The year 2024 has seen NACC achieving a great milestone in history as it was hired by to various institutions to train their caregivers in ECD basic training following its certification as an ECD training institution and centre of excellence in 2017.
The year 2024 has seen NACC achieving a great milestone in history as it was hired by to various institutions to train their caregivers in ECD basic training following its certification as an ECD training institution and centre of excellence in 2017.
The year started with NACC training 13 caregivers from 2 ECD centres belonging to Andiamo Youth Trust in Balaka. The training followed an assessment that NACC conducted at its 4 centres in June 2022 after Andiamo called for it. NACC identified various gaps in ECD and recommended for an ECD basic training for their caregivers. The 14 days training took place at Andiamo campus in Balaka from 16th to 27th March 2024.
Asked what they have learnt and what they would do different through the training evaluations forms, majority of them mentioned that they had little or no knowledge of 6 developmental domains of a child and 8 learning areas of an ECD centre.
The caregivers mentioned that they would start preparing lesson plans in the appropriate way all the time and teaching the children through play.
After training Andiamo NACC was also contacted to train 20 caregivers under Chamadzi CBO in Lilongwe, TA Masumbankhunda from 20th July to 12 August, 2024. The trained caregivers are supporting benefit 279 children (121 boys/ 158 girls)
Most caregivers demonstrated the acquisition of new knowledge and skills. This was demonstrated by different comments from the participants with one of them saying “sitimadziwa kuti mwana amakula m’magawo 6 , tadziwa tsopano momwe tingamulangizire mwana posagwiritsa ntchito tsatsa,” “tikulandira maphunziro abwino kwambiri, otithandizanso ife mmakomo mwathu (we did not know child’s developmental domains and how to displine a child without a whip)
Later on, NACC was also hired by One Voice CBO in Zomba and it trained 22 caregivers from 25th August to 7th September, 2024 sponsored by Creative Centre for Community mobilisation (CRECCOM)’s Milimo Local Capacity Building Activity with funding from USAID.
In her remarks, the Guest of honour for the closing ceremony, Chikondi Chimbudzo from Ministry of Gender commended the trainings saying they are complementing government’s effort of ensuring every caregiver is trained.
Aside from these, NACC hosted 4 training sessions at Namwera and Nathenje in Lilongwe courtesy of Malawi government’s 5 years project called Investing in the Early Years Project (IEYP) implemented by the Ministry of Gender which NACC is a training partner.
These trainings are a testament of the quality ECD pedagogy that NACC offers and how it impacts the lives of others.
NACC Executive Director, Saeed Wame says the overall number of caregivers trained in the year are 454(360F, 94M) from various districts.
“We are grateful to all the partners that untrusted us with their caregivers. Ever since we got certified as a training centre in ECD in 2017, we had never been hired to train caregivers apart from the IEYP which started giving us caregivers to train in 2020. This year has seen us travelling from place to place which we do not take for granted” He said.
The ED as well urged other stakeholders to engage NACC on such training stating that they offer high-level services with a government certificate.