Vice President for the World Bank, Keith Hansen, has tipped government and other development partners to channel more financial resources towards Community Based Childcare Centers (CBCCs) to ensure more children are nurtured into productive adults.

Hansen said this on Wednesday when he visited Chimwemwe CBCC in Dedza as part of his
tour of appreciating various projects being implemented in the country with funding from the World Bank.

He said CBCCs are not just for looking after kids but also places where children learn
foundational skills and develop relationships with others.

“Providing CBCCs for children is the first step in making sure children grow up into productive
citizens. When children are small, there is so much development taking place mentally,
physically and socially. The more we can stimulate them at that stage, the more they will be able to be useful to their communities,” he said.

Hansen said what makes a country develop is the productiveness of its people hence there is
need to invest more towards development of children.

“The beauty of a program like this is that it gives the country an opportunity to develop. I believe CBCCs should spread to every community across the country so that more children should benefit,” he said.

District Commissioner (DC) for Dedza, James Manyetera commended World Bank for continued funding to various projects in the district which he said are improving livelihoods in the communities.