Children of the Nile - Egypt

The programme introduces local NGOs to participatory approaches and governance methodology in order to strengthen their organisational and institutional capacity to design and implement low-cost ECD programmes. Based on the belief that childcare supervisors and caregivers should take responsibility for integrating practices designed to stimulate child development and eradicate gender gaps, training sessions are conducted for these personnel on newsletter writing, community seminars, workshops, field visits, and forums; in these sessions, the development of technical, managerial, communication, and negotiation skills is highlighted. The project NGOs then carry out awareness-building activities and recruit community volunteers to advocate and adopt ECD practices among community members. For example, the publication of local newsletters is encouraged (in addition to a centralised publication). A biannual forum is held to enable network members to meet and exchange information regarding ECD best practices. Most recently, a league and newletter was created for kindergarten caregivers and supervisors. A Technical Secretariat, who oversees the network and is responsible for facilitating training and outreach programmes, also receives training in marketing, toy production, information management, resources management, and financial planning.

The project also recognises the centrality of parents in ECD by including them in activities and encouraging them to extend those activities into the home.

The subgrant component of the project, directly managed by participating NGOs, is designed to improve the kindergarten set-up. The aim is to create a setting more conducive to stimulating learning by renovating gardens, replacing inappropriate furniture, reorganising restrooms, and painting and decorating walls with illustrative and educational material on Egyptian culture. As part of this effort, ECD workers were trained to create "museum corners" utilising local cost-effective materials.

Early Childhood Development, Children, Education.

This network has grown from its initial membership of five NGOs to its current size of 33 organisations. Each partner NGO is obliged to recruit other ECD associations within its community and governorate; this NGO in turn passes on the training it receives.

According to programme organisers, throughout the duration of the project, over a thousand children have benefited each year from improved ECD services delivered by an ECD-committed preschool staff.