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We Communicate For Happy Children
We Communicate For Happy Children
ANECD Newsletter, Issue #2 
Early Childhood in Syria between Rubble and Hope
In a grim assessment of the conflict’s impact on children, UNICEF published in March 2017 a press release press release marking the sixth year of the Syria crisis. UNICEF indicates that grave violations against children in Syria were the highest on record in 2016.
On the other hand, despite the horrors and suffering, there are remarkable stories of children determined to pursue their hopes and aspirations dreaming of “a world without any wars.”
Moreover, UNICEF had launched a press release in January 2017 declaring it has supported the re-opening of 23 primary schools in the eastern parts of Aleppo city, allowing nearly 6,500 children to return to school. UNICEF has provided school supplies, developed an accelerated learning program and trained teachers to help displaced children catch up on missed education. Psychosocial support activities have been provided to 35,000 children in shelters and other locations. For more info, please visit UNICEF site: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/syria/
Science of Early Childhood Development Training of Trainers
The Science of Early Childhood Development Training of Trainers that took place in Jordan, March 21-26, 2017 was the first programmatic activity of the Arab Network for Early Childhood Development. The Arab Resource Collective, acting as the secretariat of ANECD, facilitated the training. The trainees were 24 participants, representing ministries, childhood councils, non-governmental organizations, regional and international agencies, and academia, as well as individual experts/trainers, from nine Arab countries, namely Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Palestine, Oman, Jordan, and Sudan. The seminar’s agenda was designed in a way so that each group of trainees was to deliver one of the SECD five modules:
The process of the TOT will also lead to the following:
For more information, please visit ANECD site: anecd.mawared.org
Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Hub
In October 2016, the International Institute for Sustainable Development launched a knowledge hub to help exploring the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: http://sdg.iisd.org/
UNICEF and EU: Child Rights Toolkit in Lebanon
On February 22, 2017, UNICEF Beirut Office and the European Union launched Child Rights Toolkit in Lebanon that aims at integrating child rights in development cooperation. The toolkit provides practical guidance to a rights-based, child-focused approach to development programming, budgeting, policy-making and law making. The launch event, which took place as part of a two-day workshop, was attended by senior representatives from the EU, UNICEF, Ministries of Justice, Social Affairs, Interior and Municipalities, Education and Higher Education, and Labor, as well as national and international development partners and media.
For more, please contact: Blanche Baz, UNICEF Lebanon, Communication Specialist: bbaz@unicef.org
Quality Framework: Birth to Three
Being a leading “Early Years” network in Europe and Central Asia, the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) developed an interactive resource, “A Quality Framework for Early Childhood Practices in Services for Children under Three Years Old”. The publication is a useful tool for families and anyone working with children under three. It is also an invitation for dialogue around quality practices across sectors and services.
You can find it at the following link: http://ftp.issa.nl/epubs/ISSA_Quality_Framework_0-3/#page/1
Global Education Financing Campaign
The Global Education Campaign launched a call for action on how civil society organisations could unite and work together in 2017 and beyond to increase and improve education financing in order to achieve SDG4. The Global Campaign for Education is leading this effort, but organisations who are not GCE members can also participate in this work.
For more information pleas check: http://www.campaignforeducation.org/en/resources
Save the Children’s “Windows into early Learning and Development”
Save the Children published in March 2017 a report, “Windows into Early Learning and Development”. The report presents research on early childhood development, and uses recent IDELA (International Development and Early Learning Assessment) evidence to investigate factors influencing child development, and ECD approaches that work for children in low- and middle-income countries.
You can find the report in English at https://i.stci.uk/sites/default/files/libraries/IDELA%20REPORT.pdf
Peace-building, Education, and Advocacy in Conflict-Affected Contexts
UNICEF published the 2012 – 2016 report of the Peace-building, Education, and Advocacy in Conflict-Affected Contexts Program. Based on education programmes in 14 post-conflict countries, UNICEF was able to illustrate how education and other social services can be managed and delivered in a conflict-sensitive fashion (do-no-harm), in some cases address dynamics and underlying causes of conflict (do-more-good), and thus strengthen social cohesion.
You can find the report in English at the following link:
https://www.unicef.org/education/files/03_Web_UNICEF1020_PBEA_Final_repo…
INEE Arabic Language Community
The International Network for Education in Emergencies created Language Communities, which are vibrant forums that foster collaborative resource development and knowledge sharing among Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish-speaking members of INEE.
For more information, please check: http://www.ineesite.org/en/language-communities
ARNEC Annual Conference, March 2017
The Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood held its Annual Conference in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, in Cambodia in March 2017. The Conference theme was “The transformative power of Early Childhood Development: The importance of holistic interventions” with three sub-themes covering policies and programs, equitable access and participation, and quality monitoring.
For more information on the conference and ARNEC, please visit: http://www.arnec.net/
Save the Children Innovative Financing for Early Childhood Education
n January 2017, Save the Children Action Network published a fact sheet on innovative financing for early childhood education based on recommendations from the ECE Action Tank:
https://savethechildrenactionnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/acti…
ACCD Magazine
http://www.arabccd.org/page/1662
The Arab Council for Childhood and Development published in May 2017 Issue 30 of Khutwa (Step), a magazine specialized in Early Childhood. The theme of this issue is “Children and Arts”. In addition to relevant articles, this issue includes an illustrated story for children, “Birds’ Home”.
For more information, please contact: media.accd@gmail.com
Early Childhood Development and Mental Health
The “Arab Resource Collective” and “Plan International” organized two training workshops in Jordan, in April 2017. Participants were 36 Early Childhood educators working in ECD centers in both Amman and Azraq Refugee Camp. The trainings provided the educators with practical tools including a training manual, in addition to good interventions and practices. The objectives were to increase knowledge and promote the importance of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Early Childhood Development work in addition to the holistic approach to ECD.
For more information, please visit ARC site: www.mawared.org
