMCI

Tel: 269298 Box 10140,Fax: 232716 Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Harriet MUGERWAMrs. Mugerwa holds a BA in Economics and a Masters of Public Health. She was head of the Social Services Section in theMinistry of Finance and Economic Development for 27 years. In 1998, she joined the National Council for Children where sheis now working as Secretary-General (The Chief Executive Officer of the Council), a body that coordinates, monitors and advis-es Government, NGOs and all stakeholders on all issues concerning children in Uganda.Contact: National Council for Children

Tel: (256) (41) 236 519 Kisozi House Complex Fax: (256) (41) 232 311 Box 21456,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda


38

Uganda

Nora MUGONYI Contact: Makerere University,

Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Monica R. MUHEIRWEMrs. Muheirwe specializes in Early Childhood Education, Supervision and Evaluation and has many years teaching experienceboth at primary level, and at Teachers Colleges. She is currently Lecturer and Coordinator of Early Childhood Education at ITEKas well as the Coordinator for the Mediated Learning Experience Project and Chairperson of the Cooperation for Health underthe Child-to-Child Programme at ITEK.Contact: Institute of Teacher Education

Tel: (256) (41) 285 001 Kyambogo (ITEK)Fax: (256) (41) 220 464 Box 1, Kyambogo, Uganda

Uganda

Leonard J. MULCKWAHContact: Idudi Development Association

Tel: 077 507153 Box 2019,Busesa, Uganda

United Kingdom

Michael P. MURRAYMike is employed as Director of Healthcare Solutions with Smithkline Beecham International Ltd. He is based in London andresponsible for the initiation and development of business partnerships with the public sector, in general. On a specific level,he negotiates with major global institutions such as the World Bank, USAID, and large donors and NGOs on matters of benefitto all parties. He has been involved in work in Africa for the past eighteen years in the health care industry.Contact: Smithkline Beecham International Ltd.

Tel: 0181 975 4806 6 Frensham Walk,E-mail: [email protected] Farnham Common, SL23QF UK

Uganda

Monica Jane MUSENEROContact: National Association of Women


Uganda

Gyavira MUSOKE Mr. Musoke is a Nutritionist, Researcher and Co-author of the ECD Resource Book for the NECD Project in Uganda. He has pre-viously worked as a Nutrition Research Assistant studying the effects of income variation on nutritional status of children andwomen in Uganda; and he has also studied the development of weaning foods for children.Contact: Jay Max (U) Ltd.

Tel: (256) (41) 286 002 Box 16502,Fax (256) (41) 34 981 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]


39

Uganda

Herbert MUYINDAContact: Child Health and Development Centre

Box 6717,Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Prisca MWESIGWAContact: District Health Office

Tel: 0486-42171 Box 68, Rukungiri, Uganda

Uganda

Dr. Christine NABIRYOContact: Uganda National Association of

Tel: 0481-20679 Community and Occupational Health Box 544, DDHS Office,Masaka, Uganda

Uganda

Charles NABONGOMr. Nabongo previously worked as a Programme Development Consultant for Save the Children before joining UNICEF in 1992.He was the Assistant Project Officer on a study on Vulnerable Children, and also Assistant Project Officer for Basic Education.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (256) (41) 234 591/2 Box 7047 ,Fax: (256) (41) 259 146 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Barbara Tembo NALUBANGAContact: Ministry of Health

Tel: 340874 ext. 219 Box 7272,Kampala, Uganda


40

Uganda

Hilda NANKUNDAMs. Nankunda works with the National Council for Children as a Program Officer Research, Policy, Planning and DataManagement and also as Secretary to the ECD Technical Forum. She has worked as a Research Officer for ActionAid Uganda,and a District Population Officer under the UNFPA- Integrated District Population Program. She also worked for the Ministryof Internal Affairs as a Prisons Welfare and Rehabilitation Officer. Hilda has carried out a number of researches as a team leaderand in other capacities using various methods for research.Contact: National Council for Children


Uganda

Angella NANTEGEMs. Nantege is a Probation and Welfare Officer in Mubende District having been in charge of childcare and protection, andspearheading the implementation of the children’s statute in the district. She holds a degree in sociology.Contact: Mubende District Local Government

Tel: 0464-4025 Box 93,Mubende, Uganda

Uganda

Halima NASSOZIMs. Nassozi has many years’ experience in the teaching profession both in primary school, and in field work as a teacher train-er working with pre-school community based programmes. She specializes in working with children who have special needs.She is currently the Lead Trainer with the Madrasa Resource Centre (Uganda).Contact: Madrasa Resource Centre


Uganda

Grace Hirya NEGESAContact: Probation and Welfare Office

Box 14, Pallisa,Uganda

Australia

Christine NEUFELD Christine Neufeld has a B.A. in Psychology from University of Sydney, Australia. She is currently collecting data for a study ofprogrammes and supports for orphaned and unaccompanied children.Contact: University of Western Sydney

Tel: (61 -2) 9905-7217 9 Kirra Road, Allambie Heights,Fax: (61 -2) 9907- 1509 New South Wales,E-mail: [email protected] Australia


41

Uganda

Fred NGABIRANOMr. Ngabirano holds a B.S.W. from Makerere University and is currently undertaking a post-graduate diploma in DevelopmentStudies. He has participated in Uganda-Oxfam research on poverty - incorporation of voices of the poor - for eight years, andhas been involved in child welfare for eight years (3 with NGOs and 5 with govt.). As a senior Probation and Welfare Officer, hehas been involved in district planning, ECD programmes, training, legislation implementation, NECD projects, and is in theprocess of establishing a data bank on vulnerable children for quality planning at department and district levels.Contact: Bushenyi District Administration

Tel: 0485-42646 Box 1,Bushenyi, Uganda

South Africa

Nhlanhla NGUBANEContact: UNICEF (South Africa)

Tel: 012-3488911 Box 4884,Fax: 012-3204085/6 Pretoria, 0001E-mail: [email protected] South Africa

Kenya

Anne NJENGAMrs. Njenga currently works for Mwana Mwende Child Development Trust, an NGO working in ECD programmes involved intraining, research and development work in ECD. She previously worked at the National Centre for Early Childhood Education(NACECE) at the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), Nairobi, Kenya.Contact: Mwana Mwenda Child Development Trust

Tel: (254) (2) 520 521 Box 72583,Fax: (254) (2) 520 521 or 545 129 Nairobi, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Anne NKUTUContact: Aga Khan Foundation (Uganda)

Tel: 255884/256165 Box 5522,Fax: 340126/255885 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Edith NSHIMYEMrs. Nshimye is currently the Senior Health Educator/Senior Nursing Officer in charge of School Health. She has working expe-rience in various hospitals and pediatric units and has taught midwifery and pediatrics at Mulago Hospital. She has also taughtand supervised nurses on outreach experience.Contact: Ministry of Health

Tel: (256) (41) 340 874 ext. 227 Box 7272,Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Paschal NTANDAContact: Moroto County Association for Development

Tel: 340176 Box 5249,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda


42

Uganda

Grace K. NYAKAHUMAContact: Uganda National Association of

Tel: 256-41-342324 Community and Occupational Health Fax: 256-41-342324 Box 12590,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

Kenya

Connie NYATTA As an Education Officer with UNICEF, Ms. Nyatta looks forward to working even more closely with communities and a range ofeducationalists both within and outside Government as they launch and develop innovative programmes for the care andgrowth of children from 0-8years age under the new model for ECC-SGD.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: (254) (2) 622 146 Kenya Country OfficeFax: (254) (2) 622 746 Box 44145,Email: [email protected] Nairobi, Kenya

Uganda

Peter OKIRIA Mr. Okiria is a Probation and Social Welfare Officer in Nebbi District advocating and promoting children rights and development.Contact: Dept. of Child Care and Protection

Box 1, Nebbi,Uganda

Uganda

Dr. Peter OKWEROContact: World Bank

Tel: 041-230094 Box 4463,Fax: 041-230092 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Oryono Grandfield OMONDAMr. Omonda is the focal person for the NECDP in Moroto District.Contact: Moroto District Administration

Tel: 045-51144 Box 4, Moroto,Uganda

Uganda

Fred ONYAI Contact: Nebbi District,

Uganda

Uganda

Joyce OTHIENO Contact: Ministry of Education

Tel: 344 826 Kampala, Uganda


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Uganda

James OTIMContact: World Vision International

Tel: 251640/345758 Box 5319,Fax: 258587 Kampala, UgandaE-mail: [email protected]

Uganda

Nokrach Chris OTIMContact: Gulu District Administration

Tel: 250208 Box 2, Gulu,Uganda

Uganda

William OTIM Mr. Otim holds a degree in Sociology/Social Administration and is currently employed by the Ugandan Ministry of Gender,Labour and Social Development as the Principal Probation Officer.Contact : Box 7136,

Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Dr. Juliet OTITI-SENGERIContact: Association of Uganda Women Medical Doctors

Tel: 347258 Box 195,Fax: 347258 Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Yunia Obua OTOAMrs. Otoa is an active member of the EDC Technical Forum in the National Council for Children and a part-time lecturer at theInstitute of Adult and Continuing Education External Degree at Makerere University. Yunia trained as an Infant EducationTutor/lnspector and Teacher Educator in Uganda and worked as an Inspector of Schools for ECE/Teacher Education as well astraining tutors for ECE. She also trained as a core trainer with Bernard van Leer Foundation for Africa Region.Contact:

Tel: (256) (41) 342 942 Kampala, Uganda


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Uganda

H. OWORIContact: World Vision

Tel: 345758 (KLA) Kitgum, UgandaFax: 258587

South Africa

Mmule PADIMs. Padi is the Deputy Chief Education Specialist in the ECD and Primary Education Unit involved in restructuring the ECD sec-tor in Guateng to ensure redress and equity. She is actively involved in the intersectoral collaboration process to inform policyin the provisioning of ECD.Contact: Gauteng Provincial Department of Education

Tel: (011) 355-0871 111 Commissioner St.,Fax: (011) 355-0620 Johannesburg, 2001E-mail: [email protected] South Africa

U.S.A.

Dr. Christine L. PENADr. Pena, Ph.D. is a Human Resources Economist at the World Bank. She is currently a member of the World Bank AfricaRegion’s ECCD Team, focusing on social sector strategy development and project preparation work in post-conflict/conflictcountries such as Ethiopia and Eritrea.Contact: World Bank

Tel: 202 473 5421 AFHT4, World Bank Fax: 202 473 8107 1818 H Street Email: [email protected] Washington, DC 20433 USA

Uganda

Dr. Stefan PETERSONStefan Peterson is a public health physician with WHO Uganda working in close collaboration with colleagues at the Ministry ofHealth on the development and implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). ECCD issues featureprominently in IMCI, especially in its Household and Community component. Dr Peterson has previous related experience fromwork on lodine Deficiency Disorders, supplementary feeding and health effects of (near exclusive) cassava consumption.Contact: IMCI, WHO

Tel: (256) (77) 409 418 or (256) (41) 344 038 Box 24578,Fax: (256 (41) 344 059 Kampala Uganda E-mail: [email protected]

South Africa

Patsy PILLAYPatsy Pillay has been an ECD activist for the past twenty years. Her experience includes work on alternative models for ECDprovisioning, parent education, and children’s rights programmes. Patsy holds a B.A. (Honours) in Social Work and is cur-rently Project Director of New Beginnings in KwaZulu Natal. She is a national office bearer and heads the gender desk of theSouth African Congress for ECD. SACECD is a national, mass-based NGO representing the interests of young children, ECD prac-titioners, and related stakeholders.Contact: South African Congress for ECD

Tel: 031 4047870/012 3220601 Box 562060,Fax: 031 4047870/012 3229379 Chatsworth, 4030E-mail: [email protected] South Africa


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South Africa

Norma RUDOLPHContact: Guateng Dept. of Education

Tel: 011-355-0865 Box 53488, Troyville,Fax: 011-355-0620 South AfricaE-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

Kenya

Nyambura RUGOIYO Ms. Rugoiyo is the Programme Director for the ECD Programme of the Aga Khan Foundation, a programme that is in part-nership with the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the Government of Kenya and the World Bank. The programme’s overall aim isto test mechanisms through which communities can organizationally, technically and financially sustain quality ECD servicesat home and outside. Ms. Rugoiyo’s main aim at this conference is to learn about different approaches in developing improv-ing meaningful and sustainable community ECD services.Contact : Aga Khan Foundation

Tel: (011) 314 300 Box 99506,Fax: (011) 314 301 Mombasa, KenyaE-mail: [email protected]

Senegal

Ramatoulaye Diop SABALY Mme Sabaly is Director of Pre-school Education, National Ministry of Education. She holds the qualification of PrincipalInspector for Pre-School Education. She has been President of the Association of Educators for Family Development, is a mem-ber of the Francophone Network on ECD, an ‘animatrice’ in the ECD Network of Senegal, and is a member of the AdministrativeCouncil for the International Federation of Activating Pedagogy (Fl-CEMEA).Contact: Chef de la Division de l’Education Prescolaire

Tel: (221) 821 55 23 Ministere de l’Education Nationale Fax:(221)8233107 B.P 4025 2 rue Calmette,

Dakar, Senegal

Uganda

Dr. Jesca Nsungwa SABIITIDr. Nsungwa is a Pediatrician and the National Coordinator and Program Manager of Integrated Management of ChildhoodIllness (IMCI) in Kampala, Uganda. She is a member of the Ugandan NECD Technical Steering Committee. Dr Nsungwa is inter-ested in early childhood care for development, stimulating development through feeding, de-worming and psychosocial devel-opment as well as integrating and institutionalizing IMCI activities with ECD interventions.Contact: IMCI - Child Health

Tel/Fax: (256) (41) 532 547 Box 12536,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

South Africa

Jill SACHSJill Sachs has worked in the ECD field for over twenty years and currently holds the position of Provincial Deputy ChiefEducation Specialist (ECD). This portfolio includes the development of provincial ECD policy including provision, curriculum,training, and funding. She is also responsible for the co-ordination of the national ECD Pilot Project, is chairing the ProvincialPlan of Action for Children Sub-Committee on ECD, and is a member of the executive provincial strategic planning committee.Contact: KwaZulu Natal Department of Education

Tel: 031-2660892 Box 1609,Fax: 031-2660892 Wandsbeck, 3631E-mail [email protected] South Africa


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Zimbabwe

Mrs. Marjorie SAMUDZIMUMrs. Samudzimu is the Deputy Director of ECE and Care in the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Culture. She has worked close-ly with several children’s homes and was responsible for supervising ECD centres in Harare for four years. She has also beenan Education Officer (ECE and Care) based at head office and completed a Masters degree in ECD.Contact: Ministry of Education, Sport, and Culture

Tel: (00-263-4) 7344051/790924 Box CY 121 Causeway,Fax: (00-263-4) 734075 Harare, Zimbabwe

Senegal

Aissatou Dieng SARRMme Dieng Sarr is Head of Special Programs in the Planning and Reform Division, National Ministry of Education. She holdsthe Qualification of National Education Inspector with a specialty in pre-school education. She has served in several capacitiesincluding Inspector in charge of pre-school education. She has also served as a pre-school teacher. She has authored a manu-al on the approach to the care and teaching of young children based around commonly known stories.Contact: Chef du bureau des programmes specifiques Division de la reforme

- DPRE Ministere de l’Education Tel: (221) 821 07 62 Nationale, Direction de la planification et de la reforme Fax: (221) 821 13 76 de l’education

B.P. 4025 2 rue CalmetteDakar, Senegal

Tanzania

Bishara T. SEIF Mrs. Seif studied for her Masters degree in Childhood Education at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada . She also holdsa Ph.D. in Education (Moral and Social Development of Young Children) from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Shehas worked as a secondary school teacher, and a Secondary School Inspector in Zanzibar and on the Tanzanian mainland. Shehas worked as the Professional Assistant to the Commissioner of Education, Ministry of Education, Dar es Salaam, Tanzaniaand as a Researcher and Research Coordinator in the Ministry of Education, Tanzania. She is currently the Director of theZanzibar Madrasa Resource Centre Contact: Madrasa Resource Centre

Tel: (051) 232 277 Box 3716, Kiponda Street ,Fax: (051) 232 277 Zanzibar, TanzaniaE-mail: [email protected]

Lesotho

Mampiti SETLOLELE Mrs. Setlolele works as an Early Childhood Care and Development Inspector. She is also head of the ECCD Programme inLesotho. Her responsibilities include planning for ECCD matters countrywide, mobilizing the communities about the impor-tance of ECCD education, in-service training of ECCD teachers and monitoring and evaluating, ECCD teachers and activities.Contact: Ministry of Education

Tel: (266) 325-957 Box 47,Fax: (266) 310-562 / 310-206 Maseru, Lesotho

Uganda

A.N. Kalole SEWALI


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India

E. V. SHANTHAMs. Shantha works for the World Bank as a Project Facilitator. She has worked as a core member of the team that facilitatedproject preparation for a community-based Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project in Uganda. In Rwanda andBurundi, Ms. Shantha was a member of the identification mission for ECCD and the appraisal mission for the Burundi SocialAction Project. As well as being a member of many different professional bodies in the health and educational fields, Ms.Shantha has also presented and published numerous papers in these fields.Contact: World Bank

Tel: (91) (44) 491 5505 Balaji 68/5 111 Main Road,Fax: (91) (44) 442 0409 Gandhi Nagar, Adyar Email: [email protected] Chennai, India

