“The Government of Nepal is deeply committed to investing in the early years of life, recognizing that nurturing care lays the foundation for a child’s lifelong health, learning and well-being. This is not only a technical milestone – it is a promise to the children of Nepal to help them reach their full potential,” says Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, director of Family Welfare Division at the Department of Health Services.

With support from WHO Country Office for Nepal, the Family Welfare Division has introduced the WHO/UNICEF Care for Child Development (CCD) course, a first for the WHO South-East Asia Region.

“This locally-tailored approach will equip caregivers and health workers with the practical skills needed to lay a strong foundation for every child’s development. By investing in the early years, we are helping build a healthier and more resilient future for the country,” said Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal.

The course promotes responsive caregiving and early learning opportunities for the development of children, the key pillars of Nepal’s National Strategy for Early Childhood Development (2077–2088). Originally developed in 2012 with UNICEF, the CCD course has been adapted to align with the Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development. It covers such topics as early brain stimulation, play, communication and responsive feeding, emphasizing low-cost, high-impact actions that can be integrated easily into daily life to help children build strong emotional bonds and foster development.

In May, at the government’s request, WHO supported a five-day training, aimed at creating a national pool of experts to scale up the course across Nepal. Sixteen health professionals, including paediatricians, child developmental specialists, pediatric psychiatrists, nurses, obstetrician, public health professionals and representatives from health ministry and partner organizations, completed the training.

These trained facilitators then co-led a second batch of training sessions for 17 paediatricians and nurses from six provinces. The training sessions were delivered through a hybrid method, combining virtual lectures with in-person workshops and hands-on clinical practice at Kanti Children’s Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital between 14 May to 1 June 2025. The training sessions were facilitated by Ms Sheila Manji (WHO Headquarters) and Dr Rajesh Khanna (WHO South-East Asia Regional Office), ensuring global standards were tailored to Nepal’s context.

Related links

• More information is available in the WHO news release