Children from needy households are no longer receiving milk from Early Childhood Development centres (ECDs) but rather from their homes. The move, announced by the National Early Childhood Development Programme (NECDP), comes after temporary closures of ECDs as part of measures to control the spread of coronavirus. Dr Anita Asiimwe, the Coordinator of NECDP, said that the decision will stand until further notice. The decision concerns EDC centres of Excellence, community-based ECD centres and home-based ECDs. It comes after plans were recently developed to establish more home-based ECDs. The home-based ECD model works in such a way that in a community, one home is selected to serve as an ECD which receives and serves children from the neighbourhood. ECDs offer, among other services, promoting optimal child development in critical early years, providing holistic access to early learning, and good nutrition to prevent stunted growth among young children. Other services are fostering hygiene, and enhancing positive parenting and community participation in child protection. Asiimwe told The New Times that, in partnership with local government, an arrangement was made to ensure that milk is delivered to children at their homes. “They (ECDs) have organised it in such a way that once the milk gets to the home-based ECD after being pasteurised at milk collection centres, parents will collect it and take it to their children,” she said. She added that hand washing and other hygiene measures are strictly enforced at ECDs where the milk is collected from. Mike Katabogama Gatete, ECD District Coordinator in Nyagatare told The New Times that they have decided to carry out house-to-house milk delivery. He indicated that that in partnership with local government authorities, community health workers, among other actors, they are following up to ensure proper execution of the new arrangement. “Coronavirus should not bring health services to a standstill. What we are doing is house-to-house milk delivery in line with curbing malnutrition but also prevent probable spread of the virus,” he said. “Milk is an import diet component in improving the nutrition of a child. If we halt milk supply to them even in two weeks, it can regress their growth. So, we have committed to make house to house milk delivery so that children continue to enjoy healthy lives.” He said that hygiene is being observed along the entire milk distribution chain including pasteurisation, transportation so as to ensure milk safety. In order to enforce hand washing for hygiene, he said that there are tippy tap hand washers – locally known as kandagira ukarabe – which are installed at home-based ECDs. He pointed out that there are three home-based ECDs in each village in the district which are ideally meant to cater for children in that village. He said that there are 606 children who were malnourished in Nyagatare District as of December last year when the initiative started, but pointed out that only 109 are affected by malnutrition as the initiative has started yielding results in improving nutrition. He indicated that under the initiative, between 68,000 litres and 70,000 litres of milk are given to around 80,000 children per day through 2,444 home-based ECDs in all 14 sectors of Nyagatare District. Also, breastfeeding mothers from needy households have been receiving milk, The New Times has learnt. The Vice Mayor in charge of social affairs Elisabeth Mujyawamariya in Gicumbi District also told The New Times that parents come and receive the milk from home-based ECDs and take it to their children at home.
