For a child to develop holistically, it is essential for parents to interact with their child, according to experts. With this in mind, the Care for Child Development, or C4CD plus project was initiated in 2019 and has trained over 24,000 parents on playful interaction with their children. Since the initiative has proven effective in promoting positive child development, the health ministry now plans to integrate the initiative as a regular health service across healthcare centres and hospitals in Bhutan.
Over 600 health workers across the country were taught about child development, play, positive discipline and screening processes. These health workers gave monthly sessions for caregivers, guiding them on how to interact positively with their children at healthcare centres. Parents’ progress in their interaction with their children was regularly assessed.
Data from Save the Children and the health ministry showed that more than 14,000 children under the age of 3, along with their parents, attended the sessions.
One of the attendees is Kinley Yangzom. She has been attending the session at the Mother and Child Hospital with her one-year-old daughter. She said the initiative helped her understand and connect better with her daughter.
“The sessions provided by the project taught me how to care for my child, including feeding and communicating with her. This has made a significant difference in providing love and care to my child.”
According to Save the Children, caregivers’ knowledge of child development and their role in fostering it improved significantly after each monthly session with health workers.
The project also positively impacted the home environment, especially improving father engagement in caregiving activities such as bathing, feeding, playing and singing to their children.
As the project ends next month, the health ministry will now make the initiative, a regular healthcare service.
Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk said, “The ministry is fully committed to mainstreaming this programme into our primary health care system. C4CD Plus is no longer just an initiative, it is now a regular, inclusive and comprehensive part of our health care services.”
Moreover, a new module on child-playful parenting has also been implemented at the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences to sustain the initiative.
The project worth over Nu 56 M was funded by the LEGO Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Denmark. It was initiated by Save the Children, the health ministry, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences and RENEW.
Singye Dema
Edited by Sangay Chezom
