Pre-school brings benefits for whole community

A pre-school project in the village of Guneku in the North-West of Cameroon has benefited mothers and older siblings, as well as providing a safe and stimulating environment for the young children of the community.

“I used to go everywhere (farm, market and other places) with my child. On days when it was not possible, his elder sister would stay away from school to take care of him while I was away. But now, I can go about my work freely knowing that my child is in the hands of another caring woman. He is now more active and can say a few things because he attends the pre-school.” Justin Ekwah, mother of one of the children at Guneku Pre-school

Before the provision of the pre-school, many children were kept out of school to baby-sit younger siblings or spent their time after school taking care of the young instead of playing. Taking care of a younger brother or sister was the first duty of a child under 5 years old.

Baby-sitting, either by very young children or by elderly grandparents, can deprive children of vital early stimulation, and is a major cause of poor academic performance in rural areas. Lack of early education in hygiene and sanitation also leaves children vulnerable to many preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory illnesses.

After Plan ran information campaigns to raise awareness of this issue, the people of Guneku embarked on an ambitious project to set up a day-care centre in the village. Starting with 1 girl and 5 boys, the village development union built on early successes to gradually increase enrolment to 15 children between the ages of 3 and 4 years.

The Guneku day centre seeks to promote the holistic development of children in a joyful and child-friendly environment, and prepare them for formal education. Entirely managed by the community, the centre is staffed by three volunteer women who serve as substitute mothers. In the early days of the centre, Plan and the community provided funds for basic furniture, equipment and teaching material, including chairs, chalk, a blackboard, plates, cups and buckets. Today, parents contribute 1000 Francs (about £1) each per month, partly as motivation for the substitute mothers, who additionally benefit from community labour on their farms. Financial assistance from Plan supported training of the volunteers and management committee members by officials of the Ministries of Basic Education, Social affairs and Public Health.

During the school year that runs from September to June, the day starts at 8:00 am at the centre. For three to four hours each day and four times a week, the children play games, sing, dance, read, recite, learn basic hygiene behaviour such as hand washing, and eat a balanced meal.

“At the beginning, it was not easy to handle the children being that they came from different homes and were not able to cope with their new environment. Most of them could not say a word and would cry to go home, refuse to play and even to eat. It was not also easy for us because we were doing it for the first time. We find it easier and more interesting now because of the training we have received. For now, most of them can sing, recite, and construct short sentences in English,” says Ruphina, a volunteer mother.

For the future, the village development union plans to intensify campaigns for enrolment at the centre. The union further plans to separate the children into two groups in order to lend greater support to less active children.