Natasha Martin - Founder G.R.A.C.E. Africa Message from the Founder

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men"

Fredrick Douglass,
former slave, American Social Reformer and advisor to Abraham Lincoln.

These words resonate with G.R.A.C.E. as we sharpen our focus on the specific needs of the most marginalized Kenyan children between 2 and 6 years old.


Introducing the G.R.A.C.E. Africa model for home-based ECD services

In 2006, the government of Kenya developed the first national policy on Early Childhood Development (ECD). Before then, the numerous providers of ECD in the country operated without any guidance and standards to refer to, thus compromising both the quality and coordination of services. Despite the existence of the policy, the government has not set aside adequate financial and other resources to its implementation to ensure that all children in the country access comprehensive ECD services. Few children benefit although all have to sit entrance exams for primary school.

During the implementation of the recent OVC support program, G.R.A.C.E. recognized the need for expanded ECD services that would target the hundreds of thousands of children aged 2 to 6 years who cannot access the available ECD centers. In this regard, and based on previous experience and lessons learnt, G.R.A.C.E is initiating a pilot project that would facilitate the delivery of ECD services to children within their homesteads or neighborhoods.

This is a strategic area of focus for G.R.A.C.E. as ECD can improve a community's overall development by serving as an entry point for a variety of other interventions. Other children in the family, adult caregivers and the community in general, might benefit from Food Security, HIV Prevention, Economic Strengthening, Environmental Conservation, Family Planning, Reproductive Health Rights and protection from Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

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