On December 6, GIFT CONNECT Kenya and Global Ambassador Stellar Mengele hosted over 2,000 mothers and caregivers at our year-end event. During this event, our seven Carnegie Hall Lullaby Program groups performed lullabies, educational songs, and poems they composed about the 6 Loving Habits: speak to, sing to, read to, play with, count with, and serve & return.
These 6 Loving Habits are ways you can engage with your child in everyday activities. They help support edutainment, which is a valuable tool we really stand behind as it plays a vital role in helping to shape the brain and supporting lifelong learning.
Our lullaby groups all completed the 4-week Carnegie program, after which they transitioned into a mother-to-mother support group, including a $300 investment from us in the groups’ table bank – a microfinance system that allows members of the group to save and borrow money from a shared pool. We are so proud to report that all of the groups have increased their funds since the formation of their micro-banks to between $500-700 dollars, furthering our vision of sustainability through empowerment and adding to the proof that our “Every Community” pilot in Kenya is worthy of being replicated in communities across the globe!
Building communities that empower mothers and caregivers to not only implement the 6 Loving Habits with their own children but also to share the message of Birth to Three with others is the core of our mission.
After our year-end event, we were able to host another event in Tulia (Kitui County, Kenya). On January 21, 2025, we were able to welcome over 400 mothers and caregivers to learn about early childhood brain science, responsive caregiving practices, and the 6 Loving Habits.
In the above photo, you can see the women raising their hands as they pledge together to practice at home and become champions of their new knowledge in their communities, which is always one of the most powerful aspects of our events.
At GIFT CONNECT, we believe that through music, technology, and collaboration, we can educate and spread the importance of Birth to Three, one of the great reasons why our team is so dedicated to hosting several in-person events throughout the year. With your support, we can continue to host events like this that make a real impact.
