About CHILDHOPE-ZAMBIA Part 2~ Head Start

Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE):

Many children in the targeted districts benefit from CHILDHOPE-ZAMBIA early childhood care development and education (ECCDE) work through supporting their physical and emotional development. CHILDHOPE Initiatives include construction of early childhood care, development and education centers, establishing day care centers and pre-schools, stimulating children's learning through play, pre-school, feeding programmes, and adult literacy classes to improve their reading and writing skills. CHILDHOPE believes early childhood programmes make for strong foundations and pay high dividends which have significant impact on children's health and readiness to learn brings important economic returns later in life.

Improving performance at school:

For instance in Mazabuka, primary school teachers in the targeted communities have reported that children who enroll for the first class at primary-level after having attended CHILDHOPE ECCDE programme perform better academically, socially and emotionally than their classmates. CHILDHOPE ECCDE programmes have been most successful where strong relationships among the communities and the basic school teachers have been formed. Our basic school improvement work involves child participation and school governance.
In 2009, CHILDHOPE trained 40 pre-school teachers, 80 community members in TB Direct observed treatment(DOT) and psychosocial counseling, 120 women in safe motherhood and HIV/AIDS, 80 community members in ECCDE care giving, 80 community members in parent management committees, supported 240 people living with HIV/AIDS through the provision of Home based care kits. For example in 2009 in Mazabuka district, CHILDHOPE supported 800 children in ECCDE.