Research has established that the development
of intelligence, personality and social behaviour occurs most
rapidly in the earliest years of our lives. We now know that
the brain responds most to very early stimulation, and the effects
of deprivation during the earliest years often cannot be overcome
later in life.
A finding particularly significant for poorer
countries like ours is that nutritional supplements alone do
not have as great an impact on malnourished children's growth,
as when they are combined with psychosocial stimulation. Hence,
there is a growing awareness that interventions for infant survival
need to go hand in hand with programmes for young children's
growth and psychosocial development. It is in this context that,
since 1997, the CLR is developing and delivering inputs for programmes
catering to children under 3 years.
Issues / Needs we address
Targetting caregivers of disadvantaged children
in the birth to 3-years age group, in both rural and urban families,
the CLR addresses the following needs:
Understanding local knowledge, attitudes and practices of caregivers, in order to contextualise all inputs.
Enhancing the
knowledge of caregivers about holistic child development.
Endorsing sound traditional caregiving practices, change
harmful practices, and to integrate inputs for psychosocial
development with health and nutrition education.
Developing good communication skills of field workers to effectively
convey key messages on holistic, home-based child care.
CLR ACTIVITIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE
FOR SURVIVAL, GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
