Category: News

Lima, Peru, November, 2024

In April 2024, ICDP trainer, Honorata Herrera, resumed her ICDP work at the Santa Mónica Women’s Prison, located in the Chorrillos district, in the city of Lima, Peru. The ICDP meetings are held on Tuesdays from two thirty in the afternoon to four thirty. To date participants include twenty-four boarding mothers. The following is from Honorata’s own notes:    

The ICDP meeting is a safe place for participants to express themselves and for me to listen. It requires patience and perseverance to run each ICDP session, recognizing that the process is very slow with these mothers…but it is also an opportunity for growth for all of us. Introducing the ICDP guidelines, in their order and structure, allowed me to organize the topics and leave the mothers free to share their experiences and family stories that arose spontaneously.

Together we managed to create a place of trust, where each mother felt valued and was seen as an equal. I am continually encouraging them to connect with the brightest part of their being. Mothers felt that the ICDP meeting is “a magical place,” “it is our therapy,” “we share laughter and tears”. However, the mothers’ attendance at meetings fluctuated for various reasons: due to appointments related to their confinement in prison, such as having to meet with a psychologist, social worker or lawyer. Some fail to attend due to emotional reasons, like when receiving a sentence beyond what was expected, or going through their own criminal process. Except for one mother, who is always there, happy to attend.

After I introduced the first of the 8 ICDP guidelines (which is: How do you show love to your child?)  mothers started to share their experiences. Then I proposed that they also show love and affection to each other. Lucia responded immediately, very adamantly, “I don’t love myself.” Her reaction made me reflect and I decided to ask the mothers to direct the ICDP guidelines towards themselves, to first experience the meaning of each guideline through their personal experiences.                                                                                                                                          

At the beginning of the session on Empathy, one of the nine participant mothers recalled that upon entering the prison her cellmates welcomed her by saying “Welcome to hell”, she described how this made her feel. On the same day, a participant mother called Wendy joined us very late, towards the end of the meeting. To my surprise the nine mothers shouted out in unison, pointing at the register in front of me: – Don’t sign the attendance sheet for Wendy! Surprise, discomfort, and annoyance appeared on Wendy’s face. After a few minutes of asking for their attention, I asked the group to reflect about what thought or idea went through their mind which led them to act that way. They all remained silent for a few seconds, until one of the participants responded that it was just a joke. Immediately they all confirmed that it was a joke. I asked Wendy how she felt and she said, “Attacked at first, but then I thought it was a joke.” Afterwards we talked a bit longer about the meaning of empathy, attunement and affection.

In our fifth session, we were supposed to work on the ICDP guideline four, which is about the meaning of praise and appreciation of efforts. At the beginning of the session, we stood in a circle greeting each other, when I saw one of the mothers whispering in the ear of her companion Mara. Mara was crying silently.  I asked Mara what had happened to her. Mara told the group that she had had an altercation with another mother in her ward. This mother had insulted and verbally assaulted Mara, accusing her of stealing her baby’s bottle. She concluded her story by saying: Honorata, most of the people are here for theft. I am not a thief. I am here for Illicit drug trafficking. At that moment, a very upset inmate entered the workshop space, saying that her roommate threw her new shoes in the rubbish bin. Mara told me that this was in revenge, because this inmate had betrayed her roommate… With all this happening, there was no time left to work on the guideline four. To date, Mara has not returned to the ICDP meetings, but whenever she sees me, she greets me affectionately. Last Thursday she gave me a blessed rosary and a small red heart-shaped keychain.

During the session on guideline 8b, (which is to plan actions step by step), I asked mothers to share a personal story with respect to making plans step by step, and here are two of their stories:

Story one: Before entering prison, all I thought about was how to dress up in beautiful clothes, but nowadays, I do not care for such things anymore. My biggest concern now is to be released, to become free so that I can return to my five children, all waiting for me. My mother takes care of them now. When I am released, I plan to sell food. I have done it before and they tell me that I cook well. I also prepare a delicious chili.

