In Meghalaya, where nearly half the population is under 19, a revolution is taking shape—one that begins long before a child speaks their first word or takes their first step. It is a revolution rooted in science, driven by policy, and fueled by the unwavering belief that a child’s earliest years shape the course of their entire life. This is the story of Meghalaya’s commitment to Early Childhood Development (ECD)—a commitment that recently took a major leap forward with a partnership between the state and the Van Leer Foundation (VLF), a global leader in early childhood initiatives. Through this collaboration, Meghalaya is set to transform how children grow, learn, and thrive in their formative years.
A Shared Vision for Every Child’s Future
For decades, Meghalaya has battled high rates of child malnutrition, stunting, and poor early learning outcomes. The numbers tell a sobering story—46.5% of children under five in Meghalaya are stunted, 12.1% suffer from wasting, and 26.6% are underweight. These statistics are not just figures; they represent real children struggling to reach their full potential.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have long advocated for exclusive breastfeeding, proper nutrition, and responsive caregiving in the early years. But policies alone are not enough. The question has always been—how do we turn these principles into everyday reality for the families in Meghalaya’s hills and valleys?
The answer lies in a multi-sectoral approach, one that brings together Health, Education, Social Welfare, and Community Development to ensure every child gets the best possible start in life. The newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Van Leer Foundation is a crucial step in making this vision a reality.
Building a System That Works for Children
The Van Leer Foundation, with its experience spanning decades and multiple countries, will bring technical expertise, proven models from around the world, and innovative solutions tailored to Meghalaya’s unique challenges.
One of the key initiatives under this collaboration is the creation of a Technical Support Unit (TSU), which will work closely with the Meghalaya ECD Mission to ensure that interventions are data-driven, locally adapted, and scalable. The foundation will also play a key role in shaping the Centre for Developing Child-Meghalaya, the state’s first Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development, ensuring that research, training, and best practices are continuously evolving.
But beyond policies and institutions, this mission is about people—mothers, caregivers, health workers, and teachers who are shaping the next generation with every interaction.
To truly understand how early childhood policies translate into action, the Van Leer Foundation team visited Ri Bhoi district, where they saw first-hand the work being done on the ground.
At Rongphartong Anganwadi Centre, Umling Block, they sat with caregivers, frontline workers, and community members, listening to their experiences, their struggles, and their hopes for a better future for their children. In Umrandairy Community Hall, Umsning Block, they observed a Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHND) session, where mothers received critical guidance on nutrition, breastfeeding, and child health.
These visits reaffirmed a fundamental truth—policies must be lived and experienced to create real impact.Meghalaya’s approach ensures that the wisdom of the community is just as valuable as expert research, that real solutions come from collaboration, and that every stakeholder—from a policymaker in Shillong to a mother in a remote village—has a role to play in shaping a child’s future.
The work ahead is not easy. Meghalaya’s Life-Cycle Approach to Human Development recognizes two crucial windows of opportunity—the early childhood years and adolescence. The challenge now is to ensure that every child, regardless of where they are born, receives the care, nutrition, and learning opportunities they deserve.
This partnership is not just about technical expertise or funding. It is about rethinking how a state nurtures its youngest citizens. It is about making sure that no child’s potential is determined by where they are born, how much their family earns, or the traditions that shaped their upbringing. It is about making early childhood development a foundation for governance, economic growth, and social change.