Republic of Guinea

Thierno T. SOWThierno Sow is Head of Research/Analysis and Statistics for the National Directorate of Elementary Education. He received hisMasters degree in Administration and Policy Studies at the University of Pittsburgh (USA) in 1999, and his Bachelors degree atEcole Normale Superieure de Maneah, School of Education and Vocational Training (Guinea). He has extensive experiencecoordinating school construction, producing teacher’s guides, and providing models for training trainers, as well as in statis-tics concerning elementary schools and basic education, coordinating grant requests for schools, providing technical assistanceto proposal writers, and advising donors on project viability.Contact: National Directorate of Elementary Education,

Tel: 224-46-1601/011-21-2650 Ministry of Pre-University and Civic EducationFax: 224-41-4660 Box 841, Conakry,E-mail: [email protected] Republic of Guinea

Uganda

Shafique SSEKALALA Mr. Ssekalala has 3 years teaching experience. He has also spent time working with community mobilization in PrimaryEducation Reform within the Ugandan Ministry of Education. He is the author of the Community Mobilization Manual forPrimary Education reform in Uganda, as well as the Manual for the Education of a Girl Child in Uganda. Mr. Ssekalala hasbeen with Madrasa Resource Centre for 2 years.Contact: Lead Community Development Officer,

Tel: (256) (41) 343 040 or 270 593 Madrasa Resource Centre Uganda.Fax: (256) (41) 343 040 Box 14092,Email: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

Uganda

Louise SSERUNJOGIContact: Child Health and Development Center

Tel: 234591/2 Makerere University,Fax: 531677 Box 6717,E-mail: [email protected] Kampala, Uganda

United Kingdom

Kate TORKINGTONCurrently a free-lance Consultant on International Education and Development, Ms. Torkington was previously Head ofTraining for the Bernard van Leer Foundation before becoming the Coordinator of a large-scale Training Initiative (“More andBetter”), in nine African countries. She is the author of a training pack, Enhancing the Skills of Early Childhood Trainers(UNESCO), which has been translated into a number of languages. Since 1998, she has acted as a consultant to the NetherlandsMinistry of Foreign Affairs on their leadership of the Working Group on ECD of the Association for the Development of Educationin Africa (ADEA).Contact:

Tel: 44 161 224 7836, 41 Appleby Lodge,Fax: 44 161 225 2818 Wilmslow Rd. Fallowfield,E-mail: [email protected] Manchester, M 14 6HQ,


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Uganda

Eugene K. TUGUMEContact: Human Rights Focus

Tel: 387469 (Kampala)/0487967 (Bushenyi) Box 22273,Kampala, Uganda

Tanzania

Illuminata TUKAIMrs. Illuminata Tukai, working with UNICEF Tanzania as Education Project Officer, is a graduate in Social Development andAdministration with a Masters degree in Sociology from the University of Dar-es-Salaam. Mrs. Tukai has been in the field ofChild Care Services for the past 24 years, initially working with the Dept. of Social Welfare where she rose to the level of AssistantCommissioner responsible for Child Care and Development before she joined UNICEF in 1989 as ECD Project Officer. She hasbeen instrumental in initiating many innovative alternative child care arrangements and care of children in need of specialprotection measures, specifically orphans, street children, and working children.Contact: UNICEF

Tel: 255-051-150811-5 Box 4076,Fax: 255-51-151603 Dar-es-Salaam,E-mail: [email protected] Tanzania

Uganda

Yafesi Frederick TWOOLIMr. Twooli is currently a Community Development Officer/Community-Based Services Coordinator and NECDP focal person forBundibugyo District in Western Uganda. Prior to that, he worked as a Labour Officer and Family Planning Counselor in FortPortal. He holds a B.A. in Social Sciences and a Certificate in Planning and Management of community-based developmentprojects, and has attended various local workshops in child welfare. His interest in ECD is capacity building of key factors espe-cially at the grass-roots level.Contact: Bundibugyo District

Tel: (256) 0483-22903/229011/22908 Box 1180,Bundibugyo, Uganda

Uganda

Abwono UENTOContact: District Medical Office

Kotido District,Uganda

Uganda

Dr. Iyorlumun J. UHAAContact: UNICEF


Kenya

Hanif VIRANIHanif Virani is the Regional Coordinator of the Madrasa Resource Centre programme, currently located in Kenya, Uganda, andTanzania. Hanif’s current ECD interests include exploring the questions of: how resources of faith in culture can be brought tobear on development; what constitutes “effectiveness” for various stake-holders in a given ECD initiative; the processes involvedin successful evolution from small scale ECD projects into sustainable institutions; building capacity and sustaining motiva-tion of ECD professional staff; conditions under which poor communities can establish and manage local, sustainable ECDinstitutions; and indigenous philanthropy.Contact: Madrasa Resource Centre

Tel: (254 011) 313 952 / 311 776 / 312 104 East Africa Regional Office Fax: (254 011) 226 585 Box 42409,E-mail: [email protected] Mombassa, Kenya


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Kenya

Dr. Gituro WAINAINADr. Wainaina, Ph.D. is on the Project Team in the Kenya Early Childhood Development Project. His interest is in the area ofinnovation of new approaches to harmonizing family, community, and governments for promoting the child. In addition, hehas interests in monitoring and evaluation of impact on the child.Contact: The World Bank

Tel: (254-2) 260 300/400/410 or (254-2) 714 141 Hill Park Building, Upper Hill RoadFax: (254-2) 260 384 Box 30577,E-mail: [email protected] Nairobi, Kenya

Uganda

Dr. Adoke YEKAContact: District Director of Health

Box 1, AruaUganda

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Welcoming Comments Kampala International ECCD ConferenceProf. A. Pence Good morningHonourable Minister, Honourable Members of Parliament, Excellencies, Doctors, Reverends, Ladies and Gentlemen, my nameis Alan Pence, and it is my great honour to welcome all of you here today.

When I was asked to assist in planning training activities for the Uganda Nutrition and Early Childhood Project (the NECD proj-ect) just nine months ago, I don’t think that any of us initially envisioned an African International ECCD Conference arisingout of that planning. But as we began to discuss the Project in some detail, it became clear that there was much that the Projectcould learn from, and that Uganda could share with, others in Africa committed to the future well being of children, familiesand communities.

It was in our desire to hear the voices of other African Projects, to engage in discussions with others who had tried variousapproaches to promoting healthy child development, that the idea for this Conference arose, Showcasing Early Childhood Careand Development: Innovation and Application in Africa.

And clearly, it is an idea whose time has come. Not only are there large numbers of ECCD Projects that have taken place inAfrica, stretching back 30 years and more, but there are a very large number of individuals, both within and outside Africa, whowish to hear about that work and to discuss it.

Clearly, the need for, and the desire to, share ECCD experiences in Africa is very great—-and I am sure that this Conference isonly the beginning of many more related Africa-wide and African-Regional ECCD Conferences. (And this is perhaps the pointto note my apologies that we do not have translation facilities available. For our Franco-phone colleagues, we do have individ-uals who have volunteered to provide translation on a one-to-one basis. One of those future regional Conferences we hope tosee held will be in Francophone Africa.)

The Conference is honoured that the Vice-President of Uganda, the Honourable Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, accepted our invi-tation to open the Conference today. We understand, however, that sudden and urgent changes in her schedule will keep herfrom joining us, but that the Minister in the Vice-President’s Office, the Honourable Betty Okwire, will be here on the Vice-President’s behalf.

We are also honoured that the Honourable Mrs. Janat Mukwaya, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, is hereand will be with us most of the day. Madam Minister, thank you.

We are also most grateful that Mr. James W. Adams, the World Bank’s Director for Uganda, will be addressing you this morning,as will Professor Barnabas Otaala, an outstanding ECCD academic and an honoured son of Uganda.

As I have noted to you the NECD Project joins a significant number of other ECCD initiatives that have been undertaken inAfrica over the years —- with many of them represented at this Conference. What the Conference provides is the opportunityto learn from each other; to share our stories; to consider what might work and what might not; to learn what has been triedand what remains to be done; and to consider our options in moving forward. So, I not only welcome you to this Conference, Ithank you for being prepared to share your stories, your experiences, your ideas with the rest of us.

I will judge the success of this Conference by how much we learn from each other —- not just from the presenters, but fromthe persons sitting beside us, the persons we meet in the hallways and over dinner, and the new friendships that are forged. Atthis Conference we are all teachers and we are all learners. Please see these days we have together as an opportunity, away fromcell phones, meetings, and your day to day pressures, to make new friends, to share your experiences, and to help create a broadnetwork of ECCD leaders across Africa.

In addition to providing a few opening comments of welcome, I was also asked to provide some history on earlier activities thatcan be understood to have contributed to today.

