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Conference Facility, Intuthuko Junction, 750 Francois Road, Durban With the financial support of UNICEF New York, the Child Youth Family and Social Development (CYFSD) Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) brought together a group of experts to make the situation of young children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty more visible, to define the unique needs and rights of younger children, to explore existing and new opportunities to meet the needs of younger children, and to take up the challenge of developing strategic actions to support young children and their caregivers. During the two-day meeting, presentations were made by Pat Engle (Integrated Early Child Development, UNCEF New York), Linda Richter (HSRC), Karsten Hundeide (Integrated Child Development Programme), Mabel Umali (Speak for the Child, Kenya), Doug Webb (UNICEF ESARO), and others. On the third day, a smaller group met to examine both available materials for promoting the development of younger children, as well as to explore already used and potentially new platforms into which existing and new materials could be inserted with appropriate networking, advocacy and training. These include palliative care, voluntary counselling and testing, antiretroviral treatment programmes. The meeting agreed on a number of concerns, including the importance of developing policy narratives which stress the importance of the long-term potential of early child development initiatives. The three-day consultation concluded with both general and specific recommendations, including that the HSRC would develop an information and advocacy pamphlet that could be used by all agencies working in the field of early child development, and that the Department of Social Development would lead with wide distribution under its name.
Child, Youth, Family and Social Development (CYFSD)
Human Sciences Research Council |
Integrated Early Childhood Development
UNICEF . New York |
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