Driving Sustainable Development: The Role of Early Childhood Development Programs in the Mining Sector

From the 19th August to 21st August, the National Early Child Development (ECD) conference takes place at the Kigali Marriott Hotel under the theme “Nurturing Tomorrow: Advancing Sustainable Early Childhood Development”.

350 participants attended the conference from national ECD practitioners, development partners, children’s representatives, international NGOs, civil society, academia, Local Government, and media.

On the Second Day of the Meeting, Eng. Mutsindashyaka Andre, the Secretary General of the Rwanda Extractive Industry Workers Union (REWU) participated in discussions focused on strengthening integrated and inclusive ECD services for children aged 0-3 years, and nutrition pillar in early childhood development services.

During these discussions, Eng. Mutsindashya presented the best practices in the mining sector, focusing on the implementation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs in the workplace.

Initially, workers expressed their concerns about the well-being of their children, leading to a push for better childcare options to support working parents.

Eng. Mutsindashyaka said that “As a result of introducing ECD programs, companies have seen positive outcomes.”
He added that children are now receiving proper care, workers are more productive and consequently, their wages have increased.

Additionally, employees are able to dedicate more time to their work, leading to enhanced productivity of the companies.

Overall, companies have benefitted from these initiatives through improved efficiency and performance.

Eng. Mutsindashyaka revealed that this ongoing program is conducted with the partnership of Rwanda Mining, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB), UNICEF Rwanda, National Child Development Agency (NCDA), REWU and mining companies

During the discussion, Kayiranga Jean de Dieu, the staff member responsible for the Education Department at the Imbuto Foundation, shared insights on the foundation’s progress in developing Early Childhood Development (ECD) services.

He highlighted that the Imbuto Foundation has been offering comprehensive ECD services in Rwanda since 2013, in partnership with various stakeholders such as family friends (IZU), health advisors, and government agencies.

The focus is on empowering individuals working with the foundation on a daily basis, starting from the grassroots level up to the District level.

Furthermore, Kayiranga emphasized the importance of mothers in ensuring the healthy development of children.

He mentioned that the foundation works on building the capacity of mothers to actively participate in caring for children who benefit from these services.