My route to this Conference came in the form of an invitation from Dr. Cyril Dalais, back in 1994, to become involved in devel-oping ECCD Workshops for Education and ECCD country officers in UNICEF and other key individuals with whom they worked.Cyril was aware of my work with aboriginal communities in Canada —- work that seeks to honour the values, traditions andmores of those communities while cooperatively exploring ways forward in a changing world.

In 1995 UNICEF hosted an initial Workshop over a three-week period in Victoria, Canada. The workshop went very well andsubsequent Regional Workshops followed, two of which were in Africa. The first was in Namibia in 1997, the second in TheGambia in 1998.

A P P E N D I X A

Opening and Closing Comments

The intent of these Regional Workshops, which we called ECCD Institutes, was to bring together 25-30 ECCD professionals fromacross Africa, to share their ECCD experiences and to work with Workshop Facilitators in identifying the next steps in the evo-lution of ECCD in each of the participants’ countries. Many of the people who I had the good fortune to work with in helpingto develop these Institutes, both facilitators and participants, are here this week. That was part of our intent in organising thisConference, this “kick-off” event: to build on existing strengths and existing networks.

There are other ECCD leadership and program development groups represented here: the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the AgaKhan Foundation, and Save the Children U.S. are three prominent organizations that have worked throughout Africa in sup-port of children, families and communities for many years. We appreciate their participation in this historic event, as we do theparticipation of various governments, UNICEF representatives, and a wide variety of NGOs and CBOs. The intent of theConference is to be inclusive of many different initiatives and organizations; countries and programs together building astronger future for African Children.

Before introducing my friend and colleague, Prof. Barnabas Otaala, who will describe some of the history and current challenges facing ECCD throughout Africa, it is only fitting that the first group to “present” at this Conference are those whohave brought each of us into this work, and who keep us committed to it: the Children.

Please welcome now children from the Daughters of Charity.

Challenges to partnership, collaboration, and networking for the cause of the African child: A voice from a third world countryProf. Barnabas OtaalaIntroductionPresident J.F. Kennedy stated in his message to Congress on 20th February, 1961, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifterthan our progress in education…The human mind is our fundamental resource”. This statement is universally true, and inthe case of Africa is doubly so, particularly in relation to the case of early childhood care and development.

This conference consists of people who share a common commitment to healthy child development, enabling support for fam-ilies, and meaningful community development. But even for us, it behooves us at the dawn of a new millennium to review thepremises on which we have based our practices, if only to reassure ourselves that we are on the right path.

Moreover, we are being constantly reminded that “Africa’s time has come. The new century must be an African Century” (ThaboMbeki). In another speech Mbeki has asserted “ We must rebel against political instability on our continent. We must stop thelaughter and the only way to stop that laughter is to be rebels again. To be a true African is to be a rebel in the cause of the Africanrenaissance”. How have we responded to this challenge in the past, and how shall we respond in future? What kinds of partner-ships, networking and collaboration are necessary and desirable, and how will these be effected? In the following pages it is help-ful first to identify the challenges facing us as partners in development and the criticisms that have been leveled against ways inwhich we have attempted to be partners in the past. We will then indicate what I consider more desirable ways of partnership andcollaboration for the new millennium. Before indicating the challenges, however, it might be helpful to pause to consider theconcept of sustainable development.

Concepts of sustainable development and its implication for the African ChildWith respect to the concept of sustainable development it is important to note five international events which have contributedgreatly to a rethinking and new paradigm of development:

i) In 1987 a new concept- sustainable development - was born. This is development that is defined as satisfying the presentgeneration’s needs without endangering the possibilities of future generations satisfying their needs and choosing their lifestyle;

ii) In 1990 UNDP came up with a new definition: human development - defined as a process of expanding people’s choices.Three areas are highlighted as essential: a) a long and healthy life; b) education; and c) a decent standard of living. Humandevelopment means that the productive and creative energies of people must be mobilised and that it is decisively important toinvest in them. Sustainable human development requires our moral obligation “to sustain for the next generation the oppor-tunity and the same kind of well being that we possess” with particular emphases put on human security, which always had thetwo components: freedom from fear and freedom from want.

iii) In 1993 the World Conference on human rights in Vienna stipulated the universality of human rights, rejecting attemptswhich make human rights relative to cultural conditions.

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iv) In 1995 the World Summit on social development held in Copenhagen focused on “social issues” in the face of global unem-ployment and poverty, and social exclusion was put on the agenda, with emphasis on creating jobs, and social security systems.

v) In 1995 at the Beijing Conference the importance of the special role of women in the entire development process was under-lined.

Governments of industrial and developing countries have agreed to all the above dimensions, including sustainable humandevelopment. Yet there is often a wide gap between word and deed and many politicians tend to look more towards the nextelection date than to the next generation. This is why new alliances - national and international - have to be forged betweenvarious groups, including teacher educators, teachers unions, environmental movements, NGOs, scholars, those in politics andinternational organisations who can be won as supporters.

In the case of Africa, in preparation for the World Summit on social development in 1995 a group of Africans (and Africanists)met and made challenges to African nations and peoples’ challenges (and suggestions) which have since been appropriatelytitled “ Audience Africa”. What are these challenges? Challenges of “Audience Africa” - UNESCO, 1995 Chaired by Graca Machel(then) and (now) Graca Mandela, Audience Africa made the following challenges.

Audience Africa–UNESCO Paris, 19951. We are all in varying degrees responsible, and we must all make a firm and resolute commitment to reverse this trend bybreaking with the past and formulating a completely new endogenous development policy. We can do so provided that we sharea number of convictions: the first is that, contrary to the general view, our continent is not poor. We all have to realize that, ofall the continents, Africa has the greatest natural wealth, which means that with competent and serious indidivuals, capital andknow-how, it could catch up with other parts of the world very quickly, as Latin America and Asia are now doing.

2. The second fact, which we must be convinced of, is that independence is not an end in itself but a means to the end ofnational liberation, in other words, taking oneself in hand.

3. The third is that Africa will never be built by foreigners, whatever emotional, cultural and personal bonds they have formedwith the continent, and whatever the terms of the moral contract that might lay the basis for a new type of partnership betweenour continent and the international community. Incidentally, the end purpose of assistance is to make it possible for assistanceto be phased out.

4. The fourth is that only Africa can decide its destiny. Africans - and they above all - must take the initiative in solving theirown problems. Africa is neither a ‘lost continent’ nor a ‘continent in distress’, inhabited by people incapable of raising them-selves to the level of other people.

5. The fifth is that as long as Africans have no confidence in themselves, in their brothers and sisters, in their culture, in theirabilities or in their values, they will never make full use of the resources of creativity and inventiveness that lie dormant with-in them.

6. The sixth is that the three decades of difficulties, mistakes, hesitant experimentation, set-backs and partial success that havebrought discredit on our continent will not have been in vain if we have the courage to carry out a critical assessment of thesituation, examine our own consciences, recognize our inadequacies and weaknesses and draw, with humility, all the appro-priate lessons from it with a view to a new start.

7. The seventh is that, notwithstanding the need for structural adjustment plans, they should rapidly give way to genuinedevelopment programmes based on growth, full employment and justice, devised and carried out by the citizens of the coun-tries themselves for the benefit, in particular, of the most disadvantaged sections of society.

8. The eighth is that as long as the idea of peace is mistreated in Africa, efforts to promote development will never live up toexpectations. Armed conflicts, civil wars, border disputes, tribalism and ethnic rivalries, political disputes and the exploitationof religion for partisan ends make it only realistic to regard political instability and war not as epiphenomena but as a seriousand ongoing trend. We can reverse this trend, which has gone on for 50 years, but we shall need an inflexible political will.

9. Finally, as compared with Europe, the Americas, and the countries of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, which are formingeconomic blocs engaged in cut-throat competition, micro-States have no chance of becoming significant and credible forcesunless they unite. With its present population of 640 million people, who will number more than 1.2 thousand million con-sumers in 23 year’s time, we can be sure that Africa, with the wealth of its soil, its subsoil, its seas, its forests and its tourist andcultural potential, will never be marginalised if its people have the necessary negotiating skills to turn such undoubted bene-fits to commercial advantage” (Audience Africa, pp. 3-4).

Unease about Partnership and Networking in the Past From both Africans and Africanists there has been some kind of unease in the manner in which partnerships and networkinghave been conducted, and they have tried to argue for a mutually beneficial relationship.

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In a recent publication the Government of Namibia stated:

For many years, the Namibian people have had the support of many friends and partners outside the country. Since our Independencethe level of that cooperation has risen and expanded in scope. The managerial and administrative issue that arises in that regard is howwe can most effectively manage our relationships with our overseas friends. That is potentially a very problematic issue, since as a smallcountry (population 1.5 million) we may find that there are more foreigners studying and supporting our education than Namibians(Towards Basic Education For All, 1993, p. 497).

