PNG to boost birth registration with UNICEF and Australian aid

We’re thrilled to share that Birth Center Equity has been selected as a grantee of the ICONIQ Impact Women’s Health Co-Lab—a collaborative philanthropy fund aiming to mobilize $100 million to improve the health and agency of millions of women and girls around the world. The Co-Lab, created in partnership with Co-Impact, supports 22 organizations working to advance maternal health, expand sexual and reproductive health and rights, and end gender-based violence. This ICONIQ grant supports Birth Center Equity’s efforts to increase access to midwifery care in the U.S. by investing in the growth and sustainability of community birth centers. Read more about the Women’s Health Co-Lab here: https://lnkd.in/e7MzVPPp #WomensHealth #Philanthropy #CollaborativePhilanthropy #WHCoLab

The Arab country has developed an action plan for the period 2026–2030, in partnership with the UN agency, focusing on early childhood learning and adolescent skills development. #unicef #oman #childhood #adolescent https://lnkd.in/dG2XgFhn

Poverty is a policy choice. Here's one *incredible* policy solution to help alleviate and even prevent poverty. Paying $2500/month - and in many cases, much more - for childcare will never allow families to thrive during early years. Family-friendly policies are an essential piece of this puzzle ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gY_xwyc4

Resource for parents and caregivers on early childhood development ❤️🧠🩺 Drawing on the findings of our 2024 South African Child Gauge, we have created a guide for parents and caregivers on early childhood development. Developed in partnership with UNICEF South Africa, the easy-to-read booklet is intended to help families better understand and support the development of young children, beginning with pregnancy. The booklet guides readers on what young children need to thrive, the different phases of development, and navigating the need for extra care and support. The publication also informs parents and caregivers on the services that they are entitled to. The 2024 South African Child Gauge focuses on early childhood development – from conception until the start of formal school. At a time when South Africa is seeking solutions to complex societal challenges, the findings of #ChildGauge2024 remind us that the answers lie in early childhood. 📚 Read the 2024 Child Gauge, policy brief and poster, and download the parent and caregiver resource 🔗 https://bit.ly/4fV4C5y Investment in #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment matters, not just for children today, but because it boosts their lifelong health, education and employment prospects. To break free from intergenerational cycles of poverty, violence and ill-health, and boost national development, South Africa must focus its efforts on the sensitive period of early childhood, for investment to be most effective. With #NurturingCare and the proactive support of families, communities, and the whole of society we can protect young children from harm, enable them to thrive and build a strong foundation for national development. The 17th issue of the Child Gauge was published last August in partnership with UNICEF South Africa; the DSI-NRF Centre for Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand; the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation and The LEGO Foundation. lori lake Wiedaad Slemming Linda Biersteker

The recent policy providing free maternal delivery services for teenage mothers in Kenyan hospitals is a deeply complex and unsettling issue. While free healthcare is undeniably crucial, the fact that we can comfortably discuss "teen and pregnant" in the same breath, backed by a government policy, forces a critical examination of our nation's priorities regarding child protection and safeguarding. My heart sinks to consider this as "progress." In a country that continues to grapple with the high prevalence of teen pregnancies, struggles to enforce laws against sexual predators, and fights the scourge of underage marriage, is offering free delivery services for teenage mothers truly addressing the root problem, or is it merely managing the tragic consequences? This policy risks inadvertently creating a safety net that could be misinterpreted as societal acceptance or even an implicit encouragement of teen pregnancy. By focusing resources on maternity care for children, we risk diverting attention and funding from the most critical need: the absolute protection of minors from sexual exploitation and the enforcement of laws that punish perpetrators. The greater, more transformative benefit for our young girls lies not in subsidizing their early motherhood, but in fiercely safeguarding their childhoods and relentlessly investing in their education. A focus on free maternal benefits, in this context, may unintentionally signal that society has accepted the violation of a girl’s right to childhood. This policy is untimely because it prioritizes the consequences over the prevention. Who should shoulder the responsibility? The protection of minors is a shared responsibility of the State, community leaders, families, and the justice system. The current thinking, which seems to applaud a tragic outcome with a free service, must be urgently revisited. We must shift the focus and the resources to: -Zero-tolerance for perpetrators: Ensuring swift and harsh punishment for those who sexually exploit minors. -Universal Education: Making quality education, not motherhood, the non-negotiable path for every girl. -Robust Safeguarding: Implementing and funding comprehensive child protection and sexual reproductive health education programs that empower girls to stay safe and in school. Until we prioritize protecting our children's future through education and justice, policies that manage the tragedy of teen pregnancy will feel like a disheartening surrender to a major breach of child protection in Kenya. #Childprotection #childcare #teenagepregnancies #Safeguarding