Story two: When I was fourteen, I had my first daughter Sofia. My mother kicked me out of the house. I looked for my daughter’s father. He was nineteen years old and we started living together. Sofia was my doll. I was very happy with her. I learned to be a mother. But when her father came home from work, the tension would build up, he was violent towards me. The beatings became more and more frequent; black eyes, blows to my arms. Seeing my five-year-old daughter tell her father not to hit me was too much for me, so I decided to run away. But now I just want to get my daughter back and return to my village. So, this is what I plan to do.

ICDP has taken a second breath in the Republic of Georgia, as bold and timely support from the Karavi Center has brought together 12 incredible individuals. These participants—parents, a kindergarten principal, and dedicated therapists from Karavi—have embarked on a journey to strengthen and nurture harmonious relationships with children. With all resources provided, sessions have been held in a beautiful, supportive environment where reflection and growth thrive.

We have already completed five out of ten sessions, each one an opportunity to dive deeper into the principles that underpin ICDP’s work. In these sessions, participants thoughtfully engage with each concept, reflecting and practicing not only during the meeting but also at home, where they continue to build on their learning. Every meeting adds a new brick to our metaphorical house, practicing sensitive care through empathic identification and response and acknowledging the positives.

Our sessions are more than just workshops—they are collaborative spaces for transformation. Participants share insights, laughter, and sometimes even tears, weaving their unique stories into the fabric of the principles. They are open, thoughtful, and engaged, bringing life to the ICDP values through personal commitment.

As we look forward to the final sessions, the anticipation builds for a celebration of all we’ve accomplished together. The completion of this house will symbolize the enduring strength and care our participants are bringing into their families and communities. And with plans for a new group of parents and facilitator-level training on the horizon, our journey in the Republic of Georgia is just beginning.

– ICDP Trainer Nino Margvelashvili

On the 11^th of October 2024, I had an interesting conversation with Jeed Prakaikaew Phochan and Sara Sarawaree Lie. They both live in Norway, but their native country is Thailand which they visit a couple of times a year.  Our conversation was facilitated by Olav Skjerpeour who introduced us and assisted with translations. Sara is leader in the Youth Buddhist Federation, Jeed is Children’s Pastor in the Church of Norway.

Jeed and Sara are currently undergoing training both in Norway and in Thailand to become ICDP certified trainers. They travelled to Thailand to attend workshops organized by ICDP Thailand, whereas their practical projects are currently taking place in Norway among Thais. They are conducting the training in Thai. Jeed and Sara will have become certified ICDP by the end of January 2025. In my conversation with them they expressed keen commitment and desire to take the ICDP programme to others.

As part of their training they are forming new persons to become ICDP facilitators, namely, Mr. Phra,  Phichitchai Miphimol, Mrs. Lalita Chumpon and Mrs. Penprapha Skjæret. After attending the ICDP workshops, the trainee facilitators started rolling out the ICDP programme to Thai parents, accompanied by Jeed and Sara. This process is taking place at the Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in Norway and will be completed in November. Mr. Phra is a Buddhist monk, so for the first time we have a Buddhist monk becoming an ICDP Facilitator.

Olav, Jeed and Sara explained how the temple fulfills an important social function, acting as a safe place for fellowship among Thais. When Thai migrants experience challenges in their family lives, they approach the temple, but the temple has few tools to help with when it comes to family life and parent-child-relations. This is where ICDP comes in.  

Furthermore, the Buddhist temple feels that ICDP fits in their worldview and there is keen interest to spread ICDP more widely to reach the Thai diaspora in Europe. The abbot at Wat Thai Norway is the President of the Union of Thai Sanghas (Buddhist temples) in Europe and Jeed and Sara were invited to introduce ICDP to Thais living in different parts of Europe. ICDP will sign an agreement with Jeed and Sara once they have completed their training and we will keep in touch and observe future developments with great interest. – Nicoletta Armstrong, ICDP chair.

