< h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Foundation Secretary General Fang Jin attended the Seventh International Symposium on the Legal Framework for Early Childhood Development organized by the Brazilian Congress</h2>
Heading north from the Brazilian capital, the nearly five-hour flight brings into view of the winding White River, arriving in the city of Boa Vista.
This is a city artificially "designed", from above, you will see a very square urban structure, standard roads, low houses, street lights.
Poverty is the main theme of the city of Boivesta. On average, more than 800 refugees enter Venezuela every day. The local residents are mainly engaged in agriculture, the economic foundation is weak, and the average monthly income is 1000 reais (Note: about 1600 yuan).
120 years ago, gold diggers from North America and continental Europe used shovels to construct the city's original appearance. Today, this small border town with a population of only 380,000 and more than 20% refugees has become the "Capital of Early Childhood Development" in Brazil and south America as a whole.
It began with a national bill on early childhood development passed by Brazil's congress.
In March 2016, Act No. 13257 was approved in Congress, establishing Brazil's first legal framework for children.
Subsequently, the "Happy Children Program" was officially launched nationwide, with a direct grant from the Brazilian Ministry of Civil and Social Action to the municipal government, subsidizing 88 reais per child per month to provide public services for poor families starting from pregnancy.
As of August 2017, 2,547 of the 3,279 eligible cities across Brazil have joined the project, and Boivista is one of them – one of the cities with the worst basic conditions but the best operational level.
Under the national policy, how can the city of Boivinsta, a five-hour flight from the capital Brasilia, truly implement the "child first"?
On November 11, 2019, Fang Jin, Secretary General of the China Development Research Foundation, Mary Young, Consultant of the Child Development Center, Zhao Chen, Executive Director, and Cai Jianhua, Secretary of the Party School of the Cadre Training Center of the National Health and Health Commission, went to Boywinsta to explore the story behind its journey from the capital of gold panning and refugees to the "City of Children".
< h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > delegation to pose with local government officials in Boi Winsta</h2>
<h1 toutiao-origin="h3" > "children first" around</h1>
Brazilians know that the city of Boivinsta is not well developed in industry and commerce, and the Ferreira family moved from the state to the "new district" (Nova Cidade) for the sake of their children.
Husband Renato Ferreira, 32, graduated from high school and works as a medical device operator in a hospital. His wife, 28-year-old Klebian M. Clebiane Ferreira is still not finishing school, and seven months ago their first daughter, Joao Ferreira, came into the world.
Before moving, her husband Renato heard that "people here are very different about their children."
Every morning, renato walks through a "children's road" after leaving the house. This is part of the government's infrastructure development, connecting the community with maternal and infant, child health, education, social welfare related institutions, and using the "Children's Road".
On the road, Renato can enjoy the latest paintings of children in the community from time to time, and can also see many proverbs about children, family and love.
"Teach your children with love, and they will learn to love."
"Did you hug the child today?" Your hug will give him a warm future. ”
"Children are like a sponge, and they absorb what they give."
Renato mainly commutes to work by bus. Walk along the "Children's Road" for five minutes and you'll see the nearest bus stop to your home.
The city of Boivesta has 17 bus lines and 675 bus stops, of which only 75 are air-conditioned. The municipal traffic management department has put up posters related to parenting in all 75 stations, and with the addition of those stations that are not air-conditioned, the total number of posters is more than 350.
The local government told us that if a billboard is used for commercial rental, the price of a billboard is 200 per day, and the government will "lose" about 65,000 reais per day – don't forget, this is a city with an average monthly income of only 1,000 reais.
Renato entered the station and waited for the train. On the wall behind him is a poster of a child riding on his father's neck playing, reminding fathers of the importance of companionship.
After moving to the city of Boi winsta, Renato began to push off some socializing, returning home to help his wife take care of his daughter Joe or play in the community park. In the center of Boivista there is a two-kilometer-long community park with a toilet dedicated to children, and rides such as rocking horses and skateboarding trails are distinguished by color according to the age of the children.
Sometimes, Renato would also see stickers of mothers at the station announcing their breasts holding their children, reminding parents of the benefits of breastfeeding.
He wasn't worried about this, and his wife Klebian's milk had been fine. Part of the reason may be that during pregnancy, couples began to go to the community childcare center for free prenatal counseling, once every six months.
Prenatal counselling allowed Klebian to learn in advance how to touch, hug and feed her children, and also to substitute them into a "parenting" environment in advance.
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > government to take free pregnant women photos for families with particular difficulties, so that expectant mothers can feel the joy of conceiving a new life</h2>
After giving birth to Joe, Klebian was handy for most of the time —at least, she knew where to go for help when she got into trouble.
