MANGOCHI-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi government through the ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare on Tuesday urged various stakeholders to include physically challenged children in the implementation of Early Child Development (ECD) programs.
The calls amid sidelining of the children with disabilities including albinos, blinded and death (ear-challenged) on ECD.
In an interview with Maravi Post in Mangochi during the on ongoing ECD conference, Francis Chalamanda, ECD National Coordinator in the Ministry of Gender observed that most children with disabilities are not included in the initiative.
Chalamanda said through the ECD policy the ministry has developed covers disability children which stakeholders in the sector will be mandated to follow when implementing programs.
He therefore lauded some non-organisations who have already started integrating physically challenged children in ECD program implementation.
“We want all ECD programs to integrate children with disabilities that their welfare. This will be neccesitated by ECD policy government is expected to launch soon,” said Chalamanda.
National Director for Centre for Children’s Affairs (CEAF) Malawi, Moses Busher whose organization integrates children with disabilities on its activities including EDC says the task has not been easy to support such children.
Busher therefore urged development partners to support physically challenged
with needed resources.
In her remarks, Kuyeli, EDC Coalition Chairperson appealed for proper coordination among stakeholders in the sector for easy implementation of various programs on ECD.
Under the theme, “accelerating accessible, quality and equitable EDC services in Malawi, the conference has drawn participants from traditional leaders, communited based organisation, government agencies, communities, donors and the media among others.
On Friday Gender Minister Jean Kalirani launched this year’s long week commemoration of ECD in the country.
The ECD week commemoration started on Monday, November 20 to 24 whose main event was held at Lunzu Primary School Ground in Blantyre.
This year’s ECD week started with a media training in Lilongwe from November 16 to 19, that aimed at raising the profile of ECD program in Malawi through enhanced advocacy and communication of the initiative’ best practices for the need to increase funding.
With funding from Action Aid International Malawi (AAIM), the training drew media personnel from electronic, print and online local outlets.
For every US$ 1 spent on quality early childhood programs, there is a US$7 return in cost saving.
A failure therefore to invest in ECD diminishes by 20 percent all investments a country makes in children.
For Malawi, this is a loss the country can ill afford and undermine its ambition to reduce ambition to reduce poverty through sustained economic growth as stated in the Growth and Development Strategy.
This is however evidenced in lack of incentives to caregivers in most ECD centers across the nation which needs to be addressed with urgency.