Nurturing The Future - 1001 days to save the world.
What do you think is the biggest change we can make to elevate communities from poverty?
Nurturing care in pregnancy, birth and early childhood and responsive parenting
The Importance Of Early Intervention
Pregnancy through the first two years of a child's life, "the first 1000 days" are shown to be critical for the long term health of children and their emotional and mental wellbeing. It is this age group our project focuses on to make sure children get the best start in life and to have the greatest impact on their outcomes.
What we do also has an impact on lifting communities out of poverty. The work we do has the potential to fundamental change the health and wellbeing of the individual and society.
Investing in early childhood development is the most cost-effective strategy to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty. It creates social cohesion and builds human capitol. (World Bank, 2011)
Why Nurturing Care Matters?
Nurturing care means that babies and children have a loving and secure relationship with a care giver that ensures that their needs are met, they feel safe and secure, they are provided with care that supports their health and nutrition and they are protected from risks and violence.
Studies have shown that the long term benefits of this include better health and wealth outcomes, less social tensions and greater opportunities for education and learning (Lancet 2016)
Our Nurturing The Future Training Program Provides
The opportunity for parents and babies to attune to each other and form a secure attachment which is vital for emotional and physical health and wellbeing.
The opportunity to learn about the importance of education and early childhood development.
The opportunity for parents to learn how to support their babies health and wellbeing.
Practical classes in baby massage to put policy, research and "love" into action
A certificate of completion as a Nurturing Care Community Facilitator
WATCH
NOW
It's time to invest in love
Take a look at why the World Bank, the World Health Organisation and Unicef are supporting Nurturing Care
We have to start preventing the challenges at the beginning rather than coping with them later on in life. Investing at the start to help children reach their potential is a sustainable solution to poverty and social problems.
Investing in the window of opportunity
"Those first 1001 days are critical not only because optimal brain development throughout them gives a baby the best possible start in life but also because she or he cannot have a good start in life without it." (Sheridan & Nelson 2009) -"1001 critical days manifesto.
What happens if the window is missed?
People who lack nurture from one or more caring adults in the first 1001 days of their lives;
• achieve less in education and in the world of work;
• are more likely to behave anti-socially,
• and are less healthy, physically as well as mentally, than individuals who were given a better start. These limitations are likely to be perpetuated in an inter-generational cycle when they have children of their own (Champagne 2015).
What happens if we don't act now?
250 million children under the age of 5 will not reach their full potential
25% in average adult earning potential
Countries may lose 2/3 fold what they invest in health and education.
(The Lancet Early Childhood Development Series 2016)
The aim
We aim to train Nurture Ambassadors in infant massage and infant mental health implement the nurturing care framework in vulnerable communities.We are offering a two day training which covers;
The importance of the first 1001 critical days
Infant Mental Health, Infant Massage, Post Natal Support For Parents
At the end of this training participants will be awarded a certificate as a baby massage and Nurturing Care Community Facilitator with the option to apply for a bursary to study our full baby massage and infant mental health instructor training.
How do we assess the results of the program?
• Register of attendance on the program comparable to other programs
• Increased parent/baby interaction
• Weight gain over the program (in some projects)
• Baby developmental milestone assessment in some areas.
• Further pathways of parents after attending the program.
Impact of the global projects
Training to eight orphanage staff on vital touch & connection.
Training of 5 Nurture Ambassadors in Malawi as volunteers in the community.
Training of 16 social, health and community workers in Botswana to use baby massage classes in the community.
Partnering with Learn To Play Botswana to share the program alongside their early years Rainbow Play Framework to children across Africa.
Apply for free bursary training for NGOs, voluntary projects, charities
If you would like to apply for our free training, please email [email protected] for more details of your project and how you can utilise the training.