Worldwide, 175 million children aged between 3 and 5 have no access to pre-school education. Yet early childhood care and education (ECCE) is an absolutely crucial stage. It enables the holistic development of a child's social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs, to ensure their well-being and lifelong learning. Aware of the challenges that this period represents, Action Education has made early childhood one of its priorities, particularly in Vietnam. And to carry out its mission, the association can count on the support of the City of Geneva.

According to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, "The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognise that Early Childhood Development can contribute to the overall achievement of the goals by 2030". Indeed, MDG 4 on education states that it is essential that all girls and boys aged 0-8 have access to appropriate developmental activities and care and to quality pre-school education that prepares them for primary education.

Early childhood: a neglected issue

ECCE aims to lay the foundations for children's well-being and lifelong learning. Unfortunately, many countries still neglect this issue and do not invest enough. As UNICEF points out, "the first moments of life offer a unique opportunity to develop the brains of the young children who will build the future. However, this opportunity is all too often missed. For governments, neglecting to invest in early childhood has a price: children who are unhealthier and less able to learn. [For children, particularly disadvantaged children, the price of this failure is untapped potential.

Vietnam: early childhood education and protection a priority

The development of young children is based on three essential needs: health, protection and nutrition. Action Education develops its early childhood projects with these fundamentals in mind. In Vietnam, in Lai Chau province, our association aims to promote the quality and inclusion of early childhood education (ECCE) and parenting. The overall aim of the project is to improve the quality of inclusive early childhood services for disadvantaged children, particularly from ethnic minorities such as the H'mong who live in Lai Chau, for children aged 0 to 8. To achieve this, the project aims, among other things, to improve early learning opportunities and strengthen children's cognitive and socio-emotional development by offering child-centred teaching strategies and improved learning environments. We do this by strengthening collaboration and learning exchanges between key educators in the region, with the aim of improving policy advocacy for early childhood care, education and parenting in Vietnam. We also encourage parents, teachers and local authorities to support early childhood care and education and to change attitudes in the community.

We warmly thank the City of Geneva for its support, which enables us to advance the cause of education, particularly among the most marginalised and vulnerable populations.