At least three deeply felt learnings from this program:

• Building a community of practice aids in adequately addressing issues/challenges in the field.

• New trends are always on the rise in ECE, therefore ECE professionals need to keep abreast.

• Collaboration and communication are excellent tools that early childhood leaders must possess.

At least one long-term goal:

• To continue to advocate for children, families and the field of early childhood.

Hi Dr Dartt and Colleagues,
Thanks once again for all the contributions you made throughout this course. They were a source of support for me. I wish you all the best in the future  and look forward to your continued collegial support.This course was very insightful.

Let's continue to make this world a better place for our children!!!

October 11, 2014
Jobs/Roles in ECE (Internationally)

Job opportunity: ACEI Board of Directors

Skills/Experience Needed: demonstrate a clear commitment to furthering the education and well-being of children worldwide and are dedicated to promoting excellence in nonprofit governance. Board of Directors members play a critical role in making decisions regarding Association goals and the allocation of resources (ACEI, 2011).

Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world. They give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm by transforming children's lives now.They change the course of their future and ours.I found this website interesting because it offers care to vulnerable children and women.
The only job opportunity available was that of volunteerism. All US citizens are encouraged to become volunteers and contact their Senators today and urge them to support the Accelerating Action in Maternal and Child Health Act.

UNICEF  

Job Opportunity: Educator

Skills/Experience Needed: International professionals are normally required to have an advanced university degree in a field relevant to the work of UNICEF. The work experience should be relevant to the position and to the work of UNICEF. Proficiency in English and in another Official UN working language (eg: French, Spanish) is required. Knowledge of the local language of the country where the position is located in is an asset. All UNICEF staff must be prepared to work in any region or country and to undertake extensive in-country travel. A large part of a typical career is spent in developing countries (UNICEF, n.d.).

I chose this organization because of the work it does in advocating Early Childhood.

References

Association for Childhood Education International (2011). Retrieved from http://acei.org/

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

 UNICEF (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/

Week 4

• Three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them
• Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you
• Skills and experience you would need to competently fulfil each of these roles

Three national/federal organisations that I have chosen are:

 Zero to Three -  http://zerotothree.org/

National Head Start Association (NHSA) - http://www.nhsa.org

The National Association for the Education of Young Children  (NAEYC) - http://www.naeyc.org/

These three national organizations were selected because I have found them to be very helpful and committed to working with families and young children. I have also found useful articles on their webpages which would be very helpful to all teachers and parents of young children.

NHSA: Director of Head Start Center

Requirements: 3-5 years experience supervising at an early childhood center; Experience with Head Start, and special education strongly preferred. Demonstrated success in program management, including operational and financial management, evaluation and assessment, and continuous improvement for educational programs. Experience leading a highly effective team, with a strong commitment to staff development. Demonstrated success implementing new programs to engage broad, diverse audiences. Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related field; master's degree preferred. Ability to communicate effectively in written or verbal format to groups of all sizes and individuals. Experience executing strategies to engage families to support their children's healthy development and school readiness.

Zero to Three: Senior Training Specialist

Requirements: Master’s degree in early childhood development or related field.

Strong knowledge of early childhood development and early childhood systems; with a specific focus on infant and toddler development; Strong knowledge of Early Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and EHS technical assistance resources;

Excellent training skills and experience providing training to a variety of audiences; Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks; Strong oral, and computer skills; Experience working in various databases; Ability to work collaboratively with individuals representing a range of backgrounds and skill levels; Ability to be flexible and adaptable to dynamic changes in the work environment; Ability to work with a team as well as independently; Strong interpersonal skills; and Ability to travel.

 

• At least three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you, and explain why you chose them
• Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you
• Skills and experience that you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles

UNICEF Guyana  

Job Opportunity: Educator

Skills/Experience Needed: International professionals are normally required to have an advanced university degree in a field relevant to the work of UNICEF. The work experience should be relevant to the position and to the work of UNICEF. Proficiency in English and in another Official UN working language (eg: French, Spanish) is required. Knowledge of the local language of the country where the position is located in is an asset. All UNICEF staff must be prepared to work in any region or country and to undertake extensive in-country travel. A large part of a typical career is spent in developing countries (UNICEF, n.d.).

I chose this organization because of the work it does in advocating Early Childhood.

NAEYC: 

Job Opportunity: Senior Administrator, NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation.

Skills/Experience Needed: Demonstrated leadership and management skills administering early childhood systems and quality improvement initiatives.  Demonstrated track record of staff supervision that motivates excellent performance and supports ongoing staff development. Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Strong conceptual and analytic skills and talent for innovation. Advanced degree in nonprofit management, business administration and/or early childhood education/child development preferred. Some travel required.

