3-part webinar series: Are we on the pathway to ensuring our youngest generation receives nurturing care?
Dates: March 22 2022, March 29 2022, 5 April 2022
Language: English, via Zoom
Webinar 1: What is nurturing care?
Recording: https://youtu.be/J3UAPc2JRWY
• Bernadette Daelmans, Unit Head, Child Health and Development Unit, World Health Organization
• Sheila Manji, ECD Specialist, Child Health and Development Unit, World Health Organization
Although global attention to early childhood development has been established through its inclusion in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 250 million children (43%) younger than 5 years in low-income and middle-income countries are at risk of not achieving their developmental potential due to poverty and nutritional deficit.
A poor start in life because of maternal distress, depression or mental disorders, malnutrition or lack of social safety net to name a few limits a child’s ability to benefit from education leading to lower productivity, prosperity and social inclusion. If children are unable to fulfil their social and developmental potential, this not only harms their futures, but also the societies in which they live.
Nurturing care is necessary for the physical and psychological development of a child. The evidence now strongly suggests that parents, caregivers, and families need to be supported in providing nurturing care and protection in order for young children to achieve their developmental potential.
However, a crucial question remains: Although the evidence base for the importance of early childhood development has grown, what interventions can be integrated into the existing health systems and how so that they become an integral part of sexual and reproductive health services?
This webinar series was developed for health professionals, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders interested in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Each webinar was in English and took 60 minutes, ending with an open discussion.
Aims of the webinar series:
• To provide clear guidance on what nurturing care is;
• To provide current evidence of what works in nurturing care and what not;
• To share ideas on how to strengthen nurturing care through health and nutrition services;
• How NGOs can ensure to work with government and health systems to ensure all children receive nurturing care.
Additional resources
• Nurturing Care Framework: https://nurturing-care.org/nurturing-care-framework-toolkit/
• What is nurturing care? https://nurturing-care.org/what-is-nurturing-care/
• Nurturing care handbook: https://nurturing-care.org/handbook/