In another section of the same publication, it is stated:

In many African countries foreign agencies that provide assistance to education have come to have a major influence on the directionand content of education policy. Sometimes the foreign funds have explicit conditions. In order to receive them, a country must adopta specific policy or regulation, or implement a particular programme, or organise school in a particular way. Although some of thosepolicies in themselves may be desirable, when they are attached to foreign aid they make the recipient country less self reliant and per-haps even less able to become more self-reliant. Our challenge, therefore, is to find ways to collaborate with our overseas friends whilewe maintain our sense of purpose and direction (Towards Basic Education For All, 1993, p. 498)

In support of this stance Stephen Hellinger has stated:

We’re forever defining Third World development by the technical skills that we have in this country (America). We have to start help-ing people in the Third World to build their own strengths. What has happened in the past 40 years is that Third World governmentshave been looking increasingly outward for answers...They have failed to build upon what their own people are doing with their ownresources. (Hesser, 1989, p. 26)

This stance is further backed by Mary Harwood Futrell, former President of the National Education Association (of America)when she put the case of the importance of education (including early childhood care, education and development) as well asthe need for cooperation this way:

I maintain that we face an undeniable imperative for educational improvements that will enhance America’s competitive edge in theworld economic community. But I will also maintain that the gross national product is not - and never can be - a measure of our worthas a people ... The foundation of global education is an attitude, an attitude that affirms the oneness of the human family—an atti-tude best embodied in the phrase “with malice for none, with charity for all…“. Unless we recognise this decisive fact, we will, I fear,subordinate international cooperation to international competition. We will, I fear, build not bridges to understanding but barriers tounderstanding (Hesser, 1989, p. 34)

This leads us to make some practical suggestions on how to move towards appropriate concepts of partnerships, networkingand collaboration.

Practical suggestions on appropriate partnerships, networking and collaborationsIt seems that there is general and mutual agreement about the need for partnership, networking and collaboration. It seemsalso that there are some contentious issues that need to be resolved, and the rest of this paper is designed to make some prac-tical, though not exhaustive list of suggestions, on how this might be achieved.

In all the activities described above there is need to emphasize relevance to the African context. In a recent document theAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA, 1995) has indicated that successful education reform in Africais dependent on the quality of the underlying education policy. It is also indicated that there should be interest in both the con-tent of the policy, as well as the processes that lead to policy formulation. In looking at the case studies on policy formulationin Africa the document states: “Running through all the cases are two central themes: the need for publicly stated educationpolicies which are understood and supported by both government and civil society, and the importance of participation by thediverse parts of society that will be affected by the policies”. This statement is a healthy departure on the part of ADEA (and otherbodies including the World Bank) which had, in part at least, been responsible for determining the agenda and priorities inAfrican education, including research. These, as Gmelin (1995) points out, reveal a striking lack of context and feasibility andreflect concerns deemed important by external agencies. Gmelin suggests, rightly, a need to bring about collaborative researchclusters between several African countries, thus contributing to a critical mass of research potential in the region which wouldalso be beneficial to graduate training and thus enhance the re-production capacity for research. Samoff (1995) supplementsthis point by emphasizing the need for full African participation in education research in Africa. He states:

I do not mean to ignore the importance of extending experience nor to under estimate agencies’ need for researchers in whom theyhave confidence. Those concerns, however, cannot justify agencies’ lack of attention to helping African scholars develop the skills andexperience they deem important, or their slow pace in integrating Africans into their group of core consultants.

…Africanisation is likely to promote greater sensitivity to African problems and increased responsiveness to African constituencies andtheir needs and interests.

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At a recent address at the University of Namibia the Vice President for Africa at the World Bank, Mr. Callisto Madavo, in a speechentitled “The Changing role of the World Bank in Africa” outlined among other things the four challenges facing Africa:

i) Poverty

ii) The need to restore peace, and social and political stability

iii) HIV / AIDS; and

iv) Capacity building-promoting better institutions.

Secondly (and more importantly) he described how the Bank works now, placing emphasis on listening, partnership, and acomprehensive approach. In Partnership for Capacity Building (PACT), he stated two important points related to the issues weare describing:

An initiative designed by Africans, the PACT will help coordinate external support to prevent the multiple, ad hoc initiatives ofthe past, by focussing on locally - generated ideas with a real constituency. It will also allow for greater knowledge exchange,closely monitored pilots, and dissemination of lessons - all of which were sorely missing in the past.

In addition, PACT will be housed in an African institution (ACBF) and will be implemented by Africans. The multilaterals (WB, UNDP, and ADB) are taking a back seat role.

In some settings where change is implied or demanded there are always partners on both sides who are resistant to change.There are always problems of communication and suspicion about motives. As educators committed to the holistic develop-ment of the child and parental and community involvement (and the tenets attached thereto) our antidote to that mistrustmust be to insist that it require mutual respect by all involved in this process. Talking about Americans, Patrick Leaby made apoignant point when he stated, “it is not an act of charity, but of self-interest for nations in solidarity with developing countriesto promote needed reform... Americans accordingly must understand that global concerns are not just the unhappy fate of for-eigners, but affect every American today (Hesser, 1989, p.26)

In this conference and our future activities, then, it seems that pooling our resources can provide a rich synergy, if done withthe intention of knowledge exchange and collaboration and in partnership—through mutual cooperation; through pooling ofresources; and through exchanging of staff and promoting cooperation based on agreed division of labour in order to makeproductivity gains visible.

Real cooperation can only thrive on the grounds of common mutual interest, where all parties to the cooperation give andreceive, and where there is joint definition of the purpose of cooperation objectives by dialogue among partners; in which objec-tives are harmonised and by which a strong commitment is created.

Working or acting together for a common purpose takes place between two equals, and in order to create that situation, capac-ity building has to take place. This leads us to a concluding statement.

Concluding remarksThe import of all the above messages is simple: If Africans want to have the type of education and development for the AfricanChild which is truly indigenous, in the new millennium, and if they want to respond to the call for the African renaissance, theymust be firm and resolute in stating what one Africanist said: “We must do what we can with what we have, where we are!” Butas is also truly proverbial, “no man can be an island unto himself” And, so, in doing this, the African has to look for ways ofpartnership and networking which are mutually beneficial and mutually respect full of all stakeholders.

We trust that as we interact in this very important conference our modest efforts will bear fruit in the form of additional inputsand contributions from individuals, communities, governments and nongovernmental organisations, for, as one author hasshown us, the responsibility for African Children is ours individually and collectively:

“ And so l ask, who if not us will nurture our children? Who if not us will protect them? And who if not us will assure them oftheir birthright? Who?” (Leon Chestang, 1974)

Asante Sana! Webale Nyo! Eyalama Noi !Thank you very much!

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Welcome speech International Conference on Early Childhood Care and Development Kampala, Uganda September 6th, 1999 Kampala International Conference Centre “World Bank Commitment to Early Childhood Development” James W. Adams, Country Director for Uganda, World Bank

It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the World Bank, to welcome you as participants to this conference. I am delighted to seemany of Africa’s leading experts in Early Childhood Development (ECD) gathered in this nice center to share their experienceand program innovations in this very important field.

I would like to greet Her Excellency Vice President of Uganda Dr. Specioza Kazibwe, and the participants from 28 countries rep-resented here, from Africa and those of you who come from outside the continent. Let me thank the government of Uganda forgraciously hosting this conference.

I understand from the organizers that this conference has attracted considerable interest from the international scene, and infact more than 50 international participants have been turned away at the last minute because the conference was plannedonly for about 150 people. This shows you how much demand there is for knowledge and information on this topic.

This is the kind of demand for ECD programs that we in the World Bank and our partners are also trying to meet. We fully sub-scribe to the role of ECD in human development, that what happens in the early years determine to a great extent, success inlife. ECD improves children’s readiness to learn and their ability to complete schooling, and improve health. That much weknow from research in the Bank and from well known experts such as Prof. Fraser Mustard, who, I understand will provide akey lecture into this conference live by satellite from Toronto, Canada via the facilities of the World Bank’s Africa VirtualUniversity. However, there is a much larger reason why we need to increase our efforts to invest in children. Today’s childrenare the leaders, scientists, businessmen and parents of tomorrow. To invest in the children of Africa is to invest in its future.

We, in the Bank, have been slow to recognize this emerging new sub-sector in the human development field. It was only in theearly to mid-1990s that we truly embraced this new field in our lending program. Since then, we have been quite responsive tothe needs of countries that indicated interest in developing ECD programs. For example, our total lending for ECD worldwidenow exceeds $1.4 billion spread in about 30 countries. These are in the form of lending to self-standing ECD projects and com-ponents of education, health and social projects. Another $850-million more ECD programs are under discussion with govern-ments which implies that resources available for ECD will increase in the coming years. Already, large countries like India,China, Brazil, Indonesia have in recent years concluded loan agreements for ECD.

