US NGO launches initiative to meet education needs of Palestinian children

By Sherouq Sadeqi (with photo) WASHINGTON, April 30 (KUNA) -- The American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) launched an Early Childhood Development initiative, named "Right Start," with support from the Ministry of Education to meet the care and education needs of young Palestinian children.
In an exclusive interview to KUNA on the ECD initiative, ANERA's Education Program Manager Sulieman Mleahat stressed the importance to work with key educational stakeholders and ensure that preschool education as an integral part of an overall national early childhood strategy which ANERA is helping to develop.
Mleahat, who supervises all of ANERA's education program work in the West Bank, said that ANERA is investing in early childhood development in Palestine, which "in many ways it is the most critical investment any country can make." "We have taken it upon ourselves to focus on this critical area of childhood development and education because there is a tremendous amount of evidences that indicate that the best investment a country can make is their investment in early childhood development," he remarked." He added "the rationale for investing in this area of education and development is fairly straightforward that actually the earlier you invest the more profound the impact for children in childhood and adulthood." He indicated that there is also evidence that suggest that "for every one dollar invested in pre-school, society gets as much as 17 dollars back." According to Mleahat, "there is a critical gap in the market in Palestine and we saw this as an opportunity to invest" in early childhood education.
He noted that only 30 percent of Palestinian children have to access any form of pre-school, and "sadly the situation was different 10 years ago where the figure was 39 percent, so there has been a decline which is really a reflection of the situation in Palestine." "Investment in early years is really critical for the poorest in society and the most disadvantaged and those who live with huge risk factors because it has a great leveling impact," he stressed.
He affirmed that "we are doing two things; we are starting from the ground upwards and we are also working top down." He indicated that they are "providing support for kindergartens, we are supporting teacher development, piloting teacher training programs and we are providing vital equipments and basic learning materials." Furthermore, Mleahat indicated that they will launch soon an initiative called "Let's Read" (Hayya Naqra)to engender the love of reading for very young child starting from weeks old.
"This is of huge importance in Palestine because of the restrictions of occupation and the huge challenges Palestinian children face," he stressed.
"So we are supporting teachers, children, families on the ground but at the same time we are working on an early childhood development policy on a national level to support the development of children from the ages of 0-8," he noted.
Mleahat affirmed that ANERA "has to be commended in taking a lead in this area because it is the best investment a NGO can make in supporting young Palestinian children, which are Palestine's next generation," which are also considered "Palestine's future." The initiative, which kicked-off last August, "is still a long way off and there is a huge need to strengthen what is there and a massive need to increase access to the 70 percent of the children in Palestine who do not go to pre-schools," he stressed.
"The early childhood period is the most critical and most vulnerable period in anyone's life therefore the programming and services that should be offered have to be really responsive to the needs of young children," Mleahat remarked. "A child's first few months and years can shape their adult lives." He noted that "learning is not just child centered; it is child driven. We want to teach children and parents, make parents create a suitable environment for their children at home to give them the space and opportunities to explore and learn at their own pace." He continued saying "we have to have a safe and stimulating environment and provide basic resources to create much more stimulating learning opportunities.
" "Our approach to childhood development is comprehensive and seeks to address most of the issues that can impact the quality of early childhood care and education," he remarked.
ANERA's initiative counts on incorporating family and community as valuable partners in child development.
As the multi-year program progresses, ANERA plans to work closely with several Palestinian universities to better prepare preschool teachers through quality courses, training and certification programs.
The program includes curriculum and national standards development and capacity building for preschool educators; mentoring programs for teachers in coordination with West Bank universities and upgrading infrastructure at selected preschools as quality preschools for practice teaching of teacher trainees in the West Bank.
For more than 40 years, ANERA has been a leading provider of development, health, education and employment programs to Palestinian communities and impoverished families throughout the Middle East. Kuwait donated last year USD one million to fund ANERA's work with children in Gaza. With that donation, ANERA operates its Milk for Preschoolers program, which has been delivering vitamin-fortified milk and biscuits to 20, 000 preschool children across Gaza. (end) si.rk KUNA 300919 Apr 11NNNN