Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

With 25 years of experience working in ECD, what initially drew you to this field?

I knew I wanted to work internationally and make a difference and help children, but I didn’t initially know how. Early in my career, I worked mostly with the protection and education of older refugee children. In humanitarian contexts worldwide, I witnessed firsthand that the youngest children and adolescents were the bookends that received significantly less attention and funding than children in primary grade levels. After becoming a mother, I realized the critical importance of the early years and decided to delve deeper into supporting young children and their families in crisis.

How has your approach to advocating for young children changed over time?

As I was implementing programs, we had traditional approaches to advocacy such as reports and events, but it wasn’t moving the needle in increasing attention and funding for young children in crisis. As I tried to make the case for greater government and donor attention and funding, I regularly got the answer that there was insufficient evidence. So, I pursued a Ph.D. to learn how to make the case through research. Yet, research alone is also not enough; it has to be presented in a user-friendly manner with tools such as images and infographics. So, as I have moved from solely implementing programs to bridging implementation to research, policy, and advocacy, I have learned to change my messages for different audiences and present information (whether research or other types of information) in diverse formats. Sometimes that means that information is presented as a report, webinar, event, blog, infographics, or podcast.

You’ve worked with governments, the private sector, and multilateral organizations on ECD. How do you navigate these different environments to ensure that ECD remains a top priority in policy-making and program implementation?

Each of these target audiences uses different lenses to view their work and the world. They may ultimately have similar goals, but their paths to getting there might be different, or they might call the same goals different things. So, it is critical to first and foremost make the effort to understand each audience. Listening and putting yourself in the shoes of others so you can understand their perspectives, interests, and goals is critical for navigating different environments and shaping the messaging that resonates with them. Throughout my career, that is what I have done, and it has helped me shape messages for ECD so this area of work can resonate with as many people as possible.

As the co-founder of ChildArise, what are your organization's key initiatives and goals?

ChildArise seeks to transform the lives of young children and families affected by crisis through impactful storytelling and creative problem-solving. We believe in putting children and their families at the center and in positions of power so their voices and views can be heard and understood. We help children and families become agents of change, which, in our view, is critical for relevant, sustainable, and scalable programs and policies. We do the work through film, videos, photography, and more. ChildArise has now tested various models for working with young children in families in Colombia (Venezuelan migrants), Bangladesh (Rohingya refugees), Turkey (Syrian refugees and Turkish internally displaced persons), and Nepal (children and families displaced and impacted by floods).

As someone with extensive experience in international education and ECD, which key moments in your career have shaped your understanding of what children need most in times of crisis?

I am a lifelong learner and have deepened my understanding of what children need most in times of crisis throughout my career. I have had the privilege of working with children and communities while implementing programs in many humanitarian contexts worldwide. Each time I have been with children and families, I have learned a tremendous amount from them, and it has significantly shaped my understanding. Additionally, because I have also had the privilege of bridging program implementation with research, advocacy, and policy, I have learned about the challenges and needs of young children in crisis through various lenses, particularly what stakeholders at various levels need to bring about change.

Looking forward, what emerging trends or challenges do you foresee in the ECD field? How can the global community best prepare to address them?

There are many issues within the ECD field, but three emerging trends stand out: young children and climate change, young children and artificial intelligence (AI), and uplifting young children’s voices.

Crises are increasing in frequency around the world, and millions of children are either currently impacted or at risk. So, focusing on children in crisis will not go away, unfortunately. There is greater attention, however, to the impacts of different types of crises on young children, such as climate. For example, evidence is emerging on the harm of air pollution, severe heat waves, and more on children’s growth and well-being. While climate change is not a new phenomenon, there is a new interest from donors, governments, and other key stakeholders in supporting this space.

AI is growing exponentially in most parts of the globe, and very young children in many parts of the world have access to and use screen-based products. AI is now capturing children’s and parents’ attention because of some of the things it can do. Some early evidence shows negative impacts of screens and AI, but other evidence indicates some possible benefits. This is, therefore, an emerging area for research, implementation, and policy discussions.

The third emerging area relates to the localization agenda in mainstream discussions among people working in development and humanitarian contexts, as there is a growing recognition of the importance of young children’s voices. Children, even young ones in humanitarian contexts, have a voice and perspective in the services provided to them if they are asked and engaged. Young children can be social change agents, champions, and leaders in supporting and influencing policies that impact them and their families.

Your research focuses on young children (birth to 8 years) in humanitarian situations. What are the most pressing challenges these children face? How do current interventions need to improve to address the unique needs of children facing humanitarian crises?

Young children in humanitarian contexts can experience an array of challenges from significant stress to insufficient nutrition, increased risk of health conditions, disruption of routines, separation from family and friends, displacement from their homes, and interruption in regular support such as educational opportunities. When services are bundled together, implementation can be both cost- and time-efficient. So, people in various sectors need to think through the needs of young children in their humanitarian context and design an intervention together that provides that holistic support. At the core of this strategy needs to be a strong emphasis on psychosocial well-being, because many of the challenges children face are due to stress and psychosocial challenges rather than physical ones.

Why do you think a space like the collaborative is vital to the child rights and protection field?

Few platforms uplift the issues of child rights and protection at a well-regarded university that can bridge the research, implementation, and policy spaces. The collaborative does that through its research and in-person and virtual events that bring together people from different perspectives and backgrounds. A space like this is needed not only for the field of child rights and protection but also for the university so we can shape the future through current Georgetown students.