Climate change poses a significant threat to young children in Nigeria, particularly due to extreme heat and increasingly severe floods. Rising temperatures and extreme weather primarily driven by climate change exacerbate the already limited access to safe drinking water, intensifying the risks to children's health and well-being. Young children are also more susceptible to respiratory problems and other heat-related illnesses because their bodies generate more heat relative to their size and they sweat less efficiently.1 High temperatures lead to severe dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke, which can be life-threatening if not addressed promptly. Overheated classrooms can impair concentration and cognitive function, which in turn impedes learning. The psychological impact of extreme heat includes increased stress and anxiety, which could potentially slow brain development during this most critical developmental window.
ECD AND CLIMATE CHANGE WEBINAR
Join AfECN and partners as we spotlight the intersection of climate change and early childhood development, sharing country findings, lessons, and advocacy entry points to strengthen action for Africa’s youngest.
Date: Wednesday, 24th September 2025
Time: 15:00
Duration: 1hr30Min
Blog 2 | The Silent Crisis: How Climate Change is Threatening Early Childhood Development in Ethiopia by Nebyat Ayele Assefa
Climate change is undermining decades of progress in Ethiopia’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives. The country is experiencing more frequent droughts, erratic rainfall, and floods, which in turn are exacerbating child malnutrition, increasing the disease burden, disrupting education, and causing psychosocial trauma among young children. This convergence of climate and child development crises represents a national emergency for Ethiopia. Young children (ages 0-5) make up a significant portion of Ethiopia’s population – roughly 13 to 14 million children – and their well-being is inextricably linked to the nation’s future social and economic development. If climate change continues to impair the health and growth of these children, Ethiopia’s aspirations for middle-income status and sustainable development will be gravely threatened. This blog analyzes Ethiopian-specific data on climate change impacts to ECD, reviews current government responses, and outlines recommendations for integrated policies to safeguard the next generation.
Blog 1 | Africa Focus: Setting the Scene – Leaving the Youngest Behind in Early Childhood and Climate Change Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa by Dr. Rongedzayi Fambasayi
Early Childhood Development and Climate Change in Africa: A Call to Action
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Climate Change Community of Practice is a subcommittee of the Access to Quality Services Working Group under the African Union Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Cluster. In response to the growing number of climate-related disasters affecting families with young children across the continent, the Community of Practice has launched a Climate Change Blog Series. This three-part series aims to share knowledge, amplify diverse voices, and highlight real-world solutions from Africa. As Climate Change intensifies, its most severe impacts are falling on those least responsible and least prepared—young children. The blogs not only shed light on the critical, yet often overlooked, link between Early Childhood Development and Climate Change governance in Africa but also showcase promising responses and initiatives from various regions.
These three blogs feature insights from leading experts and practitioners working across diverse country contexts. Covering a range of perspectives—from policy to community-level action—they unpack the risks that Climate Change poses to young children, highlight systemic gaps, and propose practical, child-centered solutions. Together, they call on all stakeholders to step up advocacy and action toward a more just and resilient future for Africa’s youngest generation.
What to Expect
Blog 1 | Africa Focus: Setting the Scene – Leaving the Youngest Behind in Early Childhood and Climate Change Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa by Dr. Rongedzayi Fambasayi
This introductory blog explores the siloed nature of ECD and climate policy across sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the urgency of integrating early childhood priorities into climate action and calls for targeted financing and systemic reform to protect the continent’s youngest citizens.
Blog 2 | The Silent Crisis: How Climate Change is Threatening Early Childhood Development in Ethiopia by Nebyat Ayele Assefa
An in-depth look at how climate shocks are undermining Early Childhood services in Ethiopia—and how local actors are stepping up to protect children’s development.
Blog 3| Mitigating the Effects of Extreme Heat on ECDE Centers in Crisis-Affected Northeast Nigeria by Katelin Wilton, Daniel Rotgakka, and Fatima Abdulahi
This blog showcases innovations to address extreme heat in early childhood centres in fragile contexts—centering the voices of local educators and families.
Acknowledgment
This blog series has been made possible through the generous support of the Bainum Family Foundation. We gratefully acknowledge their contribution to enabling this important work. The series also contributes to the knowledge-sharing efforts of the Access to Quality Services Working Group under the African Union ECED Cluster, with a focus on enhancing awareness of the intersection between ECD and Climate Change.
Why This Series Matters
If Africa is to build a truly resilient and inclusive future, it must begin by protecting those most vulnerable to climate shocks—young children in their earliest, most formative years. Through bold policy shifts, targeted financing, and grassroots innovations, we can reimagine climate governance that nurtures not just the environment, but the human potential within it.
Stay tuned as we spotlight best practices, challenges, and Calls to Action for child-centered climate solutions.
Please note: The content presented in this series is not owned by AfECN. It reflects the perspectives and insights of the original authors and contributors.
Read our first blog now: Link
ONLINE TRAINING: A Tool For Costing Early Childhood Programmes
Join this informative webinar with Dr. Emily Gustafsson-Wright of the Brookings Institution to explore how the Childhood Cost Calculator (C3) can unlock more and better Early Childhood Care and Education financing by supporting implementers and policymakers to collect and analyse critically needed cost data
OPPORTUNITY: ACCELERATING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN REGION
TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) FOR ECD COORDINATOR
The ECD Advisor/ Coordinator supports AfECN’s programmatic work in strengthening multisectoral advocacy and sub-regional coordination mechanism in WCAR. The broader tasks include i) supporting stronger engagement of regional and national ECD partners; contributing to improved organizational and advocacy capacities of National Advocacy Partners (NAPs); increased knowledge generation on Early Childhood Education and dissemination across the region. The ECD Advisor/Coordinator, based in WCAR, will work under the supervision of the Executive Director to provide technical and coordination support.
