Tura, Mar 15: In a bid to spearhead Early Childhood Development (ECD) awareness among communities, a collaborative effort has been initiated by the State, involving the A’chik Baptist Dalgipa Krima (ABDK) faith leaders in the Garo Hills region and community members. The initiative aims to foster holistic child development and establish supportive environments for parents.
ABDK faith leaders have partnered with the Meghalaya Early Childhood Development (ECD) Mission to cultivate comprehensive environments for children and adolescents, alongside nurturing ecosystems conducive to responsible parenting within their communities.
A two-day training program, held between March 12-13, brought together 45 faith leaders inclusive of both men and women representatives from 17 Krimas (associations) affiliated with ABDK from all over Meghalaya held at the Mission Compound in Tura, West Garo Hills. The training aimed to familiarize Church leaders with fundamental ECD concepts, emphasizing the critical importance of investing in the early childhood period. The interfaith networks participated and were involved in a series of activities such as Sensitization and Capacity building on Nurturing Care, the concept of ECD as well as on positive parenting. The Church leaders are undergoing training in various ECD concepts, which they will then disseminate within their own platforms as master trainers.
During the training session, Development Commissioner & Principal Secretary- Social Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya, Mr Sampath Kumar, IAS spoke about the critical significance of early childhood development (ECD), emphasizing that 90% of brain growth occurs within the first five years of life and 50% of brain growth occurs immediately after birth.
It may be mentioned that the Development Commissioner also visited Sonabil, Garobadha, in South West Garo Hills District and Rongram in West Garo Hills to raise awareness about key priority missions such as the Rescue Mission and Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood scheme. They also focus on initiatives like the importance of Village Health Council (VHC) formation, Early Childhood Development (ECD) Mission, and Housing Mission.