The Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) in partnership with UNICEF, Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service is launching the “I WILL” Campaign, an Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiative to promote quality caregiving practices for children aged 0-8.
The objective of the campaign is to promote an integruted approach to ECD communication and ensure that all children (0-8 years), especially the most vulnerable, survive, thrive, and develop their maximum potentials.
The ‘I WILL’ Campaign has been designed to help address the challenges associated with the care of children 0-8 years and serve as a rallying call for parents, guardians and other stakeholders to increase their commitment towards the development of children in their early years of life, while acknowledging the power they have to ensure desired outcomes.
This campaign is therefore structured to give parents and stakeholders an opportunity to pledge their commitment to implementing desirable behaviours which will facilitate effective early childhood development.
In addition to the launch, series of activities have been outlined in rolling out the campaign at all levels.
These encompass media engagements to sensitize the public about the campaign and ECD issues, community engagements to sensitize communities and solicit support for implementation of the campaign.
Orientation and training of relevant stakeholders as well as digital promotion of the campaign on various plattorms.
The Campaign’s communication package includes posters, flash cards, counselling cards, as well as a facilitation guide.
These materials provide relevant information on ECD to help improve the knowledge and skills of parents and stakeholders to support the optimal development of children in their early childhood period.
The materials are available at the offices of the Department of Children, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, Department of Socal welfare, Department of Community Development.
UNICEF Ghana’s CSO partners implementing ECD interventions at various ucommunities, and online on the ministry’s platforms inchuding the Ghanaians Against Child Abuse (GACA) platform.
However, as we heed to the clarion call of “leaving no child behind”, there is a compelling reason to intensify efforts to scale-up early childhood development (ECD) interventions to secure a good start for every child.
All shareholders are called upon to own and champion this campaign and also mainstream it into all existing ECD programmes.