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Landmark ICAP-Supported Project Yields New Policy Guidelines for Integrating Health Services Into Preschools in Sierra Leone

Jul 29, 2024 | News, Stories from the Field

Launching of policy guidelines for integrating health, Nutrition and WASH into ECD centers in Sierra Leone by Dr Mame Awa Toure – Country Director of ICAP in Sierra Leone; Dr Yatta Kanu – Chief Education Officer of MBSSE; Emily Gogra – Deputy Minister of MBSSE; Prof Charles Senesie - Deputy Minister of Health; Dr Lynda Grantt – Manager of MoH Child Health Program and Melody Martin – Assistant Director of MBSSE

On Friday, July 12, 2024, ICAP in Sierra Leone – in collaboration with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Basic Senior and Secondary Education (MBSSE), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation – hosted a meeting to launch newly developed policy guidelines for integrating health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services into preschool centers in the country. The guidelines contain key objectives, expected outcomes, and strategies for integrating health services into early childhood development (ECD) centers. The launch follows the conclusion of the 18-month-long Supporting Healthy Interaction, Nurturing, and Enrichment for Preschool Children in Sierra Leone (Project SHINE!), an ICAP-led initiative funded by Columbia World Projects at Columbia University.  

From January 2023 to June 2024, Project SHINE! aimed to demonstrate the acceptability and feasibility of a wraparound health services solution for preschool children and their families and to develop a blueprint for implementing this solution at scale. Our Lourdes Preschool in the Sierra Leone city of Port Loko was the project beneficiary. 

“Given the magnitude of health issues such as early mortality, stunting, malnutrition, and common infectious diseases, including malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia, among children under five years in Sierra Leone, our intervention was geared at creating child-centered health care services with linkage and support from health workers, caregivers and family, the community, and teachers to improve health outcomes,” said Mame Awa Toure, MD, MSc, ICAP’s country director in Sierra Leone. 

The project was an opportunity for ICAP to work closely with the Ministry of Health and partners to support the Sierra Leone government’s free early childhood development initiative and to fill the gaps in child health monitoring services at the end of routine early childhood vaccination (0-15 months) and the start of primary school and to create concrete guidelines to inform national scale-up of the project. 

Approximately 80 participants attended the dissemination meeting, including MOH, MBSSE, and Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation officials. Officials from the district health management team and MBSSE across the 16 districts of Sierra Leone also participated in the event. Other development partners in attendance included Plan International, Right to Play, World Vision, Ecobank, Cotton Tree Foundation Sierra Leone, Milton Margai Technical University, Our Lady of Lourdes Preschool management and a cross-section of the pupils, and Port Loko community members and parents. 

In presenting the results of Project SHINE!, the ICAP team highlighted the project’s implementation process and reach, as well as testimonials from community members and project beneficiaries, and plans for sustaining lessons learned from the project.  

Melody Martin, ECD director with the MBSSE, presented the newly developed policy guidelines together with Emily Gogra, deputy minister, MBSSE, who expressed her gratitude to ICAP for addressing such a critical need in Sierra Leone’s health and education system. “By implementing these policy guidelines, we are building the future of Sierra Leone by supporting our future nation builders,” Gorga said in her remarks 

Project stakeholders expect to roll out the policy guidelines nationwide across ECD centers in the country to address the health needs of Sierra Leone’s children.  

“Addressing issues like water access and providing children with education and care for four to five hours a day can significantly impact their well-being and prevent severe illness,” said Toure. “This intervention isn’t just about immediate actions but ensuring future sustainability.”  

  • Two women, one in a green outfit with a pink headwrap and the other in a blue and red dress, stand behind five children holding booklets. The group is smiling and posing for a photo in front of a banner with text.

    Dr. Mame Awa Toure - Country Director for ICAP in Sierra Leone, and Mariam Kamara - Headteacher of Our Lady of Lourdes Preschool and some pupils

  • A woman in a blue outfit speaks into a microphone while standing in front of a seated audience in a conference room. The audience members, predominantly women, are seated at tables covered with green and purple cloths, attentively watching the speaker.

    Melody Martin - Assistant Director of MBSSE presenting on policy guidelines

  • A woman wearing a black blazer and red shirt sits at a podium with a microphone and papers. She is speaking and appears focused. In the background, there is a banner featuring images of a child and a classroom setting.

    Dr. Sao-Kpato Hannah Isatta Macarthy - Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, giving her remarks during the meeting

  • A woman in colorful traditional attire speaks into a microphone while standing at a podium holding papers. She appears to be addressing an audience in a conference room with a long table and bottles of water in the background.

    Emily Gogra – Deputy Minister of MBSSE giving a keynote speech during the dissemination meeting

  • A person wearing a light green traditional outfit and a pink headwrap speaks at a podium holding a microphone. Behind is a banner displaying text and images related to education, featuring children and educational scenes. The setting appears to be an indoor event.

    Dr. Toure giving remarks during the dissemination meeting

  • A person wearing a light beige traditional outfit and cap speaks into a microphone while standing at a podium. Behind them is a banner featuring images of community health activities and logos of various organizations, including Columbia Global and ICAP.

    Prof. Charles Senesie - Deputy Minister of Health giving his remarks during the dissemination meeting

  • A woman in patterned clothing speaks into a microphone at a podium. Behind her, a banner displays images of programs for preschool children in Sierra Leone. Another person stands to the left, partially visible. The setting appears to be an event or conference.

    Dr. Lynda Grantt – Manager of MoH Child Health Program giving opening remarks

  • A young child stands at the front of a room holding a microphone. The child wears a blue shirt and beige shorts. Behind them is a table with water bottles, notebooks, and chairs. The background features a projector screen.

    Gibrila Sesay, a pupil from Our Lady of Lourdes talks about the benefits of the school garden

 

About ICAP

A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu

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