Latest newsletter from Eurochips
Catch up with the latest news from foundation partner Eurochips, which works for children of imprisoned parents across Europe.
11 December 2006
Downloads available from DECET seminar
Plenary contributions to the DECET Network's first invitational seminar, held in Barcelona in May 2006, are available to download. The seminar discussed theoretical reflections and practical approaches focused on equity and respect for diversity in early childhood education and training.
5 December 2006
Indigenous people's news from Kenya
Nairobi-based foundation partner TICAH (Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health), which implements the Using Our Traditions project on the health and nutrition needs of young children, has issued a new newsletter (pdf, 0.3mb). It contains, among other things, news of TICAH's activities at the Toronto AIDS conference and latest publications.
17 November 2006
WOFAN nominated for Commonwealth award
Hajiya Salamatu Garba, coordinator of Nigeria's Women Farmers Advancement Network - which implements the Sustainable ECD in Kano project for the foundation - has been nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Grassroots Empowerment Award for the First Distinguished Nigerian Merit Awards. The award will be presented at the 3rd Annual African Diaspora Investment Forum, to be held at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on 23-25 November.
14 November 2006
Bratislava conference on Mother Centres
The Union of Mother Centres and Mother Centres International Network for Empowerment are holding the International Conference of Mother Centres in Bratislava from 17-20 November (download invitation and agenda in pdf format). More than 120 participants from 23 countries are expected to attend. Topics include strengthening parental skills, reconciling traditional values with the demands of modern life, and developing advocacy for family- and children-friendly societies.
14 November 2006
VBJK presents film and brochure
On Thursday 16 November in Ghent, Belgium, VBJK (Research and Resource Centre for Early Childhood Care and Education) will present a film, Childcare stories: Multiple perspectives of parents about education, employment and childcare, and a brochure - Ouderpartcipatie, ook voor vaders (parent participation, also for fathers) - on how to involve fathers in childcare. These products were developed with support from the foundation and others.
8 November 2006
Involving under-5s in public service design
Foundation partner Playtrain is organising a major conference and exhibition in Birmingham, UK, from 8-12 February 2007 (download invite in pdf format). The conference, entitled "Wow! This Is Big..." will explore how children aged five and under can be engaged in developing public services in arts, culture and leisure. It will share the results of Playtrain's innovative research into young children's participation funded by the foundation through the project Opening Your Doors To Early Years.
5 November 2006
Multicultural education in early childhood
Foundation partner The Venezia Institite is holding a conference entitled "Multicultural education in early childhood" in Tel Aviv on 15 November. Also, check out a new page on the Venezia Institute's website for more details - with video clips - of their foundation-funded work on promoting multiculturalism among young children in Israel.
27 October 2006
UNESCO Courier features foundation projects
The Roving Caregivers Programme in Jamaica, Community Mothers Programme in Ireland and "Loipi" projects with Kenyan pastoralists are among the foundation-funded projects deatured in the October 2006 edition of the UNESCO Courier.
26 October 2006
Legion d'Honneur for foundation partner
Nebahat Akkoç, President of Turkish women's organisation and foundation partner KA-MER, has been awarded France's highest honour, the Legion d'Honneur medal. KA-MER implements the Life for Children project, which aims to challenge cultural, traditional or educational practices which are harmful to women and children.
25 October 2006
Conferences on children of imprisoned parents
New conferences from member organisations of foundation partner EUROCHIPS, the europe-wide network for children separated from an imprisoned parent: Actions for Prisoners' Families holds its AGM and conference in London on October 18, while Federations des Relais Enfants Parents organises a two-day training session in Paris entitled The Impact of Imprisonment on Family Ties on November 9-10 (in French only). More news from Eurochips.
17 October 2006
Photos from Nairobi slums project
Kenyan partner SIDAREC (Slums Information Development And Resource Centres) sends some new photos from its ECD programme, which the foundation supports through the Children's Voices and HIV/AIDS project. SIDAREC works with children and youth groups in two major slum areas in Nairobi, Pumwani and Mukuru Kwa Njenga. Read more
11 October 2006
Working with children in radio broadcasting
The foundation-funded publication "Bua Fela - Just Talk", published by ABC Ulwazi in South Africa, is now at the printers and will be available for distribution soon. This practical guide to working with children in radio broadcasting is based on the experiences gained by ABC Ulwazi during the Speak Free Project, funded by the foundation since 2003. If you are interested in a copy, email info@abculwazi.org.za.
2 October 2006
KCDF's new logo, forum and funds
Kenya Community Development Foundation, which implements the Capacity Building and Early Childhood Development project, has launched a new logo together with a sponsors' forum and new funds for food security and girl children. Read more on KCDF's website.
