The Capricorn Foundation recently hosted an Early Childhood Development (ECD) networking session that brought together key players in the field of ECD from the public and private sectors to discuss the need for, and scope of, ECD efforts in Namibia.
The event titled ‘The Namibian Child’ took the form of an informative breakfast, with the goal of sparking conversations about the importance and benefits of ECD and investments in ECD, the plight of the Namibian child, the national landscape of ECD, and the role of the private sector as corporate citizens.
Loide Velishavo, Deputy Director for ECD at the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, highlighted efforts by government to improve ECD programmes and services through the Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) Framework for Action, the assessment and registration tool for ECD centres, the Child Care and Protection Act 2015 (Act No. 3 of 2015), and the current review of the National Integrated ECD Framework.
“Our efforts have yielded numerous successes. At the same time, much work remains to be done in terms of ECD access and quality. With over 2 900 registered (not including non-registered) centres in Namibia, and approximately 20 per cent of children aged 0 to 6 having access to these centres, there needs to be much collaboration with community-run ECDs, NGOs, Development partners and corporates in the CSI space,” she said.
The ministry also encouraged the private sector to collaborate with them to increase impact, as well as to cross-check with the ministry when supporting ECD initiatives to ensure that organisations are adhering to the ministry’s framework and guidelines.
According to the statement, Capricorn Foundation believes that this is just the beginning of more efforts and results in relation to the social development network.
The foundation has supported numerous programmes in the areas of education, health, economic advancement and sustainability over the last two years, as well as created opportunities to upskill NGOs and connect corporates with various organisations on the ground.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
