Our Enable Play Learning programme reaches its target of 1,000 parent-child pairs
By Dr Emma Chademana, Head of Programmes, One to One Africa
The Enable Play Learning (EPL) programme started in May. It builds on Bright Start, which focuses on early childhood development. This pilot showed the impact of this intervention on early child development, which can have a decisive impact on the life-chances of the child.
Bright Start is a Cape Town based programme targeted to parents and caregivers of children exposed to HIV.
The EPL programme expands this work to the rural Eastern Cape, working with our existing clients across 31 villages to shape early child development. The Mentor Mothers train the programme caregiver, but the beneficiary is actually the child.
We have achieved our target and are working with a cohort of 1,000 caregiver-child pairs to deliver early childhood development interventions.
Bright Start focussed on children exposed to HIV, whereas the EPL programme has been opened up to all children. However, the nature of these communities in the Eastern Cape means that they still are children exposed to HIV (not necessarily infected), because we have a high prevalence of HIV in our group.
The EPL programme has several components. We use a nurturing care framework to frame our intervention and encourage early stimulation.
EPL – Enable Play Learning (toys)
Early literacy and learning (Book Dash project - picture and word books. We received 3,400 books from Book Dash and have distributed these. Their vision is that every child, by the time they get to the age of five, should own 100 books.)
Nutrition – nutrition literacy, food gardens and seedling distribution. We are about to procure the seedlings and seeds in time for the rainy season.
Responsive caregiving and parenting
Social Protection (referrals for any child protection or safeguarding issues and referral to social workers, assistance with birth certificate applications and I.D. applications for the caregivers and the children, as well as for social grants)
Every week the parent or caregiver comes in for the sessions depending on where we are in the programme. If it's early learning, they're doing the books; if it's early stimulation, they're doing the toys.
They receive the toy or the book, to take and keep. Then they get a session on how to engage with their child and implement these different activities at home. So, for example, if it's a toy, they get 4 to 5 activities that they can do with their child. Each toy is geared to the development of a cognitive developmental skill: fine motor, gross motor, communication, language and social skills.
The sessions are very intimate which makes for deep information dissemination and an opportunity for people to engage meaningfully with the facilitator. It is also a way of starting a support network amongst the parents themselves.