Introducing: Chinonanquila Preschool

Chinonanquila is a small community in the Boane District of Mozambique.  About an hour from the nation’s capital of Maputo, Chinonanquila is comprised of dozens of families, many who have had roots in the area for decades. Most residents speak Portuguese, the national language, in addition to the local dialect, Changane.

Up until June of this year, there was no access to formal early education for the youngest members of the community. Children entered primary school without any exposure to a classroom setting, and usually with a weak grasp of basic academic foundations like the Portuguese alphabet and number counting.

Why is Early Childhood Education So Important?

  • The brain develops most rapidly in the early years of life, growing to 90% of its adult size by age 5.
  • Children who receive assistance in the first few years of life are more likely to have higher employment and earnings, better health, and lower levels of welfare dependence and crime rates than those who don’t have these same opportunities.
  • Cost-benefit ratios of early intervention show that for every dollar spent on improving early child development, returns can be 4 to 5 times the amount invested on average.

Source: Unicef, Zerotothree.org

Now, the community’s 3- to 5-year-olds are receiving schooling Monday through Friday from 8 to 11 a.m. Three paid volunteers from the community serve as facilitators for the classroom, using songs, games, and stories to teach them lessons in language, physical education, art, and more.

The impact is already noticeable in the community, but there is still work to be done. The school lacks glass window panes to keep out the elements, and further resources and support for the facilitators will go a long way in jumpstarting these young ones’ future.

Chinonanquila preschool is just one of the 70 preschools being built with support from Planet Aid. So far 23 have been constructed. The project will ultimately reach 6,300 children in Mozambique. 

We need your help in providing these children with a solid step toward a future out of poverty. Please consider making a donation that will assist in this endeavor.