Built on the foundation that the early years of a child determines their later performance in life we have been strengthening the family care giving support systems through a multi-sectoral approach that tackles Health, Nutrition, Early childhood education and the economic lives of young people between the age of zero and eight, 0-8 that are affected by Aids.

Establishment of community Early Childhood Development Centers.

Recruitment and training of ECD teachers and paying them minimal volunteer allowances.

Provision of learning materials.

Provision of sanitary materials.

The reason we emphasize "early childhood education" is that it is the foundation of a person's intellectual and social Development. We have however discovered very interesting advantages of giving a child this education. In our case we planned for a project that would appropriately cater for the nutritional needs of these children, and in so doing our intention was that they-children would access other services at a central location, hence ECD centers. We have got a whole range of discoveries:

1. Caregivers/parents say they now have more man-hour than they used to. This they say is a result of less burden at home caused by the children's absence.

2. That their children challenge them by the level of their assertiveness.

3. That household wrangles between the spouses have reduced since they now have enough time for one another and even for their children.

4. That standard of living at the respective homes has improved. This is made possible by the family heads having sufficient time to engage in other productive work.

5. Children are more interested in schooling than sitting and playing at home opposed to what we would imagine. The caregivers and parents say children prepare to go to the centers on weekends and that when they are stopped, they cry and ask why they should not, the same during holidays.