The Espace d’Eveil Educatif (or 3 E) is a community-run, non-formal education structure designed to provide children aged 3 to 6 with psycho-motor, socio-affective and cognitive support.
The Espace Eveil Educatif (3 E) is the 1st link in the bilingual educational continuum. It has been set up by Solidar Suisse in collaboration with Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity (MASSN).
The 1st 3 E was set up on April 17, 2001, and since then the 3 E’s have been set up and run by communities that express a need for them. Nowadays, as part of the decent work program, the “MaBYZ”, a variant of the 3 Es, has been created to free women from childcare responsibilities.
Objectives
Provide pre-school care for children ;
Increase access to pre-school education for all Burkinabe children aged 3 to 6;
Temporarily free mothers and school-age girls from childcare responsibilities;
Improve the quality of integrated health, nutrition, hygiene/sanitation and education services for children aged 3 to 6;
Stimulate awakening and development of socio-cultural, psycho-affective and cognitive aspects for better adaptation to the basic primary cycle.
Prerequisites for implementing the approach
Request from my community;
Availability of a bilingual elementary school;
Community commitment to provide parent volunteer educators (PVEs) and resource persons, including canteen workers for meals.
Implementation process
Prospecting and social negotiation missions ;
Setting up a management committee ;
EVP training ;
Setting up the canteen;
Support and advice for decentralized technical structures.
Stakeholders in the implementation
Parents Educators;
COPI members;
The cooks;
The Ministry’s decentralized technical services in charge of pre-school education.
Direct beneficiaries
Children aged 3 to 6
Indirect beneficiaries
Parents Educators;
COPI members;
The cooks;
Women (moms);
Young girls;
Parents.
Benefits
Improving the quality of integrated health, nutrition, hygiene and education services for children aged 3 to 6;
Freeing school-age mothers and daughters from childcare;
Mothers are able to pursue their income-generating activities more freely, and attend literacy centers because they no longer have to look after their children;
3E graduates top the elementary school rankings
Priority is given to 3E children when recruiting for elementary school