Georgia Head Start Association (GHSA)

 Job Opportunity:Lead Teacher

Skills/ Experience Needed: AA in Early Childhood 

BA or BS in Early Childhood or closely related field
Early Childhood certification

I chose this organisation because It provides comprehensive early childhood and family development services to children from birth to five-years-old, pregnant women and families.

                                                               


                                                                       References
Georgia Head Start Association (GHSA) Retrieved from http://www.georgiaheadstart.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children (2014) Retrieved from  http://www.naeyc.org/

UNICEF (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/

Final Post- EDUC 6165

  


Hello Colleagues,

I am most grateful for your feedback through your insightful comments on the blackboard and blog assignments. I feel confident moving forward as an improved communicator and collaborator and I am sure you are too. As you move on to your areas of specializations, I wish you every success.There is still much to attain, but with God, our wonderful tutors and the support of each other we will achieve the successes we desire. So long!

Adjourning

Adjourning is essential in team work, because it allows for team evaluation and celebration of successes.
Adjourning is usually difficult in groups that are connected with a positive energy, some of which, I was fortunate to have participated. In such groups, there is mutual respect and trust is developed among team members. Some of the most difficult teams I have had to adjourn from are camp team buddies. While growing up, I attended many camps and met many friends. Usually, we were placed in cabins to live together for two weeks and we became like family. We supported each other, worked and played together and built wonderful friendships. At the end of two weeks there was much hugging and crying, because we knew that we may never see each other again for we came from different parts of the country and the Caribbean Region. There was also much reflection on our time spent together where our accomplishments and failures were highlighted in a humours manner. We would take the phone numbers of our new friends, however many times after a few weeks or months we would stop communicating. 
For me adjourning is hardest when I connect with members of my team face to face on a regular basis. Therefore, I do not think that when the time comes for me to adjourn from my colleagues on this program it would be as difficult as if we were meeting face to face each week. Yes, I would miss their comments and contributions, but I do not think that our adjournment would severely affect me.

                                COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

My neighbour and I are in constant disagreement over the way she manages her pets. They often come over in my yard, destroy my plants and fetch away valuable things in my yard. I have spoken to her on numerous occasions about putting them away, especially when they are not being supervised. She always promises to do so kindly, but never does. I have applied the three R's suggestion. But I find that the communication process is still unsuccessful. For even though my neighbour speaks kindly and promises to manage her pets better, I find her non-compliance to her verbal agreements disrespectful. When respect is reciprocated the communicating partners are likely to respond favourably. This leads to the development of positive relationships. However, I am sensing that my neighbour's continued disrespect may eventually lead to a negative response. This week, as I pondered on the concept of non-violent communication and its promotion of compassionate giving I wondered if I was being compassionate enough to make this process work. Maybe she means well, but some factors may be preventing her from doing so. What do you think colleagues. Please share your suggestions. 

                          Who Am I as a Communicator?

The activity was interesting. After rating myself I was anxious to see how the others would rate me. My sisters scores were very similar to mine. They rated me 62 on the verbally aggressive scale 34 on communication anxiety and category 1 in listener styles profile. I rated my self as 61, 35 and category 1 in the same areas. However, my colleague's scores were a bit different. This made me realise that my communication with my family was more opened than with my colleagues at work. I take more time to be cautious about the way I communicate with colleagues, so they don't know me the way I and my family do.

I was surprised that my colleagues rated me well which makes me feel like I do a good job communicating with them. But in reality, I know that there are areas, such as my tone, that I still need to work on. 

I realise that much acting can occur in the communication process, because we are unable to read each other's thoughts. The negative aspect of this is that we may never truly get to know the individual. I see the positive aspect of this form of  acting being, we get to show respect despite how how we upset we are. We also get to change our form of language used as we communicate with different groups of people with whom we associate. This allows me to be professional and also use my 'high language' when I am in the professional setting but allows me to 'code switch' when I am in my personal space..

I have also learned that our words have moulding power as promoted through the 'Self-fulfilling Prophecy Theory' and we need to be cognizant of this when we communicate, especially with our children. I tend not to think about how my comments may affect others before saying it, especially with persons to whom I am familiar. The study this week has caused me to reflect and I plan to be more cautious and tactfully communicate what I need to say so as not to offend others especially my family and dear friends.

