Children without parental care in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region
deserve the right to family-based care from the very beginning. The Nurturing Care Framework
(NCF) serves as the cornerstone, transforming child rights principles into tangible practices that
support early childhood development (ECD). The period from pregnancy to age 3 is crucial,
demanding multifaceted support to ensure optimal growth during these formative years.
The NCF champions the cause of children’s rights, translating principles into action. It emphasizes
five interrelated components essential for optimal ECD: health, nutrition, security & safety,
responsive caregiving, and opportunities for early learning. By addressing these factors, children can
achieve their full developmental potential.

The framework underlines the importance of improving health and well-being in the earliest years,
identifies major threats to ECD, explores how nurturing care protects children from adversity, and
outlines the responsibilities of caregivers in providing the necessary support.
Snapshot of ECD Policies in the SADC Region: In the SADC region, strides have been made in
Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) policies, with most countries having relevant
policies in place. However, challenges persist, with some nations lacking integrated ECD policies or
comprehensive implementation plans. Multi-sectoral coordination remains a hurdle, and policy
reviews are infrequent. Access to pre-primary education faces obstacles like teacher shortages, long
distances to centers, low funding, and inadequate infrastructure. There’s a substantial gap between
the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrollment Ratio (NER), indicating that children are
not enrolling at the correct ages.

The funding landscape for ECD in the region is concerning, with only a small percentage of national
education budgets allocated to ECD. Donor aid, while significant, is not sufficient, and employment-
related funding dominates, leaving ECD grossly underfunded. Aid effectiveness has seen marginal
improvements, with a peak in 2018 and 2019 followed by a decline. The regional average ECD
funding stands at a mere 1.57% of national education budgets.

Recommendations for a Brighter Future SADC Level:

• Sustainable Strategies: Focus on creating sustainable strategies for transitional environments
  through the adoption of regional ECD policy frameworks.
• Regional ECD Policy: Develop a SADC ECDE policy to guide countries, address financing
  commitments, set regional standards, and promote targeted research.
• Information Repository: Establish an ECD information repository and analysis mechanism
  to monitor SDG targets.

Country Level:

• Inclusive Strategies: Target the hardest-to-reach children, prioritizing the very poor,
  marginalized, girls, those with disabilities, and those geographically distant from services.
• Comprehensive Policies: Create national-level whole-child strategies through coordinated
  multi-sectoral policies and programs.
• Donor Aid Strategies: Develop strategies for donor aid, emphasizing integrated funding,
  disbursement, and utilization.
• Quality Standards: Improve quality standards for ECD programs.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Enhance monitoring and reporting, ensuring data on the ECDE
  sector, including marginalized groups, is captured and tracked.
• Adopting MICS Family Care Indicators: Incorporate the MICS Family Care Indicators into
  monitoring mechanisms.
• Teacher Training: Facilitate comprehensive training programs for ECCD teachers, including
  a clear deployment policy for teachers with disabilities.

By investing in family and community-based care, the SADC region can build a nurturing
environment for children without parental care, securing their rights and fostering a brighter future
for generations to come.