In rural Kitui County, Kenya, GIFT CONNECT is on a mission to educate and empower mothers and caregivers on the importance of early childhood development and the six loving habits. Our program leverages the unique power of music and celebrity influence to reach people who aren’t being served by traditional outreach methods.
The program is led by Stellar Mengele, a renowned celebrity musician and GIFT CONNECT’s Global Ambassador. Discover what makes GIFT CONNECT’s Kenya program so impactful by taking a step-by-step journey through the initiatives.
1. Raise Awareness
Mothers and caregivers become aware of the importance of early childhood development through our media campaigns that combine edutainment songs and Public Service Announcements about Birth to Three, and are then invited to attend a Keynote Concert event to learn more.
2. Educate
At the event, mothers and caregivers are taught all about the brain science from birth to three years old and how they can become their child’s first teacher by practicing the six loving habits for their children’s development from birth to age three. These habits include singing, reading, playing, counting, speaking to, and engaging in “serve and return” interactions with their children.
3. Offer Tools
After the events, mothers interested in going deeper are invited to participate in the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall that we are proud to be the first partner in Africa. This four-session program guides them in writing their own lullabies for their children. They also learn to utilize Vroom tips, which are simple daily activities designed for parents and caregivers to incorporate the Loving Habits into their interactions with their children.
4. Empower Champions
Following the initial four Lullaby Program sessions, these groups transform into mother-to-mother support networks and table banks (a micro-finance concept), managed entirely by the participants. Funds from the shared bank have been used by the groups for everything from supporting a group member’s unexpected medical needs to starting shared businesses. The groups are also invited back to share their knowledge through creative expressions like songs, skits, and poetry at our big end-of-year celebration event. Having the mothers shift from students at the keynote concert events to teachers helps to empower them into advocates and champions of our shared mission, both at the event and in their communities.
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