The brain develops most rapidly in the first five years of a child’s life. Yet, worldwide, 250 million children are not reaching their potential during these years. In 2015, an estimated six million children died before reaching age five, mostly as a result of diseases which are readily and affordably preventable and treatable. In developing countries, hundreds of millions of children do not have access to pre-school; they live in areas affected by armed conflict and climate-related disasters; and their growth is stunted, which harms their brain development.

The Aga Khan Foundation works to ensure that girls and boys have a good start in life by influencing the environments in which they are growing. Globally, our Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives provide 750,000 children ages 0-8 years with nurturing, relevant and quality learning opportunities at costs that are affordable for governments, families and communities.

The Foundation’s work in ECD dates back to the early 1980s when the Madrassa Early Childhood Programme was established in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. What started as a pilot project at the request of the Muslim community in Mombasa, Kenya, went on to help establish over 200 community pre-schools and teach tens of thousands of children. Learn more.