Improving Early Childhood Care and Education in Rural Uganda Through Community-Run Play Schemes

Children in deprived rural communities in Uganda do not receive adequate early childhood care and education ("ECCE"). This is partly because there is no state funded pre-school provision in Uganda. It is also due to very low levels of parental education, information and aspiration which prevents caregivers from providing their children with the opportunities they need to fulfil their full developmental potential. This leads to poor child health, poor learning and intellectual development, lost life opportunities and poverty. We will tackle this problem by empowering and supporting uneducated and marginalised Mothers to run and sustain educational Play Schemes for all the pre-school children in their village, and to provide better care and stimulation at home using local resources. This is a scalable & low-cost way to overcome the lack of pre-school provision and also transform the Mothers’ mindsets - enabling them to sustainably improve their children's lives and their own.