26 September 2006
Literacy project wins White House recognition
Following on from its recent award (see news item below), South Africa's Family Literacy Project has been selected as one of the nine programmes to be highlighted in the White House Conference on Global Literacy (press release, pdf, 28kb). Hosted by Mrs Laura Bush, the conference will be held in New York this month.
8 September 2006
Family Literacy Project wins award
Foundation partner the Family Literacy Project, which implements the Masifunde Njengomndeni project in KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa, has won an award for best adult literacy project in KwaZulu Natal. The award, from the Adult Learning Network, complements awards in previous years for best adult learner, adult educator and adult literacy group.
6 September 2006
New website for Peruvian partner
Peruvian partner CODINFA (Consorcio Desarrollo Integral Ninez y Fam Andina) has a new website (Spanish language only). CODINFA implements the Protagonismo Infantil Ande Peruano project for the foundation, which focuses on promoting child participation in rural Andean communities.
5 September 2006
TREE publishes August newsletter
Foundation partner TREE (Training and Resources in Early Education), which implements our Siyafundisana project in South Africa, has published its latest newsletter (pdf, 372kb).
2 September 2006
UK conference on engaging fathers
UK-based foundation partner Children North-East, which runs our Fathers Plus project, is holding a conference in Newcastle on 11th September entitled Including Fathers - Improving Outcomes: Evidence, Policy and Practice (link downloads pdf flyer). The half-day conference is aimed at policy-makers, researchers and senior managers, and is followed by a series of practice development workshops.
25 August 2006
Israeli media cover diversity project's new book
The Israeli Venezia Institute for Diversity and Multi-Culturalism, which runs a foundation-funded project in Israel, has featured in Israeli newspaper Haaretz after the publication of its book about children "This is me - My Story". Read more
24 August 2006
Back to school - and mending wounds
The pioneering Hand in Hand schools in Israel, at which Arab and Jewish children learn together, face an even more challenging than usual start to the new school year. Here, the foundation shares their message of hope. Read more
18 August 2006
Ethiopia and South Africa updates
The latest in a series of vignettes by students documenting the work of BvLF partners as part of the Hine Fellowships project, a collaboration between BvLF and the Lewis Hine Documentary Initiative. Maital Guttman is working with the 10 million memory project in South Africa and Elena Rue is working with Hope For Children in Ethiopia. Read more
20 July 2006
What does a five-year old living in South Africa need to know about sexual assault?
In her final report from the field, Hine Fellow Sarah Leeper describes how the editors of the Living Positively Handbook for HIV-positive children tackled the delicate issue of how explicitly they should talk about rape. Read more
12 July 2006
Playtrain promotes young children's participation
Download the first newsletter (pdf, 1.8mb) of UK-based foundation partner Playtrain. Among other things, the newsletter discusses a research project into methodologies to enable young children to express their thoughts and participate in decisions about services.
29 June 2006
Educational toys on display in Durban
If you are in Durban between June 30th and July 9th, visit the ECR House And Garden Show (pdf, 48kb) at Durban Exhibition Centre to see a range of low-cost educational toys and equipment developed by the foundation's South African partner TREE (Training & Resources in Early Education).
26 June 2006
Diversity conferences in Ireland and Germany
Early childhood educators interested in promoting diversity may like to request further information from Pavee Point Travellers Centre in Ireland and Kinderwelten in Germany about one-day conferences to be held on June 20 and June 23 respectively. Visit our diary page for more upcoming events in early childhood.
2 June 2006
HIV Positive: helping children to cope emotionally
HIV Positive: A book for caregivers to help children cope emotionally with HIV/AIDS (pdf, 1.6mb) is a publication of former BvLF partner the Media in Education Trust. It contains 40 pages of highly recommended practical exercises to help children cope with sickness, sadness, stigma, death and grief.
19 May 2006
Empowering children through Hero Books
Hero Booking is a process through which a child becomes the author, narrator, and illustrator of her own life. Maital Guttman, working with the 10 million memory project on a foundation-funded Hine Fellowship, reports. Read more
15 May 2006
Documenting pediatric HIV treatment in Africa
In her latest report from the field, Sarah Leeper asks how documentary work can help change minds in the scientific community about the importance of pediatric HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more
9 May 2006
Getting the HIV/AIDS message across
Another in our series of vignettes from the field by students on the Lewis Hine Documentary Initiative. Elena Rue, who is working with Hope For Children in Addis Ababa, describes how a travelling photo exhibition tackles misconceptions about HIV/AIDS in Ethiopian villages. Read more
1 May 2006
New journal on minority education
BvLF partner The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is collaborating in the launch of a new journal in 2007, Diaspora, Indigenous and Minority Education: An International Journal. Follow the link for details of how to contribute or subscribe.
