Closing the gap
A training supported by UNICEF and the Government of Nepal helps a long-time teacher become a champion for comprehensive parenting education
Kavrepalanchok, Nepal:The longer Gita Sitaula’s career as an educator went on, the more worried she found herself about what she was seeing among children in her community. Born and raised in the small town of Panchkhal in Kavrepalanchok District in central Nepal, Gita says that her concerns spanned a number of issues – poor diets, disinterest in learning and irregular attendance in school, among others.
And caregivers, according to Gita, were not doing enough to address these.
“Despite our best efforts, we were simply not getting through to parents,”
Gita says, talking about her previous unsuccessful attempts at conducting parenting education sessions for her students’ caregivers. “Although we could see that there was a gap in parents’ understanding and capacity, we were also not sure how exactly we could support them.”
Gita’s yearning for positive change bore fruit when she learned about a Parenting Education Facilitators’ Training, an initiative developed by the Government of Nepal with support from UNICEF, and being offered by Lawanya International Pvt. Ltd. An excited Gita promptly enrolled in the programme.
Following her participation in the six-day training, Gita says she felt a strengthened appreciation for the importance of positive parenting as a cornerstone for nurturing responsible future citizens.
“It became profoundly clear to me that we have to invest time and effort into educating parents,” she explains
A highlight for Gita during the training was the opportunity it provided to deep dive into the five elements of the Nurturing Care Framework: namely, good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and stimulation, and explore the interconnectedness between these aspects.
She came to realize that in the past, she and her fellow teachers had only touched upon one or two of these areas in their parenting education efforts.
It was through the training that she came to see how taking a more comprehensive approach could contribute to more holistic development in children, where positive impacts in one area could influence changes in others.
Going forward, Gita is committed to changing her approach to any future parenting education sessions she organizes, and keen to share the information and skills derived from the Parenting Education National Package – on which the training was based – with parents in her community.
“I’m proud to be part of this intervention, and part of this pool of skilled people – educators and parents who are collaboratively working for the well-being of children,” she says.
