Education for Lasting Peace in Zambia

By Francis Sampa, Education Technical Programme Manager, WV Zambia

World Vision Zambia believes that every child should have life in its fullness. What better way to help make this a reality than by providing quality Early Childhood Education and Development programmes?

World Vision Zambia has been implementing The Learning Roots Model in a number of Early Childhood Education Centres in the catchment areas across the country. The model is a play-based methodology that looks at the holistic development of a child and focuses on stimulation of the following domains: Cognitive Development, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Language Development. Effective implementation of this model entails training of Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers in the play-based methodology; training of parents and caregivers in vital aspects of Early Childhood Development (ECD) such as nutrition, protection from abuse, early stimulation, to mention but a few.

The training for parents and caregivers also equips them with the skills they need to support their children’s transition from the home to the early learning centre and from the early learning centre to Primary School. Additionally, the training helps to bridge the gap between the school and the community through the creation of ECE centre management committees that help to foster the creation of a conducive and supportive environment for children in the ECE centres.

One might ask what Early Childhood Education has to do with education for lasting peace? Well, the answer is simple actually! Early stimulation of the developmental domains in children results in the holistic development of a child, who then goes on to become a responsible citizen and a lifelong learner! Instilling values such as the importance of unity, peace, collaboration, patriotism and so on, in children will be a seed sown for actualising education for lasting peace!

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.    By  Frederick Douglas

World Vision Zambia Achievements continue in Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) to ensure that learning will continue for generations to come:

• 416 Teachers trained in Learning Roots
• 13,218 Children enrolled in WVZ supported ECE Centres
• 679 Parents trained in Learning Roots
• 30 on going Centre Management Committees trained
• 123 Play Parks constructed and 2 ECD Hubs (Insakas) constructed