Today’s Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) webinar really caught my attention, especially the video on childcare and the launch of an inspiring new initiative: 🌍 Systems Thinking for ECD Collaborative – a groundbreaking coalition across Asia and Africa, bringing together BRAC Institute for Educational Development, Mobile Creches, SmartStart South Africa, NurtureFirst, OneSky, Spark Health Africa - User, Foundation for Communities of Learning, and Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN). 🗺️ Childcare Systems Map – developed over three years, this global public good is a dynamic tool for guiding advocacy, policy, and program design. It demonstrates how systems approaches can transform childcare worldwide. Meet the first cohort from Bangladesh, South Africa, and Tanzania, and explore their grassroots campaigns to strengthen childcare systems through advocacy, collaboration, and capacity building. More details https://lnkd.in/dGRBtbap It’s exciting to see how collaboration and systems thinking are shaping the future of childcare! #CAREInitiative #Childcare4All #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #SystemsThinking

I recently came across a U.S. Census Bureau working paper that truly resonated with me. It introduces a child care-inclusive poverty measure (CCIPM), recognizing childcare as a basic necessity rather than just a work-related expense or luxury. The research shows what so many parents already know: • Child care now consumes 9–16% of median family income per child in full-time care, costs that have tripled since 1990. • In places like NYC, these expenses can be even higher, pushing more families toward economic instability. • When child care is treated as a necessity, poverty rates for families with children under 13 rise significantly. As both a mother and the Executive Director of Hope Ignites New York this hits close to home. I know the stress of trying to secure safe, affordable childcare while raising a family in New York City. And I also see every day how transformative it is when that burden is lifted. At Hope Ignites New York our mission is to ensure families know their children have a safe, supportive place to go after school. By doing so, we’re not just serving kids, we’re strengthening families and communities. Child care isn’t optional. It’s foundational. And I’m encouraged to see research, and hopefully policy, catching up with what parents have long understood. If you’re interested in reading more about this research I’ve attached it here. #ChildCare #PovertyReduction #WorkingFamilies #EconomicJustice #Equity #NYC #AfterSchoolPrograms #CommunityImpact #NonprofitLeadership #HopeIgnitesNY

Important report coming at an important time - Listen to the people! Quality, affordable childcare is an essential service. A new report released by YWCA Canada and YMCA Canada highlights survey findings conducted by the The Environics Institute for Survey Research which asserted that of over 4,000 Canadian adults surveyed across the country, Canadians believe childcare is: ✔️essential infrastructure enabling women to re-enter/sustain in the workforce; ✔️critical for providing early learning opportunities and school readiness for young children; and ✔️a necessary part of government spending - rather than tax cuts, budgetary allocations for affordable childcare should be maintained

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬: 𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 How can we build stronger, more effective childcare systems? The Childcare Systems Map, co-developed by ECDAN and partners across Asia and Africa, provides a practical framework. This tool helps governments, NGOs, and communities align their actions, leading to better outcomes for children. Explore the map's potential in this introductory video: https://lnkd.in/dy78Gztm #ChildcareSystemsMap #EarlyChildhood #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #SystemsThinking #Childcare4All Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Mobile Creches NurtureFirst OneSky SmartStart South Africa Spark Health Africa - User Foundation for Communities of Learning BRAC Institute of Educational Development, Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN), BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University Equality Collective Ilifa Labantwana Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Change begins when mothers say: ENOUGH! Through our partnership with Swabhimaan, a charitable trust that serves underprivileged communities in Bangalore, we step into the heart of communities and listen to mothers. Too often, what we hear is painful — birth experiences marred by disrespect, neglect, and even abuse. These voices remind us of the stark reality: compassion and dignity in maternity care are still denied to many.  But listening is only the beginning. Through our partnership with Swabhimaan, we have collaborated with the community on the below activities: 1) Engaged with the Swabhimaan health care workers, who are also from the community, in conversations on Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) through in-person workshops, with the objective of strengthening the support system that mothers can turn to. 2) With the help of community members and students from Bangalore Steiner School, we conducted feedback surveys over several weeks, capturing mothers’ birth experiences to understand how we can strengthen our programmes to support such mothers better. 3) We will be conducting childbirth preparation classes, in the community, every Saturday, empowering mothers with knowledge, confidence and ability to make informed choices for their birth. These weekly visits are more than just interactions — they are an ongoing journey of awareness and empowerment. Each week builds on the last, enabling women and families to recognise their rights, understand the care they deserve, and find the courage to demand it. By sparking this awareness, we are doing more than documenting stories — we are building demand from the ground up. When mothers know and ask for the care they deserve, it creates a ripple effect of accountability, pressing institutions and health systems to respond, to transform, and to finally deliver care that upholds respect, dignity, and compassion. Change begins when mothers’ voices are heard, their rights are recognised, and their demands become impossible to ignore. #Swabhimaan #CommunityHealth #MaternalRights #WomensEmpowerment #MaternalHealthAwareness #SafeMotherhood #GrassrootsHealth #HealthEquity #PatientAdvocacy #RespectfulCare #MaternalSupport #PublicHealth #HealthEducation #EmpoweringWomen #CommunityEngagement #HealthcareForAll #SocialImpact #MaternalWellbeing #Dignity #AastrikaFoundation