Early Childhood Development Program in Atlántida Communities in Honduras

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The proposed Project aims to achieve its development objective through the following three components:Component 1 – Implementation of Plan Crecer in the Atlantida Department (US$1.27 million)This component will support the introduction of the PC Program in the Atlantida department. This subcomponent will provide direct support to the health system through (i) the establishment of a community-based approach called AIN-C (Atencion Integral del Niño en la Comunidad) in 56 targeted villages to support full vaccination, growth monitoring, and health and nutrition counseling; (ii) four Community Health Units (UCOS, Unidades Comunitarias de Salud) to support early identification of pregnant women, promotion of safe delivery, identification and prevention of malnutrition where health services are not accessible or close to the community; and (iii) Early Childhood Development Units (UDI, Unidad de Desarrollo Infantil), which provide specialized child stimulation services for children with disabilities and signs of neurological risk in two health facilities. In addition, this subcomponent will provide parental education services to children aged 0-5 in the same 56 targeted villages through fortnightly home visits, regular community meetings, and digital messages. Each home visitor will train 8-10 families.Component 2 – Strengthening local capacity for integrated ECD services (US$0.76 million). This component will strengthen the coordination of multi-sectoral ECD activities and services provided by the various ECD actors at the local level. This requires the provision of integrated services (health, education, and family counseling) and PRS SP programs targeted to poor families to avoid fragmented or untimely provision. This component will support local effective coordination among services providers, and collaboration among various stakeholders, fostering accountability through performance monitoring, and providing the necessary resources for the functioning of the departmental and municipal Boards.Component 3 - Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Knowledge Dissemination (US$ 0.73 million).This component will be implemented under 3 subcomponents: (a) Subcomponent 3.1 Project Management and Administration; (b) Subcomponent 3.2 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E); and (c) Subcomponent 3.3 Knowledge Dissemination.