Grandmothers: A Learning Institution - Basic Education and Policy ...

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members often consult the moreexperienced ones when faced withdifficult problems related to familyhealth and well-being.• Many grandmothers have a collectivesense of responsibility for childrenand women in the community.In western societies, grandmothersfeel responsible for their own grandchildren,daughters, and daughters-inlaw.In contrast, in non-western societiesmany grandmothers expressand demonstrate their concern forother women and children in thecommunity, specifically those in theirown extended family and neighborhood.For example, if a child is upsetor is quarreling with other children, agrandmother from another family willintervene to help. If a pregnantwoman does not have a seniorwoman living with her, an experiencedneighbor will often give heradvice during her pregnancy andafter delivery. The traditional ideathat “it takes a village to raise a child”is still applied in many places, particularlyin more rural areas. In manyurban settings, however, the conceptof collective responsibility for children’supbringing is increasingly beinglost.• Some grandmothers feel that theirstatus as advisors in child and familydevelopment is diminishing.In many settings some grandmothersexpress the feeling that with thearrival of “modern ideas” in theirhouseholds and communities, respectfor their experience is diminishingand they are gradually being marginalized.Some lament the fact thatthey are progressively being excludedfrom playing the central role in childand family development that theytraditionally assumed. Often theyidentify formal schooling as a factorthat pulls children away from eldersand their traditions insofar as schoolcurriculums usually fail to link traditionaland “modern” values. Manygrandmothers are critical of youthcentereddevelopment strategies thatexclude them and contribute todiminishing their status as advisors onchild and family matters.The overarching conclusions that emergefrom this literature review are that grandmothersare present in all cultures andcommunities, that they have considerableexperience related to all aspects of childdevelopment, and that they are stronglycommitted to promoting the well-being ofchildren, their mothers, and families. Forthese several reasons, they constitute avaluable resource for child developmentprograms. Families around the worldacknowledge that grandmothers play aninfluential role in the socialization, acculturation,and care of children as they growand develop. While there are examples ofharmful practices promoted by grandmothersin various cultures, the wide-rangingrole they play and the respect theyenjoy in virtually all societies suggest thatthey should be key actors and partners inall child development programs. It is onlythrough their active involvement thatgrandmothers can learn about “modern”child development practices, build on their18 UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
traditional wisdom, and increase their contributionto child development at the familyand community levels.DEVELOPMENT POLICIESSUPPORT GRANDMOTHERS’INCLUSIONThe policies of international developmentorganizations involved in promoting childhealth and development have a determininginfluence on the approaches adoptedin child development programs around theworld. Major international organizationsinvolved in this field include UNICEF,UNESCO, the Consultative Group onEarly Childhood Care and Development,and the Bernard Van Leer Foundation. Inthe child development programs supportedby these various organizations grandmothershave not played a priority role inthe past. One of the important steps inthis review was, therefore, to examine policyguidelines defined by these internationalbodies in order to determine whethertheir policy priorities support either theexclusion or inclusion of grandmothers inchild development programs.Core concepts related to the role ofgrandmothers in families and communitiesand to their potential involvement in childdevelopment programs were identified inthe policy statements of these key organizations.These core concepts and theirassociated policy statements are listedbelow:• Strengthening family systems.“The family is and should remain theprimary institution for supporting thegrowth and development of children”(Consultative Group on ECCD 1993,34).“Help traditional and existing caregiversto increase their knowledgeand adapt their methods” (Bernardvan Leer Foundation 1993, 18).• Building on cultural roles and values.“Successful programs are developedwith and for communities, respectingcultural values” (UNICEF 2001, 17).• Integration of traditional and modernchildcare practices.“The need to blend the ‘traditional’and the ‘modern’” (Bernard van LeerFoundation 1993, 3).• Building on community resources andstrengths.“Successful programs use the existingstrengths of communities, families,and social structures …to providethe best for children” (UNICEF 2001,17).• Strengthening community supportmechanisms for children and theirfamilies.“Rekindling a sense of communityand reinvigorating informal systems ofsupport should figure prominently inthe design of social policies and programmes”(Consultative Group onEarly Childhood Care andDevelopment [ECCD], UNICEF1993, 35).• Building social capital for sustainabledevelopment.GRANDMOTHERS:THE LEARNING INSTITUTION19
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Page 11 and 12: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYSociety itself fai
Page 13 and 14: Education, the Bernard Van LeerFoun
Page 15 and 16: SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THELI
Page 17: - Who am I? Assign children to askf
Page 20 and 21: in educational activities on home t
Page 22 and 23: “A grandmother’s understandingo
Page 24 and 25: “Culture tells peoplehow to view
Page 26 and 27: attention given to grandmothers’
Page 28 and 29: social work, including family syste
Page 30 and 31: mation from Azerbaijan (McNulty 200
Page 32 and 33: “The status of eldersin tradition
Page 34 and 35: “As women, thegrandmothers haveli
Page 38 and 39: “Social capital is a community’
Page 40 and 41: In a collaborative effort between
Page 42 and 43: in-laws and the additional free tim
Page 44 and 45: "Involving grandmothersin community
Page 50 and 51: CULTURALLY-ADAPTED EDUCATIONMATERIA
Page 52 and 53: strated the power of participatory
Page 54 and 55: effects of the new ideas, their con
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Page 59 and 60: Many health and development workers
Page 61 and 62: VI. RECOMMENDATIONS FORBASIC EDUCAT
Page 63 and 64: parents themselves did not go to sc
Page 65 and 66: community ties by increasing teache
Page 67 and 68: of millions. On the other hand, som
Page 69: teachers, teacher abuse of children
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Page 75 and 76: acceptable for younger women to mak
Page 77 and 78: showed that men are not directly in
Page 79 and 80: ecause they had more time to devote
Page 81 and 82: matrilineal or patrilineal areas
Page 83 and 84: diet, work, fetal development, sexu
Page 85 and 86: in the family and social networks.
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elated, for example, to early child
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REFERENCESAdams, A. M., S. Madhavan
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BASICS and LINKAGES. 1998. Influenc
Page 93 and 94:
Childhood Education and Development
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Krishna, A. and N. Uphoff. June 199
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Sear, R., R. Mace, and I. A. McGreg
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ABOUT THE AUTHORThis review was pre
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