Breaking the cycles

To break these cycles of poverty, violence and disease, interventions must come early in life, the earlier the better. ECD is the key to a full and productive life for a child and to progress for a nation. In much the way that democracy is prelude to human development, healthy children — healthy in the total sense of the word — are basic to a country’s development. The cumulative weight of the disparities perpetuated within a country destabilizes that country itself, even when it is seemingly strong. And inequities within any one country upset the balance among nations: Poor, malnourished and unhealthy children make for poor and powerless States that are then at the mercy of stronger States. As the lives of young children are short-changed, so the fortunes of countries are lost.

By investing in children in their early years of life, a country serves not only a child and a family but also the cause of sustainable development. Investing in children is among the most far-sighted decisions leaders can make.

Hunger, disease and ignorance have never been a foundation for sustained economic growth, democracy or the respect for human rights. Giving all children a good start in life helps weed out the blights choking human development. What is needed now is a renewed commitment to the rights of the child, a vision of how the world can be for children and the courage to do whatever it takes to unravel the ropes that bind generations to misery.