A workshop on “strengthening ICDP as part of Child Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP)” took place in Helsinki, Finland, from 12th to 16^th of September 2024. It was organized by Save the Children Finland who have been promoting ICDP internationally for several years now.

The workshop was attended by ICDP trainers who have been implementing the ICDP programme as part of the CSSP. Three ICDP trainers came from SC Nepal, two from SC Philippines, one from SC Zambia, one from SC Somalia, two from SC Finland and one ICDP trainer came from Normisjon Bangladesh. Nicoletta Armstrong from ICDP was also present. Disa Sjoblom, Mukesh Lath and Nicoletta facilitated the workshop.

The overall objective was to provide a forum for sharing between countries to ascertain ways of strengthening the work of ICDP, focusing especially on how to provide quality implementation and maintain the quality of the work after the end of the project intervention. Two days were dedicated to this, and on both days participants were split into small groups to explore the following two questions, with in-depth discussions afterwards in the big group:

1. How can you enhance the parents to practice 8 guidelines during the period of implementation? 
2. How to sustain caregivers’ practice after our involvement has finished/mechanisms of sustainability.

On the first day, the morning was dedicated to sharing about the work in respective countries. Here are some of the highlights from that session:

Nepal: The concept of CSSP, with ICDP as part of it, is currently in process of being institutionalized at 9 local government levels, as well as having national government endorsement for it. There are 142 facilitators who in addition to ICDP, also deliver sessions on nutrition and family budgeting. Evaluations of their work showed significant impact. Ten animated films about the 8 guidelines for good interaction were produced to be sent to caregivers as reinforcement after each session.

ICDP trainers from Nepal presented the programme Building Brains, role playing the part that ties in well with the Comprehension dialogue of the ICDP programme. These are play activities that encourage parents to use books and games to enhance children’s learning and cognitive abilities.

Philippines: The CSSP work has been integrated in the 4Ps country programme, which consists of education, health, nutrition and ICDP. In 2018, 1429 parents were reached in region 8. The 2019-2021 impact study showed positive results, and in 2022 the work received government endorsement by region 8. In December 2022, an agreement was signed between SC Philippines and the Ministry (DSWD) for national scale up of the CSSP. There are 1068 facilitators, 18,031 parents were reached so far – the future seven-year plan is to reach 4 million. A new group of 213 social workers have been trained as ICDP facilitators and they aim to reach 869 000 parent leaders/volunteers. There are 17 regions with 17 regional programme coordinators of the 4Ps and all have asked to be trained. Family Development Division cooperates on materials. Animated videos were made on the 8 guidelines to enhance the quality of implementation by caregivers, as is was done in Nepal. 

Zambia: The project (2022-2025) works with government cash transfer, promoting transparency and accountability, implementing ICDP parenting sessions, as well as resilience building sessions, in the districts of Kalulushi and Lufwanyama, in the Copperbelt province. A total of 59 groups of caregivers were trained, in these two districts; 1066 caregivers were reached. Cooperation is with the Ministry of Social Affairs, who have a volunteering policy, so many facilitators are volunteers. A concept note will be sent to the Ministry for a scale up.

Somalia: The work of CSSP (2022 – 2025) has so far reached 625 households in two districts of Somaliland, namely working in 3 IDP camps in Hargeisa and in Berbere village. The milestones achieved include the first ever review of Social Protection in the country, the signing of the policy for Social Protection by the President of the country in 2024, and the recognition of Social Protection by the National Development Plan. Preparations for scaling up of the CSSP that includes the ICDP programme is in planning.  A study of the impact of ICDP is in process, involving 400 persons in the experimental and 200 in the control group.

On the following day, an interesting presentation by Mark Millrine from CUBIC introduced participants to behavioural science as a way of increasing caregivers’ engagement on parenting programmes.

