The City of Kigali launched a workplace Early Childhood Development Center (ECD) on December 16. The facility contains a conducive infrastructure and services that will allow City of Kigali personnel to work stress-free while their children are cared for at work. The ECD has the capacity to accommodate 25 children and will provide care to children aged from 3 months to 3 years. It includes, among other amenities, classrooms, a dining room, a nursing place, a playground, restrooms, and kitchen stations. The model workplace-based ECD centre was established in collaboration with the National Child Development Agency and UNICEF Rwanda. It is meant to provide employees children under three years with comprehensive services for their healthy growth. It is also projected to reduce the time used by parents to go back home to breastfeed, hence increasing work productivity while assuring the safety of their children. Speaking at the inauguration, Nadine Umutoni, the Directorate General of the National Child Development Agency, emphasized that investing in childrens early years is one of the best investments a country can make to break the cycle of poverty and build a strong foundation for human capital development. The new model workplace ECD centre will be used to benchmark standards and minimum requirements for all those willing to invest in ECD for both government and private institutions, according to a tweet from the city of Kigalis mayor, Prudence Rubingisa. Following the launch of the centre, Laurent Mbanda, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, took to twitter to announce at his church would construct more ECDs in addition to the 600 that have already been established across the country. Other commentators applauded the move and encouraged other organisations to follow that example. Some believe it would be a great approach to prevent stunting in children because they are left alone at home with house helpers who are less concerned about their well-being and are less qualified. Others said that it would ease the stress that mothers often experience when hurrying between breastfeeding and returning to work, often at an unfavorable distance.
