Dear Colleagues,
Gradually, we are coming to the end of the year 2024. It has been a busy year for most of us and I believe many are currently on holiday, resting ahead of 2025. As we close on this year, I wish to use this opportunity to thank all of you for your support and contribution to our course on CHIFA – promoting child health.
Also, I use this opportunity to invite you to share your reflections on any child health and information issue(s) that caught your attention in the year. This could be something shared here on the CHIFA forum or experienced elsewhere.
Personally, an editorial of the new Lancet series titled “Lancet series: Early Childhood Development and the Next 1000 Days (age 2-5 years)” shared here by Neil Pakenham-Walsh on November 23 caught my attention. The key message is that we seem to have concentrated so much on improving the health and wellbeing of children under the age of 2 years whilst seemingly neglecting those from age 2 – 5 years. From where I operate here in Ghana, this is so relatable to me especially with my knowledge regarding the disparity in resource allocation to the well-being of these two child age groups.
The questions asked from CHIFA perspective; “what are the priority information and learning needs of health workers and parents with regards to child health age 2-5 years? What do we know about the current quality of care in this age group? And what are the priority human rights issues for this age group?” resonate so much with my thoughts. As a practitioner and
advocate, these questions keep lingering on my mind. These are some of the issues I am carrying along into 2025 where I will continue to promote discussions at all levels on how to find holistic answers to them.
In 2025, I am looking forward to your continued support and contributions to child health. I wish you happy holidays and a fruitful year 2025!!
Kind regards
Edem
(Lead Moderator- CHIFA)
CHIFA Profile:
Daniel Edem Kpewou is a lecturer at the School of Allied Health Sciences,
University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.