On the last day a visit took place to the premises of The Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters (ETKL) in Helsinki, to meet Miia Pikulinsky from ETKL and the vice chair of ICDP Finland, Petra Zilliacus.  Miia, welcomed everyone and presented a power point which showed a wide range of services, many of which included the ICDP programme. After that, Petra shared about the implementation of ICDP in Pargas. A pleasant and meaningful exchange of ideas took place and the workshop ended with a small ceremony when Nicoletta presented ICDP Trainer level diplomas to two new trainers, Adam Nyundo from Zambia and Abdilladif Ismail, from Somaliland.

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In August 2024, Nicoletta Armstrong, on behalf of the ICDP foundation board , has established cooperation with the Gdansk Centre for Health Promotion and Addiction Prevention (GOPZiPU). The Centre is committed to improving public health through various municipal programmes focussed on promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing addictions to psychoactive substances.

The ICDP programme is piloted from January to June 2025, and it will be rolled out to pre-school teachers. The plan is to train approximately four groups with all activities funded by the local government, with no cost to participants. ICDP facilitator Lidia Wasik will be delivering the ICDP programme to teachers at caregiver level.

In November 2024, Marek Jankowski, director of GOPZiPU signed a contract with Izabela Wojtowicz, who will support Lidia in developing ICDP in Poland – it is a contract of mandate for the duration of the pilot.

Dr Marek Jankowski, said:

– Implementing the ICDP aligns with our mission and allows us to strengthen relationships between parents, professional caregivers and children, thereby addressing the essential needs of children in Gdansk. We aim to integrate this programme into our offerings and we believe that our cooperation with ICDP will bring significant benefits to our community and contribute to the global mission of ICDP. We are eager to work closely with ICDP international. I am pleased to support this initiative to enhance child development and caregiver interaction in our community.

In Nepal, the ICDP programme is being implemented with mothers who receive the government Child Grant cash transfer programme. A study of the impact on parenting behaviours was completed in 2024 and the results have been published by Save the Children.

The parenting intervention aimed to boost parenting behaviours that are recognized as crucial for children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development.

Based on direct observation of mother-child interactions, the findings indicate that the programme was successful in significantly improving parental behaviours related to all four domains studied, i.e., affection, responsiveness, encouragement and teaching.

Click here to read.

A short article about the success of the ICDP programme was recently published, titled: Ivory Coast – AIP/ A community project strengthens family communication in homes in Taoudi. Here is the link to it:

https://www.aip.ci/89946/cote-divoire-aip-un-projet-communautaire-renforce-la-communication-familiale-dans-les-foyers-a-taoudi/

The English translation of the original text of this article in French, follows below:

Bondoukou, July 31, 2024 (AIP) – The agent of the social center of Taoudi (101 km from Bondoukou) and focal point of the project initiated by the organization Save the Children”, Brou Edoukou Jean Charles, praised the merits of the International Program of Child Development (ICDP), in strengthening communication between children and their parents in Taoudi.

This community initiative aims to improve parenting practices and thus the development and well-being of the child.

According to Brou Edoukou Jean Charles, this project has improved family relationships in his locality. “The beneficiaries have learned that they must devote time to their children and interact with them, have moments of intimacy with them,” he said.

The repercussions are visible with a reduction in the number of cases of child abuse, according to these registers and a positive impact on populations.

For the director of this social center, N’Dri Affoué Clémence, this project gave the children the joy of living again.

“They are happy and live in perfect harmony with their parents,” she greeted, during a contact tour, from Monday July 22 to Saturday July 27, 2024.

This vision is part of the programs, “towards an inclusive and violence-free environment for the most vulnerable girls and boys in Bondoukou and “child-sensitive social protection”, launched on March 24, 2022.

Amounting 1.2 million euros, or 787,148,400 million FCFA for a period of four years, these programs are intended to increase and promote the rights and well-being of children in the region. of Gontougo.

July 2024: In Colombia, a project called “Women with a Soul” is currently developing in the village of Santa Teresa, in the eastern part of Antioquia. The objective is to strengthen socio-emotional capacities in the women as the basis for the strengthening of family relationships and the development of rural entrepreneurship processes in the area.

