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Description
Worldwide Orphans Bulgaria (WWO-Bulgaria) works to support vulnerable groups of children and their families through programmes relying on play in special Early Childhood Learning Spaces (ECLS), which it has developed in partnership with 12 NGOs in the country. The COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath posed challenges before the organizations at local level. The challenges have to do with the need to develop activities ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable families with young children as well as the change in the organization and content of our programmes and practices. It is necessary to regain the trust of families and communities and help them acquire skills to organize themselves in order to ensure the health and well-being of their children. The project aims at raising the capacity of the organizations - members of WWO to develop their Early Childhood Learning Spaces for families and children from vulnerable communities against the backdrop of dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19. The achieved goal will ensure that the Early Childhood Learning practices are safely resumed with active involvement of the families and communities which might yield them sustainability. The project outcomes will be achieved by developing approaches and procedures used by organizations to work with the families; creating a programme for development of the parents’ social skills, training the trainers from 13 NGOs, piloting the programme for development of parents’ social skills in 5 vulnerable communities, monitoring and evaluation of the Learning Spaces in the situation of COVID-19 crisis.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to enhance the capacity of NGOs that are part of the early childhood partnership network of Element of Play® learning spaces, enabling them to restart and implement their practices in a post-pandemic environment while ensuring safe conditions for children, families, and professionals.
Key project activities included:
- Training and consultations for 13 NGOs to support the development and improvement of organizational policies and working procedures in the post-pandemic context.
- Implementation of a specially designed Program for Parental Skills Development, including training of trainers and pilot testing, equipping specialists with additional resources to work effectively with vulnerable groups.
- Stakeholder evaluation and monitoring in five locations across the country to ensure the sustainability of local learning practices for children and parents.
As a result of the project:
- 13 NGOs successfully developed and implemented policies and procedures tailored to the post-pandemic working environment.
- The acquired knowledge, skills, and improved procedures not only enhanced the learning spaces but also strengthened the overall organizational capacity of the participating NGOs.
- Evaluation and monitoring workshops with 48 stakeholder representatives in five locations provided a platform for local community engagement in shaping Element of Play® learning spaces and parenting programs.
One of the most significant project outcomes is the Program for Parental Skills Development, which ensures the long-term sustainability of project activities and practices in support of families with young children.
Additionally, the project reinforced the development of the network as a learning and supportive professional community, fostering the exchange of best practices, capacity building, and the establishment of common standards. This is crucial for the future work of the network in supporting vulnerable families with young children.