Programs - Comprehensive ECD Initiatives (CECDI) Program

"CECDI-Comprehensive Early Childhood Development Initiatives"

"ECD-Early Childhood Development"

The Comprehensive ECD Initiatives (CECDI) Program seeks to address the gaps in integrated provisioning of child care needs in Kyuso district of Eastern Kenya. The program appreciates that indigenous knowledge and practices occupy an integral position in child care ecology and have therefore adopted both modern and traditional methods in strengthening child care environment.

By utilizing an innovative strategy of “community managed child centers’, the project aims to create a one stop-centre where children get health, nutritional, educational, care and psychosocial support. The services in these centers will be provided by a range of community resource persons including ‘community guardians’ and volunteers and utilize both local and modern practices.

The program builds on community level structures as key pillars in supporting child care needs. It therefore enhances capacity and also strengthens linkages between community structures and other child service providers and networks towards integrated provision of child needs.

Project Goal
To improve quality of life of children 0-8 with special needs (orphans and vulnerable children most affected by poverty and disease) in Kyuso District Eastern Province of Kenya by 2011.

Beneficiaries
The program targets a total of about 4,000 children under the care of 800 vulnerable families most affected by disease and abject poverty located in 15 locations of Kyuso District, Eastern Province of Kenya. Among these numbers are 2000 vulnerable children – (boys and girls) ages 0-8 years that have been greatly marginalized from accessing essential care and support for promotion of continued growth and development.