In the village of Santa Teresa in the Municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia there are more than 500 families, 80% of whom belong to strata 1, 2 and 3, with low economic income and unsatisfied basic needs.

Among its main problems are: a macho culture, problems of alcoholism, in some cases domestic violence, school dropouts, conflicts between families, unemployment, the growing consumption of psychoactive substances in young people and adults.

The village has many opportunities for growth such as the Community Action Board that works for the development of its inhabitants, the rural school that is financed by the Secretary of Education and a group of women that for 4 years has been advancing in processes of empowerment and personal growth, some of them have managed to consolidate processes of entrepreneurship and financial autonomy (this with the support of social entities such as ICDP Colombia and Fundación Club Campestre).

This project “Women with Soul” seeks to strengthen and give continuity to the effort and commitment of some women in the village who have managed to develop socio-emotional skills and leadership, strengthen their family relationships and consolidate enterprises.

The project allows multiplying the experience of women like Mercedes Carvajal, who through the Alma Botánica entrepreneurship and with the support of ICDP Colombia want to impact other women in the area, giving continuity to the training and personal growth processes.

The beneficiaries of the project are 20 women, from the village of Santa Teresa in the Municipality of Rionegro, between 25 and 60 years of age, The women are illiterate or with low schooling, they are economically dependent on men, and they are dedicated to domestic work including the upbringing of children and grandchildren. All have available land to produce home gardens, crops and other uses in favour of self-consumption and entrepreneurship.

In this project, the community contributes the soil, its ancestral knowledge for the development of productive projects and the experiences of clean production with organic fertilizers, such as bocashi, for the care of nature and protection of the natural reserve in which they live.

The ICDP Colombia Foundation has joined this project by contributing its knowledge to improve family relationships through the implementation of the ICDP programme. Three ICDP volunteers who accompany this community. Abel Salazar, ICDP trainer, is overseeing the work.

An article is available about the impact of ICDP on school achievement. It was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Volume 65, 2021 – Issue 3. The article is called A First Examination of the Role of the International Child Development Programme in School Achievement. The authors are: Lilian Berggren, Lene Lindberg, Terese Glatz and Therese Skoog.

Download this article as pdf file.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to explore whether the classroom implementation of the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) for secondary school students (grade 9) was linked to better school achievement. The goal of the ICDP is to increase school achievement by promoting positive teacher-student relationships. The study, performed in Sweden, applied a pre–post design (four years) with matched intervention and control schools (N = 148). The post-intervention assessments showed that there were significant differences in school achievement in Grade 9 between the intervention school and the control school. Specifically, a greater proportion of students at the intervention school demonstrated improvement in school subjects and achieved the competency requirements to enter an upper secondary school programme. Based on the results, the ICDP can be considered an important intervention to promote student learning by promoting positive teacher-student relationships.

Link to the full article online: A First Examination of the Role of the International Child Development Programme in School Achievement (tandfonline.com)

ICDP is being implemented by our partner organization, Ark and Mark. Update from their report:

Since parenting is still crucial in Botswana, Ark and Mark Trust has benefited from financing received from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to reach additional communities in the nation. ICDP made significant strides in promoting child development in various villages in Botswana. The programme was implemented in Thamaga, Molepolole, Ramotswa, Gabane, and for the first time, Lobatse. Lobatse notably became the first town to self-sponsor its participation in the ICDP.

The Social Welfare & Community Development (S&CD) office of Lobatse Town Council identified the need for a follow-up intervention programme to address the issue of negligent or absent parents affecting street children in Lobatse. They requested theICDP programme for this purpose. Consequently, the town council sponsored the training of 42 facilitators to implement the ICDP in their community. Inspired by the success of the ICDP in other villages, Lobatse Town Council took this proactive step in June 2023. By leveraging the trained facilitators, the council aimed to drive local development and improve community well-being.

Read the full report here.