                Different Ways of Communicating

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

Yes, I find that whenever I am in the presence of members of the dominant culture ( wealthy. powerful and influential people) I strive to ensure that my speech is perfectly structured. I do this because I think that they are perfect and I do not want to appear lesser than them in anyway.I also find that when I communicate with my peers and younger groups of people I am my speech is more casual, because I have found that younger people respond better to casual rather than formal speech especially in informal settings. I have come to realise that we are great actors in life and so we adjust to suit the occasion and the circumstance.The way we communicate is also affected by the way we perceive things to be. 

Since I have started this course, I have learned that the different language we use in different relationships is often affected by unique communication climates. O'Hair and Wiemann (2012) talk about language reflecting context. In other words we use language that suits the people we are around, where we are, our cultural context and our experiences with language. We find the most suitable language to meet the demands of a given relationship, situation, or cultural environment. 

Non-Verbal Communication




The show I chose to watch is a comedy series, My wife and kids.

With the sound off
  
 What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

I assumed that the characters- The children and their father are very affectionate towards each other. Every time they are about to leave or enter the room, they hug and kiss their dad. I also assumed that the father was a romantic since he kept ordering his wife bouquets upon bouquets of flowers and she smiled and hug him every time one was delivered.

 What are they feeling and expressing based on the non-verbal behavior you are observing?

Everyone of the characters seemed happy to be in the company of each other. They were very affectionate towards each other.

With the sound turned on.

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

I assumed that the characters were big on expressing affection. However, I realized that the father was bribing the children with money to have them express affection towards him every time they left the room and his wife was not very pleased with all the flowers and extra attention her husband was paying her.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

Yes I believe that my assumptions would have been more correct if I was familiar with the characters. I have found that it becomes easier to read the non-verbal communication of others when they are very familiar to me.

EDUC-6165-8 Blog

                            EDUC-6165-8  Blog       

                     Competent Communication

Mrs McBean, my professor on the Bachelor degree program is the most competent communicator I have met. She is eloquent, never raises her tone even when she is being stern, listens attentively without interrupting whenever a matter is brought to her and what I admired most is her ability to always present a calm image and communicate effectively even when things were not what they should be and also her honesty. She keeps her communication positive no matter what it is. She makes her students feel worthy because she is fair. I always refer to her as my model teacher. 
I have always admired her ability to communicate so effectively and hope to achieve that level some day. 

   My Professional Hopes and Goals

Hi Colleagues,
Thanks once again for all the contributions you made throughout this course. They were a source of support for me. I wish you all the best in your upcoming course and look forward to your continued collegial support.This course was very insightful. The concepts of diversity  that I have learned have been concreted in my mind.

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that every family that comes through our doors will feel comfortable because of the removed barriers and the respect that will be shown to them despite their race, nationality, sexual orientation preference, religion, gender, and excreta. I also hope that as we continue to stand for social justice we would eventually eradicate all forms of social injustices meted out to those who are from diverse backgrounds and do not confirm to the normative culture.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to equip all teacher educators with the tools needed address issues of oppression and discrimination. I believe if they are skilled enough then they will be able to equip each early childhood teacher with the tools needed to stand up against injustices. Can you imagine working at a centre where all are equipped and on board with the notion of equity for all? What a force they will be. 

Blog: Welcoming Families From Around the World

Blog: Welcoming Families From Around the World

For this assignment, imagine the following scenario:

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

In order to complete this assignment, first choose a country you know nothing about as this family’s country of origin.


POST        The name of “your” family’s country of origin
                  At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this                           family.
                 A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you                    and the family.

The name of the family's country of origin is Brazil. Brazil is one of our closest neighbours in South America and Brazilian families have been migrating to our country in large numbers. If a Brazilian comes to my child care centre I would have to prepare myself to welcome that child and his family. Firstly, I would seek to learn key words and greetings in Portuguese the language of Brazil. This will enable me to connect to the child and family on their arrival. Secondly, I would meet with the family through an organized home visit. During the home visit I would seek to learn about the family culture, expectations and also about the child. I have included this visit in my preparations because I understand that surface culture would not provide the information that is needed for me to understand the true dynamics of the specific family I need to go deeper. Thirdly, once I understand the culture of the family I would ensure that the resources include images that reflects their culture. Fourthly, I would seek to prepare the teachers and the children to welcome this child by talking about the culture of the people of Brazil.  I would also talk to them about how to treat someone who looks and speaks differently than they do. This will ensure that the stress of transitioning to a new environment is lessened. 
I trust that the these preparations will provide a sense of cultural continuity. I also hope that it would help to establish and foster respectful relationships with the child and his family. Most importantly, that the child transitions smoothly into his new environment. 

