Working Document 51 presents the results of a study from the Niños del Milenio/Young Lives project about the impact of the Wawa Wasi program on child development and the perceptions that different actors have about the program. Wawa Wasi is the public program with the greatest state coverage oriented toward children aged six months to four years who live in impoverished circumstances. A maximum of eight children can be registered in each Wawa Wasi and can attend the center five days a week where they are under the care of a “caregiver mother,” who is a woman from the community. The program includes components of care, learning, nutrition and health.
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Regarding the developmental levels of the children, the results of the study demonstrate that a group of children who have spent six months in a Wawa Wasi have similar indicators regarding large motor skills, language and fine motor development as other children of a similar age and from similar socioeconomic circumstances who remained at home. However, after the children attended the Wawa Wasi the program implemented a plan to strengthen its cognitive stimulation and early learning component, so the development of the children who participated could subsequently be better.
On the other hand, for the study we interviewed a wide range of relevant local actors and nearly all of them had a positive attitude regarding the program: the Wawa Wasi are perceived to be a place where children are safe, where they have a nutritious diet and which allow their mothers to dedicate themselves to their domestic work, to go out to work or to study without having to worry.
Currently the Wawa Wasi program is exploring ways to expand its services to other areas where children are living in poverty or extreme poverty, in order to contribute to the integral development of boys and girls. This study describes some of the strengths and makes some suggestions to strengthen its notable achievements, publicly awarded and recognized in diverse opportunities.
