Cameroon's Minister of Social Affairs, Pauline Irene Nguene, has launched an app that will help parents tickle their children's brains.
The "Thrive By Five" application is made of activities and insights designed to help children reach their full potential.
The launching of the app with a series of interactive activities for kids took place on December 11. According to Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, president of the Kalkaba Development Initiative (KDI), the project is a dream come true.
"This scientific project will help the Cameroonian children aged zero to five to educate them better, help parents readjust their relationships with their kids and give them a better future," he said.
Dozens of children participated in fun-filled exercises witnessed by parents and several spectators at the closing of the Yaounde event.
"The kids demonstrated African diversity today and we need to look at how these kids can be supported scientifically to identify, develop and promote their talents for the future of this country" Kalkaba Malboum affirms remarked in a press interview. "It is at this period of life that we need to know the abilities, capabilities and talents the kids have to be well prepared for life," he affirms.
According to research, 90 percemt of a child's brain develops by the age five. As such, a strong brain architecture built in early childhood enables a child live a healthy and fulfilled life. According to experts, these early years set the pace for a lifetime.
The investment made in the lives of children at childhood whether positive or negative, will greatly impact them in the days to come.
This is why the KDI president decided to champion the introduction of the "Thrive by Five" app that makes Cameroon the first French-speaking African country to benefit from it.
The Director of Minderoo Foundation for Africa explains that the science behind this app is that, between birth and the age of five, the child's brain develops fastest. This he says is a precious and most useful window for preparing the children for life.
"Our aim is to take this take this app out to as many countries as possible. We envisage 30 countries of which five being in Africa. If parents have awareness and access to the information that can help their children thrive by five, their children will be more successful in school, emotionally stable, socially at ease and they will raise a generation of children that are more successful than before they had the information," he said.
The app is free and accessible to everyone, regardless of the country, race, ethnicity or community.
Akere Norbert Onya, a parent and teacher by profession present at the event shared his experience: "I down- loaded the app two months ago on my handset. The app consists of a hundred and twenty activities. My five year old son has learned to do many things by himself through the app. The app does not need internet connection to run once downloaded. Indeed, "Thrive by Five" will help our children thrive by five. I strongly recommend to all parents and child caregivers".
Thrive By Five Characteristics
The activities in the app are grouped in five key categories, which highlight the five areas of development of children.
The first deals with connection where parents and children build a relationship and strong emotional bonds.
The second focuses on talk, creating joyful moments through language and communication for the parents and their children.
Play comes in third position and deals with providing fun ways to support your child's development even in the learning process.
Fourthly, a healthy home, which is centred on providing possible tips to keep your home happy and healthy, and lastly, we have community that helps nurture a connection to culture and create a sense of belonging for the children.
By SA'AH SIONA IKEI, The Post Newspaper
Comments