Community Development - Planet Aid, Inc.

Child Aid

The first few years of a child's life are a foundation that shapes their future development. Creating an environment in which children can grow and thrive is key to ensuring their long-term health and happiness.

Our Approach

Planet Aid uses a community development model called Child Aid to address the needs of our youngest and most vulnerable global citizens. This initiative takes into account the importance of the community in raising healthy and productive children, as well as the unique needs of communities within their specific local context. Community development can encompass many components. It may involve developing clean water sources, better local sanitation, or setting up a preschool program.

Over the course of five years, a Child Aid program will work with 3,000 families within a prescribed geographic area (in total reaching approximately 15,000 beneficiaries), inspiring them to take an active role in creating better conditions and embracing opportunities for themselves and their children. The basic principle guiding the program is that in order to create and sustain development, the people must themselves take charge and become the driving force of change.

The Child Aid model approaches community development utilizing a framework that examines and addresses development challenges across 10 dimensions. Some of these dimensions may be emphasized more in one location or context than others. In addition, Child Aid utilizes a well-defined structure in working with participant families. Village Action Groups are the organizational hub of the program. These groups, led by two elected coordinators, are responsible for carrying out the activities of the project and are comprised of between 35 and 40 families each. Among the VAGs, special committees are also formed to discuss and create new initiatives within a given area of responsibility.

Child Aid's 10 Program Dimensions

Dimension 1: Family Economy

• Providing skills training and small grants
• Building capacity to carry out income-generating activities

Dimension 2: Health and Hygiene

• Training on nutrition, hygiene, and basic health
• Raising awareness of preventable common diseases and HIV/AIDS
• Constructing latrines and other sanitary improvements

Dimension 3: Preschool Education

• Ensuring that children attend pre-school
• Improving existing pre-schools to adequately accommodate children
• Training teachers as a means to improve pre-school programs

Dimension 4: Children as Active Participants in Society

• Establishing children's clubs and training their leaders
• Carrying out activities that broaden children’s worldview and gives them the confidence to reach their potential
• Raising awareness of HIV/AIDS through peer educators

Dimension 5: Children at Risk

• Forming childcare committees to support vulnerable children
• Raising awareness in order to end child labor
• Obtaining access to schools and health care for handicapped children

Dimension 6: Education

• Training teachers with special emphasis on health, hygiene, nutrition
• Conducting campaigns to prevent early drop-outs
• Mobilizing people to enroll in vocational training and capacity-building courses

Dimension 7: Community Development

• Connecting families with existing public programs
• Actively cooperating with local authorities and other organizations
• Promoting citizenship for all

Dimension 8: Environment

• Organizing nurseries, seed banks, and reforestation campaigns
• Executing clean-up activities and establishing waste management systems
• Establishing vegetable gardens and workshops in organic cultivation methods

Dimension 9-10: Locally Determined

Families participating in Child Aid learn that their community, when organized in a meaningful way, can accomplish great things.  The Child Aid model uses a year-by-year approach to decide the particular focus of each dimension, with each year building upon the activities of the last. During the first year, for instance, the program focuses on the children.  This initial phase consists of addressing participants' immediate concerns related to health, hygiene, and education. The second year focuses on the family, specifically on personal income generation and strengthening food security.  During the third year of operation, activities are focused on the community as a whole: schools are renovated, playgrounds are built, and communal seed banks are established.  The fourth and fifth years of the project maintain the development momentum created over the previous three years and seeks to broaden the focus. For example, families who have been strengthening their food security would be assisted in broadening the market for their products, both locally and regionally.

Planet Aid has supported Child Aid programs in Belize, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.