Integrated Child Development and Socioeconomic Strengthening Project for Vulnerable Households

General objective: Promote comprehensive early childhood development and strengthen the socioeconomic integration of households headed by young fathers in vulnerable areas of Guayaquil.

Specific objectives:

1. Strengthen childcare and community care networks to improve access to essential services for refugee caregivers and caregivers from host communities and their children.
2. Promote socioeconomic integration through technical training, skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.
3. Strengthen community empowerment and leadership to promote protective environments for early childhood.

Limited access of refugee and host-community families to socioeconomic integration opportunities and the need to strengthen comprehensive early childhood care in peri-urban areas of Guayaquil. Persistent violation of early childhood rights in contexts of extreme poverty and human mobility; lack of access to basic services, caregiver unemployment, and high levels of insecurity and violence in peri-urban areas.

1. Community-based care networks, early stimulation sessions and distribution of child development kits • Strengthening of community care networks.
2. Training in technical and soft skills for employment and promotion of entrepreneurship with seed capital • Entrepreneurship training. • Employability training. • Skills development. • Labor market integration. • Entrepreneurship initiatives.
3. Psychosocial interventions and participatory assessments to strengthen protective environments Strengthening community leadership and protective environments for early childhood.

Children aged 0 to 5, young fathers who are heads of household, host communities, migrants and refugees, and caregivers.

Centro de Desarrollo y Autogestión (DyA), HIAS Ecuador, local governments, private companies and community leaders.

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation