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Sustainable poverty amelioration through early life education in a peri-urban community of Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine early life education for under-fives as a means of economic empowerment of mothers and sustainable poverty amelioration. Method: The methodology included a non-randomised selection of 34 disadvantaged mothers by criteria, a prospective intervention utilising community resources to organise early childhood education, an in-depth interview of mothers, and observation of the outcomes over a 5-year period.
Results: The result of the study showed that no mother preferred keeping a child older than three years at home. Access to early childhood education gave mothers opportunity to undergo vocational training (1, 2.8%) and take up new/additional jobs (12, 35.3%). All mothers and 32 (80%) of the participating families more than doubled their income, earning up to twenty thousand Naira (approximately $182) per month from the first year of participation. Finally, selection criteria and periodic assessment of immunisation/growth monitoring records of participants’ children improved compliance with primary health care service utilisation.
Conclusion: Organisation of early childhood education had the potential for sustainable poverty amelioration through economic empowerment of mothers.
How to cite this article: Abosede OA, Campell PC, Okechukwu EI, Salako-Akande AO, Oneynwenyi AO. Afr J Prm Health Care Fam Med. 2010;2(1), Art. #98, 7 pages. DOI: 10.4102/phcfm.v2i1.98
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