The retreat was opened by the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion (Migeprof), Consolee Uwimana alongside other senior government officials. 

In her welcome remarks, NCDA Director General, Ingabire Assumpta said the objective of this retreat is to establish a high-level platform for strategic reflection on key ECD interventions in Rwanda, developing and agree on a five-year ECD Joint Action Plan aligned with NST2, and agree on its implementation.

She said child development begins at conception and continues up to six years of age. The Government has established policies and legal frameworks to ensure this critical stage of life is prioritized, with stakeholders working closely to support the best interests of the child.

She added that participants of the retreat will discuss evidence from both local and international research on early childhood development, emphasizing homegrown solutions to address critical challenges in the field.

Speaking at the opening of the retreat, Minister Uwimana thanked partners for contribution to the ECD Program saying that the contributions reflect their understanding and commitment to the well-being of Rwanda’s children and the future of the country.

She said that the NST2 target of reducing stunting and malnutrition and improving the quality of education presents an opportunity to prioritize early childhood development and nutrition interventions.

The minister reminded that there is a need to increase access to ECD services for more children, improve the infrastructure and quality of services in ECDs, mostly home-based, increase the skills in the scope of ECD interventions and services as well as incentives for caregivers. She said one way to address these challenges is to create a platform like this retreat, which allows participants to sit together, brainstorm, learn, and agree on what is working and what is not working on the ground.

Speaking at the closing of the retreat, he Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Mireille Batamuriza hailed participants saying that their engagements reflect a shared commitment to improving the lives of Rwandan children and building a foundation for their brighter future.

“This retreat has been a testament to the power of partnership across government institutions, development partners, and stakeholders to identify actionable solutions for expanding access to Early Childhood Development services” she said.