Report - Bernard van Leer Foundation

Annex AMonduli Pastoralist Development InitiativeGUIDING PRINCIPLESMPDI and Sepeko Ward believe in a ‘life-oriented approach’ (Tenebo olkua lang’ 35 ) toachieving this aim, which means to support the young children’s development withoutdamaging the existing pastoralist culture of caring for children. Therefore, MPDI hasidentified some key guiding principles for its work which should also guide this research.These include:-1. Start from• Who pastoralists are & what they do (their dispositions)• What thy experience in their lives (culture & beliefs)• What they know (their knowledge & skills)• What they do (their practices)• What they want (their profound aspirations)2. Empowerment of local communities to realise their full potential,through building on local skills and available resources, to raiseawareness and develop capacity within communities as a crucial step inhelping people to reach their full potential and find permanentsolutions to their problems;3. Supporting integrated community development programmes inpastoralist communities, supporting families and communities to bestsupport their children - through combining ECD, non-formal andformal education, health, sanitation, food security, agriculture,livestock, land-rights issues etc;4. Support the strengthening of existing community day carearrangements of young children with grandmothers, as a key entrypoint for achieving the above objectives and to further develop pre -schools classes in support of expanding children’s early education andpreparation for school.48