About Us
About Our Company
Association of Early Childhood Development in Malawi
The Association of Early Childhood Development in Malawi (AECDM) started as an Association of Pre-School Playgroups in Malawi (APPM) in 1970. The name changed in order to reflect best practices and nomenclature in early childhood development. It is registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act of 1962. It is a member of the NGO Board and CONGOMA.
The Association has implemented a number of reforms and changes in order to effectively support Government’s ECD agenda as enshrined in the National Strategic Plan for ECD (2009-2014). It has changed its name from Association of Pre-school Playgroups in Malawi (APPM) to Association of Early Childhood Development in Malawi (AECDM).
In addition, AECDM has established good partnerships with both government and development partners such as UNICEF and World Vision. It is operating in an area that is receiving increasing attention by both government and development partners. Over and above, the association has well established governance and management structures.
The Association has implemented a number of reforms and changes in order to effectively support Government’s ECD agenda as enshrined in the National Strategic Plan for ECD (2009-2014). It has changed its name from Association of Pre-school Playgroups in Malawi (APPM) to Association of Early Childhood Development in Malawi (AECDM).
In addition, AECDM has established good partnerships with both government and development partners such as UNICEF and World Vision. It is operating in an area that is receiving increasing attention by both government and development partners. Over and above, the association has well established governance and management structures.
Our Vision
To be the best provider of ECD training, capacity development services in Malawi in order to promote the holistic development of children 0 – 8 years.
Our Mission
Our mission is to: Facilitate the provision of integrated ECD services for children at household and community level; Build the capacity of ECD service providers at all levels for delivery of quality services; and Promote the holistic development (physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual and moral development of children 0-8 years through parenting programs, capacity development of caregivers and ECD professionals.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
Association of ECD in Malawi aims at bringing long-term change in the lives of children aged between 0 to 8 years without discrimination in respect of tribe, gender, race, or colour; faith or religious belief; political affiliation; sexual orientation; nationality; disability, or membership of a minority group.
Our Values
- Childlikeness and humility
- Loyalty and obedience
- Trust and honesty
Achievements So Far
Our Highlights
The National ECD budget has been increasing since 2016 following the lobby meetings that AECDM conducted with the Members of Parliament.
959
Total Caregivers Trained
813
Female Caregivers Trained
146
Male Caregivers Trained
84
ECD Trainer of Trainers
Our Strategic Aspirations
- Advocate for the promotion of ECD as a national priority and quality ECD related national policies
- Strengthen the institutional and human capacity of AECDM and other stakeholders
- Monitor and supervise all ECD centres to ensure adherence to National Standards
- Establish, strengthen, promote and coordinate the exchange of knowledge, experience and skills among ECD stakeholders in Malawi and beyond.
Our Resources
We recognize that AECDM alone is not able to provide all ECD interventions to children in Malawi in order to help them achieve their hopes and aspirations. AECDM needs partners in order to do that.
We recognize that AECDM is entirely dependent on the passion and commitment of our staff, trustees, carers, volunteers, partners and funding bodies.
We could not do what we do without that devotion and nor could we do what we do without such consistent openhandedness.
We recognize that AECDM is entirely dependent on the passion and commitment of our staff, trustees, carers, volunteers, partners and funding bodies.
We could not do what we do without that devotion and nor could we do what we do without such consistent openhandedness.
Monitoring and Evaluation systems
AECDM has an M&E department with qualified personnel to aid program team, management, and donors to manage performance and make right improvements in programing. This is done by leveraging M&E partnerships that exists across the districts which AECDM works as well as with Government departments. M&E plans and work plans for various projects are used to monitor the progress of the projects as well as the training programs. Full support from management ensures that AECDM has a well-defined M&E culture. Routine programs monitoring is conducted monthly/quarterly for various programs during implementation. AECDM also conducts Baseline and End-line surveys for various projects and data is safely kept in M&E databases. M&E team conducts Data Quality Audits for all projects from time to time to ensure quality (validity, reliability, integrity, timeliness, and precision). All these ensure that AECD makes evidence-based decisions.