In addition to the Children's Hospital, Boywinsta has a dedicated and two community health centres under construction. Open from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., it serves 15,000 residents in the surrounding area. Citizens who come with children can also put their children in a "nursery" dedicated to children's play.
< h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > playing with children and taking care of them is Borges's daily routine</h2>
Lucia M. Luzia Ferreira Borges, who worked at the local hospital desk, has been in the "nursery" of the community health center for more than a year, and the 10-square cottage is littered with toys for children to play. Every day, Lucia hosts nearly 30 children who are brought in by their parents to deal with things.
In the city of Boivesta, similar nurseries can be seen in many places. In a city of just 380,000 people, poverty and displacement are everywhere, and every bit of care the government builds for children is precious.
<h1 toutiao-origin="h3" > "forcing" citizens to do early education</h1>
In addition to the Community ChildCare Centre, there is also a "Family Care Centre" in the northwestern part of the city of Boivista. Maternity classes, health check-ups, early childhood development classes for 0-6 years old, training centers... It is the "headquarters" that covers almost all the projects of early childhood development in the city of Boivesta.
Today, Maria Eduarda came to take a pregnant women class as usual, and she was chosen to sit on the stage to learn how to breastfeed her child when she is crying.
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Third and fourth from the left are Maria and her husband</h2>
"Wow... Wow..." The baby's cries coming from the player were enough to fake the truth. Maria skillfully picked up the plastic doll and simulated breastfeeding while patting her ass.
Maria is 19 years old and has no job. The husband, 20, is a temporary painter and spends most of his time at home. In the impoverished regions of Brazil, young production has always been a social problem. Poverty, lack of parenting and education, and the next generation's relapse into poverty are laying the groundwork at this time.
From the beginning of the third month of pregnancy, Maria and her husband put on the agenda to attend the "pregnant women's school" twice a month. They did so in part to obtain the various follow-up benefits offered by the Government's children's program.
In order to "force" poor parents to participate in pregnant women's classes on time, vaccinate their children, check their bodies and conduct early education – most of them without the awareness and perseverance – the local government has designed an entire early childhood development system.
Only by completing the items required in the above form can you have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of your child after birth and growth.
For example, the government gives away bath tubs, diapers, wipes and clothing for free, and the child receives three cans of milk powder per month after reaching the age of one – the cost of the above supplies is borne by the government, and the value is about 380 reais.
When the children are older, those families who take their children on time for health examinations and comply with the government's parenting requirements can also enter the government-sponsored early childhood education centers and preschool education bases.
At present, it seems that the measures of "inducement" with systems and policies have worked well.
Micilene Linhares, 34, is a mom of eight children. Since she was pregnant with her first child at the age of 19, her eldest son has reached the age of 15, and all the children have been raised by her alone.
After discovering that she was pregnant, Missillenian joined the government's children's program. Even though it was a two-hour walk to the nearest community childcare center, she insisted on taking her two-month-old daughter, Hannah, to the center for early education classes rain or shine.
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > early education course scene, the second from the left is Missilleni</h2>
Her hope is for Hannah to continue to follow the project, attending home visits, attending kindergarten, and elementary school, so that when she grows up, she "won't get me into trouble."
The City of Boyvinsta's Early Childhood Development Program focuses on more than 17,000 families with children aged 0-6 who are either relatively poor or disadvantaged. Many of them are refugee families from Venezuela.
Venezuela faces severe economic hardship amid political turmoil, with a per capita monthly income of just $4 – just enough to buy two chickens.
Thus, in contrast, the city of Boivínstá became known as venezuela's "refugee entrance". The local government estimates that by the end of 2019, the number of refugees will accumulate to nearly 100,000.
Isabella, four years old, has been following her family from Venezuela to Brazil for a year and seven months. Every other week, she accompanies her mom and two-month-old sister to community care centres for breastfeeding promotion classes.
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > is Isabella on the right</h2>
Low breastfeeding rates have been a problem for Venezuelan refugees in early childhood rearing. When her mother and sister were in class, Isabella sat quietly next to the nursery and played.
Being able to join the program is a good thing for refugees, and the local government has not made new demands on refugees, and even provided them with Spanish courses, as long as they meet the local standards of class, they can enjoy follow-up benefits.
Why is < h1 toutiao-origin="h3" > able to do it? </h1>
In 2013, after many years in the Senate, Teresa Surita returned to the city of Boiwinsta as mayor, and children and educational success were things she planned to advance well.
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Fangjin and The Mayor of Boyvinsta, Teresa Surita</h2>
Photographs of Mayor Teresa Surita, who has two daughters and a third grandchild who was born two weeks ago, can be seen in the Boivista city hall building, kindergartens, shops and even houses.
"A child is born like a sponge, and the social environment is closely related to the child's later development, which is why we choose to focus on investing in early childhood development, because it affects the balance of society."