In Africa, we now have 2 self standing projects approved over the past two years, and more recently we have approved credit ineducation and social development projects where ECD is a component in Lesotho and Burundi. Eight other countries in Africahave formally requested for credit in ECD including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Senegal, and Malawi. And five other Africancountries are currently in dialogue with us on developing ECD programs.

In other words, we are “putting our money where our mouth is”. The World Bank’s commitment to ECD in the Africa Regionhas been increased through the creation of an ECD special team for Africa to assist all countries interested in pursuing ECDprograms in the coming years. We have committed to capacity building efforts in ECD through distance learning, and throughthe facilities of our Africa Virtual University, taking advantage of modern technologies of distance learning via the Internet, andvia computers such as the use of CD-ROM, and ECD Website, which will be demonstrated in this conference.

In addressing ECD, we place a great deal of emphasis on partnerships and collaboration of partners UNICEF, WHO and UNESCO,and other UN bodies, of foundations and NGOs and the private sector because they have the talent and expertise and resourcesto meet the challenges of improving the lives of children in their most vulnerable years.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that ECD is very high on our agenda. It ranks among the best interventions that wouldone day eradicate poverty—-which is the World Bank’s primary mission. ECD is a particular concern in our ComprehensiveDevelopment Framework. Our conclusion from studies indicate that countries that have adopted economic policies that haveput people and children first, have proven to be the most successful in reducing poverty and increasing the prosperity for all thepopulation. Investments in very young children, is therefore an investment in Africa’s future.

I wish you success in this conference.

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Speech by Hon. Minister of Gender, Labour, and Community DevelopmentThe Honourable Mrs. Janat MukwayaYour Excellency, the Vice-President of the Republic of Uganda, Your Excellency, the Vice- President, World Bank, Africa Region,My Colleagues, Hon. Ministers, and Honourable Members of Parliament, UN Agency Representatives, Delegates from the various countries, Permanent Secretaries, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am delighted to note that Uganda is today hosting yet another important conference, the International Conference on EarlyChildhood Care and Development. This to us is an important event, which portrays the good governance, and leadership theNational Resistance Movement Government has achieved over the years that it has been in leadership.

This conference among other things provides an opportunity for us to share the many successful early childhood developmentprogrammes in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Children in the Continent of Africa are a formidable future resource that we can notafford to ignore in our development endeavors. The below 6-year old children, who number to about 130 million, constitute21% of the entire population of Africa. In order to become useful and productive future citizens every rational society needs toinvest in them by way of adequately providing for them to meet health needs, early childhood education both informally andformally, child care and protection, sustainable income generation to make the families self sustaining, provision of clean, safewater and sanitation sources and nutrition.

While we look forward to what our children can do for their families, the society and the nation at large, the determinant factor is the level of commitment we give them at their infant stage.

It is the commitment we show at this stage that will enhance enrolment in schools, reduce the drop-out rate and repetition ofclasses, improve the health of these children as they grow, provide a favourable social environment for socialisation, ultimate-ly reduce our social welfare costs and contribute to human capital development.

The Kampala conference provides a forum to share the many successful early childhood programmes in Sub-Saharan Africaand learn lessons from these programmes to promote appropriate interventions in their own environments. I am also awarethat the various countries implementing these programmes are at different levels of success. We would therefore richly benefitfrom those that have registered higher success and at the end of the day recommit ourselves to further increased investmentsin this noble cause.

It is also the aim of the Kampala conference to develop a cadre of professionals with the right attitudes across Sub-SaharanAfrica by meeting their informational and developmental needs from their home country environments. To other countrieswhere Early Childhood Development programmes have not taken off, the forum provides an opportunity to lay preparations forthe implementation of technically sound, sustainable, donor co-financed programmes to the benefit of children.

On this note, it is my pleasure to share with the Conference participants the Ugandan situation of Early Childhood programmes.Uganda Government, over the last year, has received support from International Development Association (IDA) to supportNutrition and Early Childhood Project now under the Ministry of Health. The project focuses on improving the quality of life ofchildren aged below six years and building the capacity of families and communities that have a primary responsibility to carefor children. The project in its five years life span will focus its attention to improving nutrition, health, and psychosocial andcognitive needs of children. Achievement of this goal is therefore of a multi sectoral nature calling upon the variousGovernment ministries, Departments, Non Government Organisations and communities to work together.

Uganda Government is committed to this cause because we believe investment in children brings tangible benefits to the entirecountry. Good health, nutrition and mental stimulation are crucial if the child is to develop holistically. They are complimen-tary to one another and greatly affect the growth and development of a child. Children from poor families will enormously ben-efit from early childhood services and bridge the gaps and inequalities associated with poverty.

At the end of the five years of the Early Childhood Development project, Uganda hopes to reduce by one third the prevalence ofunder-weight and stunting among children. It also intends to register improvement in the children’s psychosocial and cogni-tive development. In order to achieve the above, emphasis should be laid on empowering the mothers and caregivers throughentrepreneurial skills, which can make them self-reliant. This approach will greatly compliment Government’s efforts in otherprogrammes that target the child and the family such as the Poverty Eradication Plan (PEAP), Uganda National Programmeof Action for Children (UNPAC) and the Universal Primary Education (UPE).

In order to ensure sustainability and ownership, the project adopts participatory planning by the communities and collabora-tion between non-governmental organisations and community base organisations (CBOs). Its multi-disciplinary nature alsocalls for close working relationship between my Ministry and Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Local Government, Finance andPlanning and Education.

Success in Early Childhood Development programmes entails integrated community childcare interventions through improvedparental awareness on major aspects of childcare, growth and development. Parents need to get education on child growthmonitoring.

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Child upbringing is not only the duty of the parents. Communities also need to be empowered to support child developmentprogrammes such as skills for income generation through support grants. Such knowledge and skills will be acquired throughsensitisation workshops and training.

In line with the Government’s Decentralisation policy, districts and sub-counties are responsible for the actual implementationof the project at service delivery levels.

I am also aware that there are some countries in Africa South of the Sahara that are far ahead of us in implementation of childwelfare programmes. I would urge them to give us a hand by sharing with us their rich experience. Once again I would like tosay that Uganda is committed to investing in its future resource—our children.

I believe the overview of Uganda’s commitment to Early Childhood Development programmes will generate fruitful discussions.I thank you for listening.

Opening of the International Conference on Early Childhood Development. Speech by H. E. DR. Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe Vice-President of the Republic of Uganda,read by the Honourable Mrs. Betty Okwire, Minister for the Vice-President’s Office1. Introduction:

Despite the success registered in the macro-stabilization of the economy, and the impressive economic growth since 1987, thecommendable economic performance has not been reflected in the improvement of the quality of life for Ugandan children as reflected by available social indicators.

Uganda is still faced with poor social indicators as revealed by the 1995 Demographic Survey. Ugandan’s pathetic performanceis depicted by an Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 97 per 1000 live births, and a Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of 506 per100,000 live births. The prevalence of chronic malnutrition (stunting) is 38% while the prevalence of Acute Malnutrition (wast-ing) has worsened from 2% 1988 to 5% in 1995. Children with both acute and chronic malnutrition comprise 25% of all chil-dren under 4 years.

This is very serious because rapid physical and mental growth take place during this period such that by two years of age, achild’s brain is nearly fully-grown. Cognitive abilities are also developed to a large extent by four years of age. Adequate physical and mental growth and development are therefore necessary in a healthy population.

It has been observed in many other countries that nutrition combined with early childhood development programmes achievereductions in Infant Mortality Rates, Maternal Mortality Rates and the prevalence of malnutrition.

Adequate nutrition, health and mental stimulation are crucial if the child is to attain normal growth and development. For achild to develop secure conceptual structures, prolonged nutrition deficiency should not be experienced because malnourishedchildren are found to enroll later in schools and drop out earlier. Statistics show that early childhood programmes and basiceducation, especially for girls and women have dramatic reductions in malnutrition, improved health, child development andprotection. Malnutrition reduces child growth and development, leads to poor health, low productivity and decreased earningsboth at the individual and national level.

2. Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Uganda: ECD is the foundation for life long learning and is critical for child devel-opment. However, a number of constraints affect policy makers in taking positive action on early childhood development. Theseinclude:

(i) Limited technical capacity at the national level in terms of development and training skills;

(ii) Lack of information and data on the care of children, and early child development;

(iii) Low demand for early child care/education especially in the rural areas; and

(iv) Insufficient awareness and advocacy for ECD activities.

3. The Nutrition and Early Childhood Project (NECDP): The Government realizes that giving children a healthy start is one ofthe major strategies that will eventually lead to improvements in their quality of life and that of the general population.

