Life is a story where the beginning sets the tone

Baghdad, 05 April 2023 – Suleiman Feidi Clinic is a primary health care center that serves vulnerable families in Baghdad.

“I came to vaccinate my three-year-old boy, Zain,” said Dounia, a 25-year-old mother of two children.

Dounia lives in Al Bounouk district, an impoverished area of Baghdad, with her husband Yousef and two children, Mariam, 5, and Zain, 3.

Due to family circumstances, Dounia dropped out of school at the age of 15. “My mom got very sick, and I had to leave school to take care of her and the whole family,” said Dounia.  While she was eager to continue her education, she married Yousef at the age of 17. “I wanted to become an English teacher because it was my favorite subject in school,” added Dounia.

Investing in early childhood development is an investment for life

At the clinic, caregivers bring their children not only to receive their routine vaccinations or seek care.  Caregivers like Dounia acquire knowledge and skills on responsive caregiving. They learn how to monitor their children’s growth and development, how to better communicate with their children, and the importance of play, safety and security.

“I learned a lot from the nurses. They taught me how to better communicate with my two children, and how to play with them,” said Dounia. “I even started engaging them in my household chores; they really enjoy it.”

“The best investment a country can do for their children is to invest in early childhood development,” said Dr. Shaimaa Ibrahim, Health Specialist at UNICEF in Iraq.  “It impacts the present, but also future generations.”

Inaction in investing in early childhood development becomes a burden over the life cycle. According to a 2016 Lancet Series on child development, individuals are estimated to lose about a quarter of the average adult’s yearly income if not exposed to quality early childhood development tools.  As a result, countries might risk losing as much as two times their current GDP expenditures on health or education. “Early childhood development is one of UNICEF’s priorities in Iraq, and we are committed to supporting the government to reach sustainable development goals,” added Dr. Ibrahim.

With funding from the Czech Republic, in 2022, UNICEF trained 92 physicians on how to incorporate early childhood development screening services and responsive care into 30 primary healthcare centers in four governorates - Baghdad, Najaf, Basra and Ninewa - across the country.

On a monthly basis and since the beginning of 2022, at Suleiman Feidi Clinic an average of 550 children benefitted from the early childhood development services each month.

“Incorporating early childhood development services into primary health care is a proven strategy to reach impoverished children and improve coverage of routine childcare, including monitoring growth and development, as well as support caregivers to provide responsive care,” said Dr. Ibrahim.  “Thanks to the Government of Czech Republic for supporting this programme, which is already reaping benefits for the community.”

The early years of childhood are a great window of opportunity, but they also present great risks. During this period, children need quality health care and nutrition, protection from harm, as well as a sense of safety and security. It also provides ample opportunities for children’s early learning. 

“Raising caregivers´ awareness on the importance of responsive caregiving, such as making eye contact, responsive interaction, playing and singing, will nourish children’s developing brains and fuel growing bodies,” Dr Ibrahim added.

Mariam and Zain show with their smiles that investing in early years of life is the smartest investment for any nation.