Planète Enfants & Développement has just launched a vast program in favor of the most disadvantaged children under 6 years old. This 3-year program aims at informing parents on the importance of education from the early years, at creating or reinforcing childcare facilities, at training and equipping professionals, and at reinforcing the laws on Early Childhood. Supported by the French Development Agency, we are deploying this program in Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Burkina Faso and in exploration in Togo.
Although the countries in which we operate have a political will to develop early childhood services, in reality, children under 6 years of age do not receive the care they deserve. Societies are changing: traditional models are evolving, women are working, parents are ambitious for their children.
However, in Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Burkina Faso or Togo, public crèches or childminders are rare. Private childcare facilities are too expensive for many families. Too few children go to kindergarten, often due to a lack of trained teachers and equipment.
For PE&D, it is essential to fight against inequalities from the earliest age and to give all children the same opportunities.
With the support of the French Development Agency, which is financing 60 % of this 2.8 million euro program, we can set ambitious goals by 2024:
- 500,000 children reached by our activities,
- nearly 180,000 families made aware of the importance of care, stimulation and learning before the age of 6,
- Nearly 1,000 early childhood professionals have been supported.
Specifically, we will work with eight partner organizations on information sessions and workshops for parents, the creation of day care centers, the training of childcare assistants, the construction or upgrading of community preschools, the provision or upgrading of play spaces in disadvantaged neighborhoods, the training of teachers and the development of appropriate teaching materials, as well as the sharing of models of sustainable childcare and schools in disadvantaged contexts and the strengthening of laws.
2020 - 2024: priority to Early Childhood!
Véronique Jenn-Treyer, Director of Planète Enfants & Développement
October 1, 2020