Improvements in child welfare lead to improvement in human capital, which is a necessary prerequisite for sustainable devel-opment. As a strategic plan to guide policies and resource allocation to meet children’s health and developmental needs, theGovernment adopted the Uganda National Plan of Action for Children (UNPAC) [in 1992]. The plan foresees the provision ofbasic social services in health, nutrition, and education to as many Ugandan children as possible. UNPAC was followed by theestablishment of the National Council for Children (NCC) [in 1993]. The NCC mandate is child advocacy, coordination andmobilization of resources for effective implementation of the UNPAC.

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The NECD Project is a direct input in achieving the objectives of the UNPAC since successful child development can best beachieved through the provision of integrated services that address at the same time the social, emotional, cognitive, health andnutrition needs of children.

Because of the importance, Government attaches to child development a Project has been designed to improve the nutritionalstatus of the children of Uganda and focuses on the improvement of the children under six years of age in terms of nutrition, health, psycho-social and cognitive aspects. At the end of the five-year implementation period the project will be eval-uated based on the following indicators:

(i) Reduced prevalence of underweight pre-school children by one third of 1995 levels in the project districts;

(ii) Improved children’s psycho-social and cognitive development;

(iii) Formation of at least one woman saving and credit group in each community where the project will be implemented.

4. NECD Project Design: The NECD Project will be implemented in the context of the following social sector policies:

The Poverty Eradication Strategy and Plan of Action which implements a two-pronged strategy of poverty eradication consist-ing of measures to increase incomes of the poor, and measures to improve the quality of life of the poor through provision ofbasic social services. The NECD Project is an important input into the poverty eradication and human capital developmentstrategies. Besides increasing awareness on effective resource management at the household level, the project will raise incomesamong families and communities through its training on savings, credit and income generation.

The National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNP) which addresses food and nutrition as a major national resource for humandevelopment and economic growth, and as part of the political advocacy for a sustainable macro economic policy.

The National Education Policy which is geared towards improving accessibility, equity, quality and relevance of education withspecial focus on universalization of primary education.

The National Health Policy which is centered on Primary Health Care (PHC) approach and accords priority in resource allo-cation to preventive services with emphasis on community participation and involvement in improving their own health.

The National Decentralization Policy and Framework which aims at the devolution of responsibility to districts, sub-counties andcommunities as a means of improving performance, financial transparency and accountability, effectiveness and sustainability.

The project conception and design is a result of consultation of the stakeholders through a consultative process that hasinvolved implementing ministries, donors and NGOs. As a multi-sectoral programme encompassing health, nutrition, earlyeducation, child care and income generation, the project approach will involve linking various government departments andthe non-government entities to provide comprehensive services towards the development of children.

Project Goals, Objectives and Strategies:The overall goal of the NECD Project is to improve the quality of life of Ugandan children 0-6 years of age.

The purpose is to improve the nutrition, health, cognitive, and psychosocial development of the same children.

The objectives are:

1. To create awareness in families and communities of children’s rights and needs.

2. To build on the knowledge and skills of families and communities so as to provide proper health care, appropriate child nutri-tion, early child development and protection.

3. To increase the skills and capacity of families and communities to mobilise resources and manage their own income gener-ating activities, thereby enhancing their ability to care for children.

The strategies through which the objectives are to be achieved are:

a) Helping communities to organise services for children 0-6 years, through growth monitoring and Establishment of EarlyChildhood Care and Education (ECCE) facilities.

b) Strengthening the capacity of families and communities through sensitisation, education and skills training on early child-hood development, nutrition, training for savings and income generation.

c) Providing support to communities through community grants and incentives, including an innovations grant, which willrespond to special local initiatives for children.

d) Supporting ongoing national programs that are related to the growth and development of children.

New findings in brain research indicate that society will greatly benefit from investing in the early years of life. Early childhoodprograms have been shown to enhance school readiness, reduce drop out and repetition in schools, improve health of thesechildren as they mature to adulthood, foster beneficial social behaviour thus lessening social welfare costs.

Thus, programs in the critical early years are fundamental to human development—not only to the success of the child butalso to the success of society as a whole.

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Welcoming CommentsKampala International ECCD ConferenceMr. Callisto Madavo, Vice-President, Africa Division, World BankAs an African and a Zimbabwean, I am particularly pleased to address your conference on Early Childhood Development (ECD).

Your work is providing young children with a strong start in life, and today’s children will determine Africa’s future. ManyAfricans and many friends of Africa long and dream that the 21st century becomes an African century, but that can only hap-pen if we put African children at the centre of development. They are the leaders and the informed workers of tomorrow.

In my remarks this afternoon, I’d like , at first, to place ECD in this light of an aspiration in making the 21st century an Africancentury. What, in addition to ECD, would need to happen to make that possible? Second, I would like to say a few words on thelessons of experience, why an achievement of ECD holds considerable signs of promise and progress. Third, I would like to speakto the challenges in this area today, and fourth, I would then like to conclude by saying what the World Bank is doing, togeth-er with you and other partners, to meet the challenges of ECD.

Let me then attend for a few minutes to this larger perspective termed the 21st century becoming an African century. As we wellknow, Africa is doing better in the 1990s than in the 1980s. Economies are growing again, societies are opening up politically,people are recovering their voice in the dialogue. Governments are addressing corruption as a major concern. At the sametime there was hope in 1995, progress has been slower than we thought would be the case. We have seen Africa mired in con-flict, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Liberia, in Sierra Leone, and certainly in the Horn of Africa in the conflict betweenEthiopia and Eritrea. There have been setbacks in the democratic process. There have been some failures in leadership and ininstitutions. And now a fire is raging across the continent. This is of course the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Yet not all is lost. Strong building blocks are being put in place and we can build on these toward this aspiration to make the21st century an African century. You need only look at what is happening in Nigeria; isn’t that wonderful? You also look atSouth Africa and see the conditions. But if the 21st century is to be an African century, Africans with the help of their friendsare going to have to move vigorously in at least two areas: one, a vigorous continent-wide attack on HIV/AIDS – if we don’t dosomething about this, nothing else will matter – and two, a single-minded focus on good governance, vastly to restore securi-ty, peace, and stability. To reduce strife there is a need to set clear rules of the game in both public and private sectors, to restorerespect for the rule of law, for people and community.

In asking Africans to write their own future, this means developing new leadership, which means use of technology such as weare in fact experiencing this afternoon. It means the fundamental focus on children. And I might add here that if in fact Africansare going to develop the leadership, if they are going to focus on children successfully, etc., we in the international communi-ty who have been supporting Africa have got to learn to let go, to create the space for Africans to write this future.

From my remarks, you can see that I believe that the 21st century can, indeed, be an African century. Africans can make it hap-pen, but part of the equation has to be a focus on children. Let me, therefore, tend to the importance of focusing on childrenthrough ECD. There has begun a coming together of many factors that offer real prospects for progress. There is a changingawareness among parents and policy makers to give active attention to children’s early development. There is an awarenessthat this can make a fundamental difference. Experience and research have given evidence that ECD works, improves chil-dren’s potential for growth and development. There is growing evidence that ECD can result in substantial future gains andsubstantial savings in the provision of public and private sector services as children move into primary schools and secondaryschools and tertiary education. I’m sure Professor Mustard will, as an expert in this area, share with the conference some of theevidence and some of the results that we are seeing.

For the above reasons, therefore, the demand for ECD is increasing and many countries are undertaking programmes in ECD.Many of them are approaching the World Bank for help. What then is the World Bank doing to support ECD? We have largeECD programmes in a number of African countries. In Uganda, for example, we have a nutrition and ECD project. In Kenya,we have the ECD project; in Nigeria, we have the development communications project. And recently in a project in Burundiwhich we put before our board, and which was approved, we have a very significant ECD component in the Social Action Project.In Senegal, in Lesotho, in Guinea, these countries are incorporating ECD in their educational programmes, and these pro-grammes are also being supported by the Bank.

But the support by the Bank goes beyond money; it’s not just an issue of lending. It’s also an issue of supporting the genera-tion of ideas, the generation and dissemination of knowledge. We are supporting networking and planning, and indeed, a con-ference such as we are having today is a good example of the kind of learning together that needs to take place if we are tomake progress, and go forward. We are working in partnership with others, NGOs, other bilateral donors to Africa, and stake-holders at different levels. There is a strong commitment to ECD within a framework of increased support by the Bank to thesocial sectors, within the framework of education, health, and nutrition.

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Looking to the future, I believe that things are coming together on this issue. The people are seeing its value and many morecountries are beginning to respond. As we implement programs, we need to do so through partnerships continually stressingand learning about what works and making that information available locally and globally. We need to strengthen the capac-ity to ensure that the leadership requirements of the process are being met. And above all, we need to put Africans in front fromthe community to the national networks, to lead this effort. Africans have to write that part also of their future. We need also,I think, to lead this effort with technology through the use of Internet and distance learning to expand the training for ECDleaders in Africa.