  Prejudice: My Personal Experience

·         What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

·     In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

·     What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

·     What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

       One incident of prejudice that keeps recurring in most of the African made movies are stereotypes of black women. These movies are mostly made in Nigeria. I like looking at them because I find the plot and themes very interesting. They are also similar to the Caribbean culture and easy to relate to. However, in many of these movies women are portrayed  as dishonest cheats, gold diggers, lazy, and other demeaning characters. I believe that specific biases portrayed in these movies diminish equity by placing the woman at a lesser status than men. The men in my community who look at these movies describe women as untrustworthy, cheats, no good and excreta when the sit around to chat about women. It also sends a wrong message to other young black women that they need to prostitute, rob or deceive men to survive or achieve things in life. Every time I see women portraying these characters I am appalled and embarrassed. I think the actresses need to demand that the writers produce scripts that are positive about the roles of women and how much they can achieve through hard work and by asserting their independence.   

·    

        Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

     Since learning about microaggressions, my awareness of it seemed to have been heightened. I am realizing that microagressions occur everyday and many times go unnoticed. This evening  I attended one of my friend's baby shower. She is of African descent and is very dark in complexion. Her husband is of mixed races and is very fair in complexion and has soft wavy hair. One of the games that we played is ' Guess what your baby looks like' . One of the attendees drew her representation of the baby with a black crayon, which indicated that she believed that the baby will be dark skinned like its mother. My friend's husband's mother and sister were upset by this. They said that the baby should look like its father because dark babies are not as attractive as fair ones. Well the game broke into an argument between those who disagreed and those who agreed with the statement.  Though it was done in friendly chatter I observed and wondered how the mother of the unborn child felt about the comments. I wondered if she was suffering from the Catch 22 dilemma. I asked the group if they did not think it was disrespectful to put down people of dark complexion while elevating persons of  a fairer complexion. I asked them to think about the psychological damage that could occur over a period of time to someone being told that he/she is not good enough because of the colour of their skin. They said that they were only referring to babies and that I was getting too philosophical and therefore spoiling the mood of the party.
     I continued to observe the mother to be after the discussion ended to see if there were any observable traits of pain but, I found non. I guess she has learnt how to cover the hurt felt from those microagressions  over time.  My observation experiences this week on microaggressions has caused me to realize that people can be insensitive. We hold prejudices and discriminate, sometimes totally unaware of how much pain we cause others.

    ,

  

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Common in all of the definitions  of culture that I have heard in the responses  is that culture refers to our way of life, our values our traditions and practices and food. These definitions of culture all signal that the persons that I spoke with have some idea about what culture involves. However, I realize that the complexity of culture is not fully understood. I would have probably defined culture similarly a few weeks earlier. As I listened to the definitions of diversity I realized that they had some insight into what diversity is about. Many of the responses included: differences in race, differences in culture, gender, wealth, attitudes and excreta.
 During this course I have learnt that culture involves everything that we do, from the way we stand to the way we walk or talk, etc. The definitions that were shared limited the concept of culture. Culture is wider and entails the finer details of our lives that we may not even pay attention to. What was ommited from definitions shared is the concept of deep culture. Deep culture goes beyond surface culture to highlight the intricate details about culture. I have learnt that one would never truly understand culture by focusing only on surface culture. One needs to go deeper. Deep culture provides a true and clearer understanding of culture. After listening to the definitions shared I have concluded that knowledge on vastness of culture is limited. More work needs to be done at all levels to have persons understand the complexity of culture because it affects all aspects of our lives.


  

 My Family Culture

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

:A description of the three items I would choose 

 I would take take my family's photo album - This is a album of photos of relatives dating back to my fourth and fifth generations.

Grandma's Quilt. A beautifully woven  quilt that was made by my great grand mother.

My Bible- A holy book that Christians read for spiritual development and connection to God.

How would I explain to others what each of these items means to me

I value the photo album of my family because it holds the images of my dearest relatives, some whom I have never met, but have heard their stories about how they contributed to the growth and development of my family. I would also take the album because it may carry the only physical images of those relatives that have lost their lives in the catastrophic event. 

Grandma's Quilt- This quilt has sentimental value. It was a gift from my great grandmother to my mother, her eldest grand daughter, when she had me. She has given it to me and I hope to pass it to my daughter or grand daughter some day. It has the names of four generations of the Lewis women woven into it. 

I would take my bible because I am a Christian. Christianity has been the religion that my family has practised for generations. Each generation was taught to love and respect God by the elders. When I grew to the age where I could choose, I chose to continue serving God because I had built a personal relationship with God   I believe in such a situation I would need to keep closest to God to maintain my sanity. As I read the holy scriptures, I will be inspired to live on despite the catastrophe.  

