Lodwar – March 13, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
Healthcare workers in Turkana West have embraced play-based learning as an essential intervention to support early childhood development during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
Over the last eight months, the County Government, in collaboration with Amref Health Africa’s Tucheze Tustawi Project, has trained over 80 healthcare workers, including master trainer, Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) including members of the County and Sub-County Health Management Teams, Community Health Assistants (CHAs), and Community Health Promoters (CHPs) through five sensitisation workshops. This project is supported by the LEGO Foundation.
The CHAs and CHPs were divided into two cohorts. The first group of 20 CHAs and 225 CHPs were trained in 2025 and were drawn from high- to medium-volume health facilities, while the second cohort was selected from low-volume health facilities. These teams were trained on the Care for Child Development package and the Instruction Manual for CHAs, as well as the Nurturing Care Framework and the Instruction Manual for CHPs.
This three-day capacity-building workshop focused on 14 CHAs and aimed at strengthening their knowledge of nurturing care, responsive parenting, and the role of play in supporting cognitive, emotional, safety, and security development among children aged zero to three years.
The training aims to equip frontline health workers at household, community, and facility levels with practical skills to support caregivers in stimulating children’s development through simple play activities at home.
Speaking during the training, Director for Preventive and Promotive Health Daniel Esimit emphasized that integrating play into health messaging will significantly strengthen early childhood development outcomes in communities.
“The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are critical for brain development. This workshop is particularly important because it focuses on nurturing care, a concept that is now globally recognized as essential for optimal child development. Health, nutrition, protection, stimulation, and responsive caregiving largely determine a child’s future wellbeing, learning capacity, and productivity,” he said.
He added that the county is committed to strengthening community health systems to ensure such knowledge reaches households across Turkana.
Deputy Director for Family Health Gabriel Lopodo noted that the initiative complements ongoing maternal and child health interventions by focusing on the holistic development of children.
He explained that previously, good health, adequate nutrition, safety, and security were perceived to be sufficient for early childhood development.
“However, responsive caregiving and opportunities for early learning have since been recognized as equally important,” he said.
Lopodo further noted that beyond nutrition and immunization, trainees must also support children’s emotional and cognitive development.
“Play-based learning enables caregivers to actively engage with their children, which strengthens early brain development and prepares them for future learning,” he added.
Esimit also called on Community Health Assistants to cascade the information further.
“As Community Health Assistants, you play a very strategic role in making this framework a reality at the household level. Through your supervision of Community Health Promoters and your direct engagement with communities, you are able to influence caregiver practices and ensure that key health and development messages reach families consistently,” he stated.
Stephen Ekidor, a nutritionist and one of the five certified ToTs, highlighted practical techniques that can be demonstrated to caregivers during community engagements.
“The approach is very practical. We demonstrate simple play activities that caregivers can easily replicate using locally available materials such as sticks, pebbles, and household items,” he said.
Following the training, the 14 Community Health Assistants are currently cascading the knowledge to 256 Community Health Promoters across village units in Turkana West. The CHPs will then take the lessons to households through barazas and home visits as the project moves to the household level. Caregivers will be guided to incorporate play into their daily routines for sustainability.
“As supervisors of CHPs, we will ensure these messages reach every household. Caregivers will learn that interacting and playing with children helps them grow healthier and more confident,” said Caroline Emanikor.
“Most of us have been purchasing toys, but we have learnt affordable ways to make toys, and this will be relatable to mothers here,” she added.
“Many parents in our communities do not realize that simple daily interactions like talking, singing, and playing can shape a child’s development. This training is helping us change that mindset—even teaching them to interact and play with their babies while still pregnant,” Jane Arot noted.
“We are now better equipped to guide caregivers on how to use everyday activities as learning opportunities for their children. I will involve fathers and encourage them to be present in their children’s lives through the formation of father-to-father support groups at the facility,” Amui Dominic shared.
The training marks a key milestone in strengthening community-based interventions aimed at improving nurturing care and early childhood development among children aged zero to three years.