Let me conclude by simply saying again that your conference is addressing a central issue that focuses on children. This is animportant pillar in our efforts to make the 21st century an African century. I wish the conference success, and I wish you allgood learning and interaction.

Thank you.

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Closing of the International Conference on Early Childhood Care and Development.Hon. Dr. Philip Byaruhanga, Minister of State for Health, UgandaMy Colleagues, Honourable Ministers, Honourable Members of Parliament, Representatives from UN Agencies, Representativesfrom the World Bank, Delegates/Participants from other Countries, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

My Ministry and indeed myself are very pleased to note that Uganda is today hosting an important conference, the InternationalConference on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD). To us, this is an important event, because the Government ofUganda has long recognized that giving children a healthy start is one of the major strategies that will eventually lead toimprovements in the quality of life of children and that of the general population.

As a strategic plan to guide policies and resource allocation to meet children’s health and developmental needs, the Governmentadopted in 1992 the Uganda National Plan of Action for Children (UNPAC). The plan foresees the provision of basic social serv-ices in health, nutrition, and education to as many Ugandan children as possible. The Ministry of Health was specifically soughtout by Parliament to implement the Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project (NECDP) to achieve the objectiveabove. By coordinating this integrated project that addresses at the same time the social, emotional, cognitive, health, and nutri-tion needs of children, the Ministry is recognized as a provider of Integrated Services.

Since Early Childhood Development encompasses different Government departments, the experience you have gained here willbe valuable when formulating and implementing the different programmes in your countries. I am sure the conference hasprovided an opportunity for many of you to share ideas and identify weaknesses and successes.

I am informed that this is an idea whose time has come. That there are large numbers of Early Childhood Care andDevelopment projects that are taking place all over Africa. It was the idea of this conference to hear from many other countries,which have tried different approaches to promoting health and a well being of children. I understand that the idea of the con-ference was to demonstrate Early Childhood Care and Development Innovations and Applications in Africa. Let me hope thatthis has been utilized to the maximum.

Clearly, the need for and the desire to share ECCD experience in Africa are very great. However, there are constraints. As the Vice-President noted when opening this conference, these include:

• limited technical capacity in development and technical skills,• lack of information,• low demand to ECD, and• insufficient awareness and advocacy for ECD activities.

It is therefore important that Government invests in increasing the technical capacity, the skills for ECD, provide sufficient infor-mation, and through channels of communication with the public which have long been established, provide the required advo-cacy and sensitization.

You have been informed that Uganda has very poor nutrition indicators whereby 38% of all children below 4 years are stunt-ed, 5% wasted, and 24% stunted and wasted. This is a very serious situation for the development of this country. However,Government’s commitment in this field gives us hope that we shall reverse these appealing indicators.

While we look forward to a better future, let me hope the Kampala Conference has provided us with yet another forum in whichideas have been exchanged on successful early childhood programmes.

Since it has been the aim of this conference to develop a cadre of professionals with the knowledge and attitudes to steer ECCDprogrammes ahead, I have reason to believe that ECD will develop in Africa.

I wish you a good journey home.


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Closing comments Marito Garcia, Ph.D., Group Leader, Africa Region ECD Program, The World BankHon. Philip Bayuhanga, Minister of Health, Rev. Ssempangi, Chairman of the Uganda National Council for Children, friends,ladies and gentlemen.

It was quite a hectic week for all of us. The conference was marked by high energy from presenters and infectious enthusiasmfrom all the participants. When Professor Alan Pence and I were planning for this conference last year, we thought that if wecould attract 80 or so participants into Kampala, that we would have gone a long way. But look around you today. We have 175participants from 29 countries in attendance from all corners of Sub-Saharan Africa and from elsewhere. In fact, our organiz-ers turned down 50 late registrants because our revenue capacity was for only about 150 people. However, I would not judge thesuccess of this conference by these numbers. The conference was marked by the excellent presentations of innovations in ECCD,a great deal of networking, increased acquaintances amongst ECCD professionals. Alan Pence challenged us at the beginningof this conference when he said that he will judge the success of this conference not only by what we learned from the presen-ters, but by what we learned from persons sitting beside us, from persons we meet in the hallways and over dinner. If I were touse Professor Pence’s criteria, I would consider this conference to be a big success!

Numerous people were instrumental in making this conference happen. I would like to sincerely thank and acknowledge themfor their commitment and dedication to make all this a reality. First, I would like to thank Professor Alan Pence who chairedthe international organizing committee of this conference. I am sure you will agree with me that Professor Pence has done agreat job at putting together an excellent collection of speakers and topics for this conference. We owe him the great spirit thatthe conference generated amongst the participants.

Secondly, we would like to thank the Uganda organizing team led by Caroline Pond of the Uganda Nutrition/ECD Project Officeand the conference secretariat led by Nikki Morton-Nutter and Sarah Mukwaya and assisted by our volunteer team of Annette,Susan, Dorothy and Juliet. This team’s organizational talents are first rate. You will know the quality of organization by its atten-tion to details such as the excellent Information Handbook, the poster display, conference outings, and excellent dinners anddancing at the Nile Gardens.

Thirdly, we are grateful to the Ministry of Health, the Ugandan Government and particularly the host project, the UgandaNutrition and Early Childhood Development Project Office led by Dr. John Mutumba, for being excellent hosts to this confer-ence in this beautiful Kampala International Conference Center.

Fourthly, I would like to thank the international organizing committee including Susan Opper, Caby Verzosa and HarrietNannyonjo of the World Bank, and advice from Cyril Dalais, Professor Barnabas Otaala, and Margaret Kabiru.

We thank the various organizations who contributed to the presentations in this conference including: the UNICEF delegationheaded by Cyril Dalais and Olivia Yambi, Bernard van Leer Foundation led by Paula Nimpuno, Aga Khan Foundation and theConsultative Group on ECD led by Kathy Bartlett, Save the Children Fund (US) led by Amy Jo Dowd, delegates from bilateralsthe Netherlands and Finland. Likewise to the presentations from Professor Fraser Mustard and Bank Vice-President Mr. CallistoMadavo whom we saw live via satellite from Toronto beamed via the facilities of the Africa Virtual University. I am also grate-ful to the World Bank team of Margaret Saunders who gave us a presentation of the CD-ROM for ECD and to Simone Kirpalwho presented the Africa ECD Website. We also thank country presenters from Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia,South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Tanzania.

I am delighted to see the rich and colorful Poster Display held at the Addis Room. It is very clear that we have here a great col-lection of work and innovative programs from all parts of Africa that needs to be exposed for all of us to see.

So what’s next? I would like to announce the following events and initiatives to come:

First, I am aware that participants here have expressed desire to meet more frequently than in the past to share and exchangethese experiences in ECCD. We will preserve the spirit of this conference by pushing forward with another gathering like thisnext year. I would like to announce that Senegal has accepted the challenge to host the next International Conference in ECCDin Africa to be held in September 2000. I would like to invite all of you to participate in that conference.

Second, the proceedings of this conference will be fully documented by the organizers, and we will send this to you.Furthermore, we will include in the packet, a copy of the ECD CD-ROM so that you can immediately use these in your own workin your countries.


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Thirdly, we are committed towards the development of an ECD Virtual University in Africa to increase the efforts in the capacity building of this sector, and in the training and development of future leaders in ECD in Africa. Professor Pence and Iwill discuss this with the World Bank management in the coming weeks.

Fourth, in tandem with the development of the Africa ECD Virtual University, we will push the expansion of the Africa ECDWebsite to all countries and organizations in these countries. We will work with partners in the region as well as amongst theinternational organizations to expand the capacity to develop and operate specific country ECD Websites that will be linked toeach other also as an informal network within Africa. The African ECD Websites will form the main nucleus of country andregional initiatives to establish an African ECD knowledge base, which can be used widely for programming, training, capaci-ty building and advocacy.

Lastly, I would like mention that the management of the Africa Region of the World Bank has now given high priority to ECDas a new field of operations and lending, and that its staff dealing with ECD has now expanded to four full time task managerswho will help borrowing countries in preparing ECD operations. It is heartening to note that countries are now seriously invest-ing in ECD. In fact, our Africa ECD Team is now assisting about 10 countries in various stages of preparation of ECD projectsin their countries. I encourage those of you who are advocating ECD programs in your own countries to get in touch with ourECD task managers.

On behalf of the World Bank, and the conference’s international organizing committee, I wish you all a safe journey.

Thank you.


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Documents

International Conference on Early Childhood Care and ...documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/414421468204868562/pdf/373… · Chair for the day - Mrs. Margaret Kabiru 0900 - 1030 Session