Supporting Community-Based Preschools to Increase Access to Quality Early Childhood Education for Refugee Children

Promisi ng Practice  
in Community Engagement  
in MalawiSUPPORTING COMMUNITY-BASED 
PRESCHOOLS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR REFUGEE CHILDREN
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© United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, January 2024
Cover photo: Preschoolers attending one of the community-run ECE centres in the Dzaleka refugee camp, 
jumping on a trampoline outdoors.
Photo credit: © JRS Malawi
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SUPPORTING COMMUNITY-BASED PRESCHOOLS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR ... Programme overview
In 2019, noting the critical role of early childhood education (ECE) in improving children’s survival, 
health, growth and cognitive and social development, UNHCR and its education partner 
organization, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), started supporting refugee and host community 
ECE caregivers1 participating in community based ECE centres, to build their knowledge and 
competencies in ECE at Dzaleka refugee camp in Dowa, Malawi. 
The programme was based on the premise that participation in quality early childhood education 
is a clear predictor of children’s success in primary school and their subsequent retention in the secondary education cycle. With this in mind, UNHCR and JRS targeted community workers in informal 
community-based ECE centres to strengthen their capacity to engage in activities for children under 
6 years of age. At the same time, the programme supported the development of a network of ECE caregivers and raised awareness among parents and the wider refugee community of the importance of young children’s social and emotional development. 
As a result, 14 ECE caregivers obtained government-recognized ECE teaching qualifications. Thirty 
ECE caregivers
2 not formally qualified as ECE educators were also equipped with practical skills to 
help them to create a healthy and stimulating learning environment for children in preschool, to boost 
their development at this vital developmental stage of their lives. Also, community-based ECE centres 
made it possible for more young refugee children at Dzaleka camp to have access to quality ECE programmes and contributed to reducing preschool absenteeism and the dropout rate. 
1 The majority (approximately 90 per cent) of ECE caregivers working at the community-run ECE centres are refugees.
2 For the purposes of this document, “ECE caregivers” refers to staff engaged in the provision of early childhood development 
services to young children, including staff without formal ECE teaching qualifications, as the programme aimed to strengthen 
teaching capacities through the provision of both government-certified and uncertified training. Usage of the term is distinct from “caregivers” in the sense of those working with unaccompanied or separated children.Title: Supporting community-based pre

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