My feelings if, upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items I brought with me.

After losing everything then being asked to get rid of two of the three precious items I have kept will be devastating. However, I will choose to keep my bible. When everything is lost I have learnt to depend on God who is my source of strength. My faith teaches that God is the restorer of all things so I believe that once I have faith in God, then I have or will have all that I need to continue along. 

Insights I gained about myself, my family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differ that in general, as a result of this exercise.

I realize that my family and faith are very important to me. As I reflected on the value system, struggles  and successes that helped to create my family culture I am proud to be a member of this family.  Our family culture is wonderful. My appreciation for my family culture has grown through this activity. 

Hi Colleagues,
Thanks once again for all the contributions you made throughout this course. They were a source of support for me. I wish you all the best in your upcoming course and look forward to your continued collegial support.

This course was very insightful. The concepts of research with young children that I have learned have been concreted in my mind. Concepts such as triangulation, identifying scholarly from non- scholarly research ,  constructing research questions from which a hypothesis could be drawn and excreta.

My ideas about the nature of doing research have changed. Before, I thought that the quantitative design method was the only approach used when conducting research. I have learned that various approaches can be used and that the more methods used the more valid the information is likely to be. My approach to doing research has changed in that I am now able to utilize a mixed method approach to research. I have found this approach workable.I also realize that it is important to adhere to key ethical issues when conducting research with children. Overall because of the knowledge gained through this course. I am more positive about this whole notion of research. I am more opened and willing to put into practice all that I have learned.

I have learned about the various approaches that can be applied to research in early childhood.  Structuring the research question to avoid ambiguity is important. I have also realized that research questions play a key role in determining what design approach is suitable for the study and that the research can only be well designed if what is to be researched is clearly understood by the researcher.

There are a few things that I found quite challenging during the course, but I was able to overcome them. Initially I found the task of identifying and writing research questions and the hypothesis difficult, but as I followed the guidelines given by Dr Todd I was able to refine my question and make it more suitable. Distinguishing between scholarly and non- scholarly articles on the internet was another challenge. I met this challenge by following the guidelines set out  and completing the activities. Through this process I was able to gain a clearer understanding of these concepts.

Before this course I never saw the ECH professional, especially the classroom practitioner as one who  engages in regular research activities with her students and their families. What I have realized is that the ECH practitioner constantly utilizes opportunities to research, so that they can keep updated on the new trends in early childhood. I have also realized that the effective ECH practitioner is one who conducts research regularly with her children in order to cater adequately for their needs. I now see the the ECH professional as a someone who embraces and engages in research practices to improve the life of young children and their families. 

Research Around the World

The link that I selected is http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

• What are some of the current international research topics?
• Some of the topics that are current on this link are:
• Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana- This study identified the factors which militate against the successful implementation of early childhood education in Ghana. Information and insights werre provided into the coordination and implementation of ECD programs and activities, and the study attempted to identify the basis for improving such programs in Ghana. The findings will provide inputs for initial in-service training for ECD organizers and educators, and will throw light on the structures that need to be put into place for effective program management.
• Improving the Quality of Childcare Through Parenting Enrichment and Training- This research focused on how Eritrea has embarked on a journey to use alternative strategies, both formal and non-formal, to promote the holistic development of children from birth through six years. One such strategy is the Eritrea Parenting Enrichment intervention.Families and communities, as well as broader social and cultural contexts, make up a complex background for the process of parenting and parenting support. Effective Early Childhood Development (ECD) takes all these factors into consideration. 

• What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?
• I was surprized to learn that many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have continued to be poorly represented due to successive wars and droughts, the overall opportunities created for early years’ interventions have remained of low quality and limited to only a small percentage of children.
• During the period 1998-1999, only 5% of children aged 5-6 were enrolled in kindergarten centres, most of them in urban areas (Ministry of Education, 1999). Regarding the health sector, apart from the existence of immunization services, health interventions reaching young children have been very inadequate. High levels of poverty and illiteracy, especially among women, make the situation worse. As an early childhood professional these issues highlighted sadden me but makes me aware of the struggles that chilldren face in other parts of the world.
          

• What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?
• I was pleased to learn that the EIECDP aims to achieve a 20 percent decrease in fatality cases in children from the five major causes – malaria, ARI, diarrhoea, measles and malnutrition, a 20 percent decrease in malnutrition – as measured by prevalence of underweight in children below 6 years of age, a 20 percent decrease in repetition and dropout rates between grades 1 and 2, and the reunification of 32,000 orphans with their nearest relatives by the year 2005. In addition, the project will reach 31,000 children from 5 to 6.