This is Teresa's original intention to focus on children's development, but what interests us even more is how the city of Boywinsta has put the concept into practice over the course of six years.
During a one-day trip to Boivesta, the research team visited several child care centers and also observed home visits for children aged 0-3 , early home education, which is an important part of Brazil's "Happy Children Program".
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Klebian took her daughter Joao to early childhood education</h2>
The value and importance attached to children in the border towns is touching, but what impresses us most is the support of local government departments for child care programs - the deputy mayor in charge of education, the director of health, the director of finance, and the director of social welfare accompanied us throughout every visit.
We found that the director of the local finance bureau can clearly say the funds invested by the government for children of each age, the director of the social welfare bureau has a good understanding of the structure of the child care project, the director of the health bureau accompanies the whole tour and asks questions, and the deputy mayor in charge of education can also serve as a docent for home visits, kindergartens, and mom schools.
The attitude of each department to our visit is: Thank you for coming, it is very important to have an outside perspective to look at our projects and make suggestions.
< h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Fang Jin, Cai Jianhua and Mayor Terrsa of Boyy winsta</h2>
But Teresa told us that when the Children's City project was first launched in 2013, it had great difficulties in management.
"Of course, we already know the human capital investment theory of James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics, Professor at the University of Chicago, and advisor to the Foundation's Center for Child Development, and we know the importance of early childhood development, but knowing and willing to work together to accomplish it are two different things."
The city of Boywinsta is financially coordinating the various departments.
Teresa gave an example, if the budget for the City of Boivesta's Early Childhood Development Project in 2019 was 800 million reais, 25% would be spent on education, 20% on health care, 10% on social security, 20% on infrastructure, 25% on advocacy.... But they all do the same thing – early childhood development.
< h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > the research team communicated with the local government</h2>
Teresa said that the most difficult place is to change the management concept of civil servants, because the local government habitually thinks separately, and medical care belongs to health and education to education.
One way to do this is to persevere. Government officials from various local departments have been called home for meetings in the early morning or late at night by the mayor, who feel more like a detachment called the "City of Children."
Teresa agrees with her colleagues: "We are here to share the responsibility for early childhood development, and everyone must have the same idea in early childhood development." ”
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Teresa Identity Foundation "HuiYu China" and "One Village, One Garden" Social Experiments on Early Development of Children</h2>
It's been seven years since the various government departments worked together, but Teresa says some of the problems remain until now, "because we're still human after all."
<h1 toutiao-origin="h3" > a good way to solve social problems</h1>
The city of Boivesta is built along the banks of the White River, and the city has gradually expanded over time.
Teresa's goal is to establish a system of education, health and social security for children in every community. Among them, early intervention, which is mainly based on home visits, is the main way for the early education of children aged 0-3 in poor families.
Now, every half a month, the Ferreira family welcomes a home visit. For 45 minutes, the homeworker interacted intimately with his mother, Clebien and Little Joe, using homemade toys. Father Renato felt that through home visits, Joe spoke and behaved very differently than when he was a child.
"Once, I was teasing Joe with a building block, and she actually climbed over by herself, and we were all surprised because we didn't expect her to climb so fast."
After giving birth to her eighth child, Missy Laney gradually learned how to "raise". She began to consciously tease the child and talk to the child. More importantly, she began to think about what education "can do exactly."
<h2 toutiao-origin="h5" > Missillane and her eighth daughter</h2>
"If every family can bring a better education to their children, children will have different ideas and ways of doing things when they grow up, which is a generational thing."
On the second floor of the Boivesta Family Care Centre, a map caught our attention.
This is a panorama of downtown Boivesta, where thousands of small green trees are painted. Similar to the habit of Chinese comparing children to saplings, on a map, each tree represents a beneficiary family.
Some communities benefit from dense households, while others are sparser. "These are the areas that we want to focus on." Teresa pointed to the blank areas on the map.
At present, there are already 50 home visitors with high school education or above, responsible for visiting 1,000 families. However, the number of children in demand in the Boivesta region is 10,000.
Much remains to be done. Looking at the entire Happy Children Program, as of today, the number of children benefiting from the project has reached 810,000, while the Brazilian Ministry of Civil and Social Action aims to bring this number to 3 million.
But at the very least, action has begun.
"I firmly believe that early childhood development is the right investment because I believe that early childhood development can lead to sustainable and better lives for my citizens in the long run." Teresa said.
This article is reproduced from the WeChat public account "China Development Research Foundation", sorting out Yu Xuan, pictures Wang Weiguang, Huang Yi, collecting and editing silk dew. The article is the author's independent point of view, does not represent the position of wasabi pile, please contact the original author for reprint.