What does it look like when a music-led, community-rooted early childhood program steps onto the world stage? Last month, GIFT CONNECT Global Ambassador Stellar Mengele traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to find out — and the answer, in her own words, was “epic.”
From April 13–17, 2026, Stellar represented GIFT CONNECT at the World Forum Foundation Conference, the world’s most prestigious early childhood development (ECD) forum. Bringing our music edutainment philosophy to an international audience of leaders from more than 20 countries across Africa, Asia, South America, the USA, and Europe, she firmly planted GIFT CONNECT on the global map.
Presenting the Six Loving Habits to the World
A major highlight of the conference was Stellar’s opportunity to present our Loving Habits music edutainment model at the WoFo Café — an open exchange space where innovators from around the world share ideas and spark collaborations.
The response was electric. International peers engaged enthusiastically with the approach, affirming what we already know: that music is a universal language, and that the Six Loving Habits framework — Speak, Sing, Read, Play, Count, and Serve & Return — resonates across cultures and continents.
Stellar returned home with direct invitations to bring the model to India, Tanzania, and Brazil, with a focus on training ECD teachers and parents. Our mission to amplify the importance of birth to three development is no longer just a vision — it is becoming a reality, one country at a time.
Global Leader Award
We are incredibly proud to share that Stellar was presented with the Global Leader for Young Children Award at this year’s conference, building on the remarkable success of GIFT CONNECT Kenya’s work in Kitui County. This award recognizes the next generation of early childhood development leaders worldwide who will work together to influence policy and implement ECD practices in their communities.
Along with this recognition, Stellar was granted lifetime membership to the World Forum Foundation and inducted into the 2026 Global Leaders Cohort — a year-long advanced ECD leadership training and certification program. This is not just an honor for Stellar; it is a milestone for every mother, caregiver, and child GIFT CONNECT has ever served.
Learning from the World’s Best
Beyond presenting, Stellar spent the conference learning, connecting, and observing.
The delegation received a high-level briefing from the Mayor of Petaling Jaya at the city’s council hall — a city recognized by UNICEF as Malaysia’s first Child-Friendly City. The visit offered a powerful glimpse into what it looks like when an entire city is designed around the well-being of children: child councils integrated into local governance, childcare woven into urban planning, free public buses, and school bus stops built with children in mind.
The takeaway? Childcare isn’t just a service. At its best, it is an ecosystem, and a government-community partnership is the engine that drives it.
The group also visited two premier ECD centers in Malaysia, observing play-based learning models and music-integrated teaching in action — approaches that mirror and affirm what GIFT CONNECT has been building on the ground in Kenya and Delaware.
What This Means for GIFT CONNECT
GIFT CONNECT is now a recognized voice in the global ECD community, with a proven model, an award-winning ambassador, and an expanding network of collaborators across six continents. The connections forged in Malaysia open pathways for international growth that could bring the Loving Habits framework — and its life-changing impact on children ages birth to three — to communities around the world.
We are deeply grateful to the GIFT CONNECT leadership team for making this trip possible, and to every supporter whose belief in our mission helped put Stellar on that stage.
The world is listening. And we’re just getting started.
