Lessons Learned from a Strengthened Partnership for Nurturing Care: a multi-country initiative that influenced caregivers Knowledge, Attitude and Practice

• In Event: Multisectoral support for early childhood development

Proposal

Despite global evidence on the importance of investing in early childhood development and momentum around the establishment of the Nurturing Care Framework, recent evidence suggests millions of infants and young children face significant barriers to receiving nurturing, responsive and protective care. ChildFund, with funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and in partnerships with Siaya county government in Kenya, and the Chibombo District in Zambia implemented the A Strengthened Partnership for Nurturing Care project from August 2018 to October 2021. This multi-country initiative was designed to address the needs of young children and their caregivers affected by HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The goal of this project was that ‘Vulnerable children aged 0-5 years affected by HIV and AIDS meet developmental milestones in a nurturing environment by July 2021.’ To realize this goal, ChildFund worked through partnerships with relevant partners in civil society and government departments at the community and sub-national level (county/district level) to 1) strengthen multisectoral coordination between government and partners to expand Nurturing Care knowledge, attitudes and practices for caregivers of infants and young children; 2) strengthen community-based child protection systems for children below 5 years of age. During the planning phase, ChildFund undertook in-depth consultative processes with relevant government departments to identify existing gaps, resources, and specific entry points for supporting the project.

The project administered group parenting sessions to most vulnerable children and their caregivers including pregnant women and adolescents. The sessions were integrated into existing programs specifically the home visits through the national health system in Kenya, existing community group meetings and in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres.

The presentation will provide data from three distinct studies conducted in 2021: a process evaluation which examined the implementation of the project, a Participatory Evaluation which used the Most Significant Change methodology with caregivers and nurturing care practitioners, and an endline evaluation carried out to identify changes in outcomes and output indicators as between baseline and endline. This data will help share insights and the steps taken from the project’s adaptation of a Strength-Based Approach that taps on the existing community knowledge and resources to strengthen the support systems for the benefit of young children and their caregivers. Specifically, the presentation will share key learnings from the project around 1) engaging men in nurturing caregiving, and 2) collaborating with relevant government departments throughout the project cycle and strengthening multisectoral coordination to ensures buy-in, sustainability of project interventions, and enhanced provision of integrated ECD services.

Author

• Damaris Wambua, ChildFund