The Ahlan Simsim early childhood development (ECD) initiative of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Sesame Workshop, partnered with the Jordanian Ministry of Health (MoH) to develop an innovative approach to delivering nurturing care services to families integrated into primary health care to reach populations at scale. The program successfully equips nurses and midwives in health clinics to deliver vital age targeted ECD information to caregivers and interact with children in ways that support social emotional development and early learning, meeting the demand from parents and caregivers.

Through learnings from this program so far, the IRC recommends the following observations and actions for programmatic and policy stakeholders seeking to leverage health services to support holistic child development:     

  • Child development interventions delivered within the health system are possible in Jordan.
  • Supporting health workers to advance nurturing care is beneficial for women, children, and work-force development.
  • Programs should be co-designed in partnership with local communities and service providers from the start.
  • Governments can match community demand for child development by drawing upon proposed solutions like Ahlan Simsim programming.

To learn more about Ahlan Simsim, visit rescue.org/ahlansimsim.

Available documents & links