19 April 2006
Rights activist to lead EUROCHIPS conference
Activist and author Taslima Nasreen has agreed to deliver the keynote address at the first major European conference on children with imprisoned parents, to be held in Paris on May 12-13. An estimated 700,000 children within the European Union are separated from an incarcerated parent each year. Read more
18 April 2006
Hand in Hand wins intercultural learning prize
Israeli partner Hand in Hand has won first prize in the BMW Group's prestigious International Learning awards, beating competition from 26 countries. The award recognises the Learning to Live Together programme, which teaches mixed groups of children in both Hebrew and Arabic, for "build[ing] a new foundation for the next generation to live as partners". Read more on Hand in Hand's website.
18 April 2006
AIDS awareness literacy challenges
"Very bad things can happen to orphans. List some of those things in the space provided." Sarah Leeper reports from Durban, South Africa, on the challenges of putting together literacy materials which sensitise young children to the realities of HIV/AIDS - without scaring them senseless. Read more
13 April 2006
Israeli project's new website
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has launched a new website, the Early Childhood Learning and Resource Center (ECLRC), which makes available resources in Hebrew and English on the "Learning To Live Together" project and other field projects.
2 April 2006
Family literacy in the news
South Africa's Sunday World newspaper features the work of new BvLF partner the Family Literacy Project.
2 April 2006
New online forum for Scottish Highlands
Connections is a new online forum bringing together government and voluntary agencies working in the early years in the Highlands region of Scotland. One of its founding members, Highland Preschool Services, is connected to our Glasgow-based partner CAF.
17 March 2006
Spaces on UK creative childcare courses
UK partner Playtrain has limited places available on its spring programme of training courses in creative ways to work with children. Dowload the course descriptions and booking form (doc, 38kb).
15 March 2006
Research on child conflict resultion
Elly Singer and Dorian De Haan from the Faculty of Child Psychology at the University of Utrecht, together with Anke van Keulen of Bureau Mutant , have published research results from the "Young kids coping with conflict" project, which explores the impact of culture on children's conflict resolution and the role of adults. The research studied 96 children playing in multicultural childcare centres. A book for practitioners, Kijken, Kijken, Kijken (in Dutch), is now available.
14 March 2006
Report on care for Tanzanian pastoralist children
The Monduli Pastoralist Development Initiative collaborates with families, communities and service providers in improving care for young pastoralist children in Tanzania. Read more about the context, methodology and challenges of their work in this report (pdf, 1.6mb) - summary (pdf, 799kb), prepared for BvLF by AMANI.
13 March 2006
Mothers Centres campaign gathers pace
The first questionnaire results are coming in from around the world in response to the first stage of the international campaign: "How do we want to raise our children?", run by the Mothers Centre International Network for Empowerment (MINE) and the Union of Slovak Mothers Centres. For further information aboput the campaign and how you can join the debate, see the campaign website.
10 March 2006
ACEPP protests against delinquency tracking
BvLF partner ACEPP (Association des Collectifs Enfants Parents Professionnels) asks you to join them in a campaign against proposals in France to create a national register tracking behaviour in young children which could be considered as indicators of future delinquency. Further information (in French) from ACEPP's website.
9 March 2006
EUROCHIPS conference on imprisoned parents
In Paris on May 12-13, the European Committee for Children of Imprisoned Parents (EUROCHIPS) is hosting a conference on "Children of Imprisoned Parents: European Perspectives", in collaboration with Fédération des Relais Enfants Parents and the Bernard van Leer Foundation. The conference, to be held in English and French, is aimed at early childhood professionals and practitioners, prison and probation services, justice ministry representatives, magistrates, international institutions and NGOs and associations. Download the conference programme (pdf, 120kb) and registration form (pdf, 830kb).
3 March 2006
Dutch conference on parents and diversity
On April 10th, BvLF parter MUTANT will host a conference on parents and diversity in the childcare and pre-school sector. The conference, to be held in Den Bosch and in the Dutch language, is for managers, advisors, pedagogical staff, policy makers and trainers working in the childcare sector and the pre-school and school education system. Visit the MUTANT website for more information.
20 February 2006
Eduquer nos enfants à la diversité
The result of a collaboration between BvLF partners Les Amis du Furet, l'Ecole Santé Social du Sud Est, l'Association des Collectifs Enfants Parents Professionnels and author Michel Vandenbroeck, French-language publication Eduquer nos enfants à la diversité - about bringing up children to accept and cherish diversity - is now available to be ordered.
23 January 2006
ELRU recognised in Christmas fundraiser
South African partner Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU) was chosen by GreaterGood SA as one of its five official poverty eradication organisations for the "Make Christmas Matter" campaign. The campaign raised over ZAR 30,000 (EUR 4,000) for ELRU and is still open for donations.
6 January 2006
News archive
