Grace Muhawenimana, 29, could have never built her three-bedroom house if it was not for an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) operating from a facility opposite to the market where she works.

Of course, she can’t know what would have happened otherwise, because it could have also meant shutting her business to take care of her child, a three year-old who now goes to the ECD in Kigabiro Sector, Rwamagana District, where the market is also located.

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Muhawenimana, who sells cassava flour at the market, also said that carrying her baby to work could have also been an option to stay in business, but it happened with her first born who is now in primary school, and it didn’t go very well for her.

"Previously, my customer care was poor. Working in the market with a two year-old never provided room for me to serve my customers. I also had to spend a lot of money taking care of her at the market, which also hindered the growth of my business,” Muhawenimana said.

She added that taking her child to the ECD, which is just a few metres from the market, has given her freedom to even increase her capital from Rwf 150,000 to almost Rwf 500,000.

She also managed to buy a piece of land and built a 30 iron sheets-house that is in the final phases of completion.

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Her colleague, Zamna Uwiragiye, 67, who sells cassava and yams at the market got her two grandchildren enrolled in the ECD. She told The New Times that besides working freely knowing the children are well taken care of, they are also well-fed.

"They used to often get sick due to the poor hygiene they had to experience while I was with them at the market, unlike nowadays,” Uwiragiye said.

"I had to spend a lot of money on buying medicine to cure worms. Also, working in such a crowded market was a burden to me, balancing the business and taking care of them. Sometimes, I could find them eating unhygienic fruits they have picked from the ground, but since enrolling them in the ECD, they eat well and are living a healthy life,” Uwiragiye added.

The ECD in Kigabiro takes care of more than 120 children aged between seven months to five years, from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday.

Those who haven’t turned three years of age yet have their mothers passing by to breastfeed them through the day, and they are taken care of throughout the year, unlike the older ones who follow the national academic calendar for holidays.

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With only two rooms and four caregivers, the ECD charges Rwf 2,000 per week, which is used to buy food and other necessities needed on the menu.

Remy Mugisha is among the caregivers. He said that besides helping mothers to run their business freely, the ECD has also boosted the mental growth of children.

"We nurture them with basic education like counting, reading and drawing, alongside values like greeting and thanking. This has prepared them to excel in their primary school when they leave the ECD. Shy children have now turned into active ones and can respond compared to those who do not attend ECDs,” Mugisha said.

Despite the achievements, the centre still lacks space to accommodate the growing number of children.

Monica Mukankusi, who is also a caregiver said this challenge has brought congestion at the centre and has at times hindered service delivery.

"Children aged 2 to 4 years use one room, and we have about 60 of them in the room, yet parents are enrolling more children. If the responsible people can provide an added space for us, it would be beneficial towards the service we deliver,” Mukankusi said.

Jeanne Umutoni, Rwamagana District’s Vice Mayor told The New Times that the centre was established as a case study after realizing how parents and children mixed up at the market, and that the district has a solution in the pipeline.

"There is a design of a modern market in progress. The ECD was established as a case study of reviewing how important it might be to women traders in the market. They embraced the initiative to a greater extent, and the newly designed market with a bigger space for an ECD will be considered,” Umutoni said.

Mothers’ rooms

For a long time, mothers had, and more still have to choose between work and child care, especially in the early months after birth.

One of the concerns is that they need to earn money to support their families, and at the same time, their children need quality parental care, especially exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.

When mothers return to work after birth without adequate support mechanisms, it hampers optimal breastfeeding practices because their children will most likely be fed formula or cow milk to substitute breast milk.

UNICEF says there is no milk substitute that can compete with breast milk in terms of nutrients, antibodies, attachment prospects, bonding, and stimulation.

Different companies have therefore decided to put in place mother-friendly policies to support mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life, as per World Health Organisation and UNICEF recommendations, and to continue breastfeeding for as long as they choose.

One of them is NCBA which set up a ‘mothers’ room’, also known as ‘lactation rooms’ which are dedicated spaces in a workplace where breastfeeding employees can comfortably, conveniently, and privately express breast milk while at work.

Lina Higiro, the CEO of NCBA told The New Times in an earlier interview that the room was set up for their employees to provide a dedicated and comfortable space for mothers, and that it can help reduce stress, improve productivity and retain talented employees.

Family-friendly work policies are becoming the new normal. These help to balance and benefit both work and family life by providing three types of essential resources needed by parents and caregivers of young children, which are time, finances and services.