Kindly submit your applications to: careers@afecn.org with the subject “West African Coordinator”
The deadline for applications is 29th September 2025.
CALL FOR EXPRESIONS OF INTEREST: Support for Early Childhood Development Advocacy Efforts
The Africa Early Childhood Network (AfECN) is dedicated to advancing early childhood development by empowering grassroots organizations, advocacy groups, and community-led networks to strengthen their advocacy efforts. This approach recognizes that sustainable change is most effective when driven by local actors who understand community needs, can mobilize support from the ground up, and hold decision-makers accountable to policies and investments that prioritize the wellbeing of young children.
As part of our commitment to strengthening advocacy for young children across Africa, we invite expressions of interest that align with the following thematic areas. Selected initiatives will contribute to evidence generation, capacity building, and policy influence in support of early childhood development (ECD):
Maternal Mental Wellbeing: The focus here is on initiatives that promote maternal mental health as a key advocacy issue—particularly during pregnancy and the early parenting period. This includes innovative models, community-driven programs, or research efforts that can inform policies, raise awareness, and mobilize support for integrating maternal wellbeing into national ECD agendas.
Scalable and Contextual Childcare Models: This area focuses on advocating for accessible, community-based childcare solutions that are adaptable to diverse African contexts. Projects should emphasize quality standards, workforce development, and demonstrate potential for influencing policy and investment in childcare systems.
Translation of Evidence into Policy Action: We seek initiatives that actively work to bridge the gap between research, programmatic learning, and policy influence in early childhood development. This includes efforts to package data and evidence into advocacy tools, develop policy briefs, organize evidence-sharing dialogues, and engage stakeholders in decision-making processes. Proposals should demonstrate how evidence is being used to influence policies, shift narratives, or inform strategic investments in ECD at local, national, or regional levels.
Strengthening Grassroots Networks for ECD Advocacy: We aim to support the growth and coordination of grassroots and community-led ECD networks that are actively engaged in advocacy. Expressions of interest should highlight efforts to build local capacity, foster collective action, and promote locally driven influence on national and regional ECD decision-making processes.
Proposal structure
The application should be a maximum of 5 pages containing the following components:
Description of the organization (Name, area of operation, contact person, type of organization and website or social media)
The definition and justification of the problem to be addressed including the community affected, the country and the geography of intended intervention.
The key objectives and expected outcomes
A detailed implementation plan including proposed activities, timelines and dissemination plans.
Organizational capacity and partnerships; briefly describe your experience in advocacy and/or ECD, and any existing partnerships relevant to the initiative.
A budget up to a maximum of USD 10,000
Eligibility criteria
These funds are intended for supporting grassroots advocacy efforts to raise awareness and looking to make a difference young child development in the Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria
Applicants must be networks or advocacy groups, grassroots organizations, professional associations, registered women’s groups, or coalitions of ECD actors with demonstrable experience in the thematic areas outlined above.
Proven working experience in community-based interventions or promotion/outreach activities and/or other relevant activities related to early childhood development.
Evidence of strong partnership with local communities, local authorities and/or government agencies in previous activities
Be registered with a clear governance structure.
Have a secretariat that runs the day-to-day affairs.
Be based in either Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria
Duration of the Award
The tenure of the seed grant will be for a duration of one year
Application Process
Send in your application with the subject line: “Advocacy Seed Grant 2025” by 1st September 2025 to the following email: seedgrants@afecn.org
You will be required to attach the following documents:
Cover letter stating how the grant aligns with your strategic plan and motivation for application.
Project proposal of not more than 5 pages including a detailed time and workplan.
Fill out and attach Appendix 1
Master of Early Child Development (MECD)
📣 Opportunity Alert for ECD Professionals!
Early Child Development (ECD) is a critically important field, with investment in ECD recognized as both a moral imperative and a strategic pathway towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing the need for building human resource capacity, Aga Khan University – Human Development Programme (AKU-HDP) is offering a graduate program in ECD designed to equip professionals with a comprehensive range of integrated knowledge and skills to enhance their practices. The MECD program will prepare students through a multidisciplinary, blended approach encompassing education, service, and research. By creating an advanced knowledge base, the program aims to strengthen human resource capacity and promote increased investment in ECD.
2025: Africa conference on childcare
The African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the African Early Childhood Network (AfECN) is co- convening the Continental Childcare Conference , to be held in Addis Ababa 18th -20th June 2025, under the theme Building Partnerships for Accelerating Action towards Quality & Inclusive Childcare in Africa.
First meeting of Early Childhood Development (ECD) experts in the East African Community (EAC)
The EAC recognizes Early Childhood Development as a critical foundation for human capital development, economic growth, and social equity, aligning with Article 120(c) of the EAC Treaty and the EAC Child Policy (2016). Despite progress, many children under five in the region lack access to quality ECD services. This meeting aimed to consolidate regional efforts, address cross-cutting challenges, harmonize guidelines and validate strategic priorities towards a comprehensive Regional ECD Policy and Action plan, building global commitments like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4.2) and the Nurturing Care Framework.