Project SHINE (Supporting Healthy Interaction, Nurturing, and Enrichment) was a direct response to the health deficits and challenges that have been affecting children in Sierra Leone. Led by ICAP, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning, and supported and funded by Columbia World Projects from January 2023 through September 2024, Project SHINE was a collaborative effort that brought together interdisciplinary expertise across Columbia University and deep engagement with the government and key community stakeholders in Sierra Leone. Under Project SHINE, ICAP developed an innovative approach to addressing this longstanding problem: wraparound health services in early childhood development settings. Project SHINE tested the feasibility and acceptability of this approach through a one-year demonstration project at Our Lourdes Preschool in the Port Loko district of Freetown. The wraparound health services included preschool-based health services, household health visits, a nutritional teaching garden, and community health days, all integrated with referrals to local health facilities. By placing the child at the center of nurturing care from caregivers, family, teachers, health workers, and the wider community, Project SHINE sought to unleash the potential of every child through the power of public health and education working in harmony. By engaging caregivers and providing preventive health services for the entire family, Project SHINE not only enhanced the children’s well-being but also made a positive impact on families and the community.
In the photo book, SHINE documents the process of bringing Project SHINE to life and celebrates the achievements of this unique and innovative effort to foster a healthier, more resilient future for the children of Sierra Leone. The SHINE Teaching Garden Curriculum outlines a curriculum schools can utilize to integrate a teaching garden themselves, including ten modules with step-by-step lessons introducing the importance of a school garden, how to implement it, how to sustain it, and how to engage students in the process.
