Wanbung (NR) April, GNA – Children Believe (CB) formerly known as Christian Children’s Fund of Canada, has commissioned and handed over a GH₵350,000.00. Early Childhood Development Centre to the people of Wanbung in the Northern Region.
The Centre comprises of two classrooms, office and store, sick bay, storeroom, toilet and urinal and is funded and implemented by Children Believe Fund.
Mrs Esenam Kavi De Souza, Country Programme Manager of Children Believe said the project was one of the six school infrastructural projects in Northern and Upper East Regions, which CB was funding within their current fiscal year.
The schools are located in Achanyiri, Saboro in Upper East, Wanbung, Cheyoli and Bognayili in Northern Region and Jantong Daboaghe in Savana Region.
Mrs Esenam Kavi said over the last three years CB had focused on improving Early Childhood Development (ECD) by promoting good health and Nutrition by focusing on the first 1000 days of life, positive and responsible caregiving, security and safety of children and providing opportunities for early learning.
She reminded them that as an organization they recognized the importance of “Starting Right”.
According to the country Programme Manager the early childhood period is when the most significant brain development happens, particularly in the first two years of life and this shapes a child’s future into adulthood.
She said research, had shown that 80 percent of brain development was completed by age three and 90 percent by age five.
She said this means that a child cannot wait for primary school to start learning.
Mrs Esenam Kavi said the importance of early learning is highlighted by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which seeks to ensure that by 2030 “all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.
She said early learning (including pre-primary education) was therefore as an essential vehicle for achieving Universal Primary Education and appealed to the teachers and caregivers in the school (centre) to make learning attractive and enjoyable to the children.
Mr.Kwabena Tutor, Programme Officer said CB was providing educational materials for teaching and learning to be effective in the area and the centre came about as a result of community contribution.
He said most parents sent their children to JHS to Yendi leaving the JHS in the area with less enrolment.
Mr Tutor said the community was committed to providing communal labour for school projects when necessary and praised the teachers for their commitment and hard work.
Mr. Bright Armston Lawoe, the Yendi Municipal Director of Education said the Municipality was faced with challenges of infrastructural and furniture for the Schools and thanked CB for providing books and other school materials for the schools.
He said when Early Childhood was introduced, buildings and furniture was the problem and appealed to parents and caregivers to support the teachers by sending the children to school and not farms.
He urged the School Management Committee (SMC) and Parent Teacher Association to ensure that their school children do not go out in the night.
GNA