Nurturing Neighbourhoods 2.0 Launched: A Step Towards Child and Caregiver-Friendly Urban Spaces
New Delhi, September 25, 2024: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) today launched the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods 2.0’ - an initiative that will focus on neighbourhood-level improvements to promote healthy early childhood development (0-5-year-old children) and caregiver well-being in Indian cities. The program stems from the successful initiative, Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge (NNC), led by MoHUA and the Smart Cities Mission and supported by the Van Leer Foundation with WRI India as the technical partner.
Speaking at the launch, Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA, said, “The second iteration will build on the learnings from the first, which implemented 188 successful projects. In the second phase, institutionalization at the state level will be crucial along with building systems in the state machinery to align with other government programs. Cities must incorporate the learnings and child-centric solutions in their policies and plans to make it a part of the regular activities of state and city governments.”
On Wednesday, the workshop brought together leaders and city officials from state authorities -- the Directorate, Urban Administration and Development, State of Madhya Pradesh and Kerala Institute of Local Administration--and 18 cities. Experts emphasized the importance of addressing challenges pertaining to equity, vulnerability and increasing climate risks for the holistic improvement of neighbourhoods across cities. City officials shared their plans for scaling the learnings from NNC and stressed the importance of these peer-to-peer learnings that will pave the way for the next phase.
Rushda Majeed, Chief Program Officer, Van Leer Foundation said, “Every child deserves a strong start. Research shows that investing in early childhood programs, especially for disadvantaged children, helps close gaps in health and education. Raising children brings families and communities together and prioritizing children in planning can address broader public issues. Over the next five years, the Van Leer Foundation will support lighthouse and NNC cities in advancing this approach, scaling young children and caregiver friendly public spaces, ensuring regular programming through activation and promoting lasting policy change.”
In the earlier phase, NNC supported 10 winning cities to form diverse partnerships with local communities, align with existing programs and provide support towards strengthening institutional capacity, enabling 188 young children and caregiver friendly public spaces. The new phase will provide technical support to help deepen and sustain efforts in Bengaluru, Indore, Jabalpur, Kochi, Kohima, Rourkela and Warangal along with 2 Urban95 Lighthouse cities (Pune and Udaipur are referred to as Urban95 lighthouse cities as they were among the first few cities to initiate projects incorporating the needs of young children and caregivers) and a few selected states.
Sreekumar Kumaraswamy, Program Director, Sustainable Cities and Transport, WRI India said, “The insights from the first phase have enabled us to explore how we can effectively mainstream this approach across different cities in India. By 2027, the program will support a network of cities committed to mainstreaming the young children and caregiver-centric development through supportive infrastructure and services, ultimately enhancing access to public spaces within walking distances. This network will also inspire other cities to adopt similar strategies for enhancing the health and wellbeing of young children and their caregivers.”
About WRI India WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being.
Know more: https://wri-india.org/
