Group photo of stakeholders during endline stakeholder engagement at Lake Naivasha Resort, Naivasha on November 24, 2023
By Gift Briton
In Kenya’s Nakuru County, a quality childcare model spearheaded by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is positively changing the game for women’s economic empowerment.
Like many parts of the world, women in Kenya perform a disproportionate share of unpaid care work, such as childcare and household chores.
This imbalance restricts women’s ability to participate fully in economic activities. According to experts, interventions that offer alternative childcare options can grant women greater freedom and enable them to contribute more effectively to economic production processes.
One such intervention is the Kidogo model, which aims to empower women economically by providing quality childcare services in Nakuru County’s informal settlements. The Kidogo model addresses this issue through its innovative “Hub & Spoke” approach.
Kidogo operates using a two-fold strategy. First, it establishes best-practice early childhood development (ECD) “hubs” that provide a holistic curriculum for young children. Second, it enhances the quality of local childcare centers, referred to as “spokes,” through its micro-franchising program.
This program collaborates with women running these centers, whom Kidogo terms “mamapreneurs.” By improving the quality, consistency, and availability of childcare and preschool services in the community, Kidogo ensures children receive the best start while giving working mothers peace of mind to find and maintain gainful employment.
Under the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) initiative funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), APHRC embarked on a project to evaluate the effectiveness of the Kidogo model on women’s labor outcomes and to identify what works within the Kidogo Program, including aspects that could be scaled up.
The results of the APHRC-Kidogo partnership have been remarkable. The model contributed to the overall transformation trajectory of numerous families in Nakuru’s informal settlement.
The project’s most notable success is the increased visibility and recognition of the importance of the childcare sector in Nakuru County.
The groundbreaking evidence generated by the project highlighted the critical need to improve the quality of childcare and its linkage to women’s economic empowerment. Through sustained engagement with county officials and partners, the Nakuru Department of Social Services has now taken full ownership of all matters related to childcare for children aged 0-3 years, a significant shift from previous times when there was no clear ownership.
One of the pivotal outcomes of the project was the successful convening of workshops to review the Childcare Facilities Act with the County officials, which is now ready for publication. This Act will provide crucial legislative guidance on childcare provision in the county. The researchers also initiated the process of drafting guidelines to regulate childcare services. Once completed, the Childcare Facilities Act and Policy will offer long-term legislative frameworks that ensure high-quality care for young children.
The project’s impact was further amplified by its robust community engagement strategy. The project team worked closely with mothers, childcare center providers, and fathers to gather insights on the status of childcare services in the county. This collaboration helped identify policy gaps and spearhead policy actions through a technical working group (TWG) formed after the midline dissemination.
