Holistic and inclusive child development project launches in Bayankhongor province

Save the Children, with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, launched the “Promoting holistic and inclusive developmental support in early childhood in Mongolia” project in Bayankhongor province on April 1, 2024.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing the project’s implementation was co-signed by D. Munkhsaikhan, Governor of Bayankhongor Province, and L. Bayan-Altai, Country Manager and Representative for Save the Children in Mongolia.

Save the Children will implement a project focused on strengthening the capacity of state-owned institutions that provide local social services (family health centers, branch commissions, kindergartens) and improve infrastructure in Bayanzurh, Chingeltei, Songinohairkhan districts of Ulaanbaatar, and Bayankhongor and Selenge provinces to enable early detection of disabilities in young children and provide them with holistic development support. Additionally, the project will raise awareness among parents, guardians, and the public about early detection and support for childhood disabilities, and advocate for including relevant recommendations in national policy.

Ch. Purev-Ochir, the project coordinator, said, “The project seeks to establish a replicable model for holistic and accessible early childhood development support within the target area. This model will leverage existing state-owned institutions providing local social services. Successful project activities will be documented and presented for consideration in national and local government policies and provide necessary legislative support. The project will be implemented in a one-year initial phase.”

The project will focus on strengthening the capacity and structure of key institutions that support young children’s development: local family health centers, the Health, Education, and Social Protection Branch Commission for Children with Disabilities, and kindergartens. Additionally, the project will support a smooth transition for children from kindergarten to primary school, and engage parents, guardians, and the local community through targeted outreach and awareness campaigns on the importance of early detection and support for children’s disabilities.

The signing ceremony of the project ” Promoting holistic and inclusive developmental support in early childhood in Mongolia ” was held on March 25, 2024 at the Embassy of Japan. H.E. Igawahara Masaru, Ambassador of Japan to Mongolia, and Mitsuaki Toyoda, Asia Regional Manager of Save the Children Japan, signed the agreement.