Singapore-based Asia Philanthropy Circle and 12 other philanthropic organisations, including the Tanoto Foundation, have released a study looking into early childhood development in China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore. 

Persistent issues in malnutrition and stunting in China, Indonesia and the Philippines remain. This coincides with a rise in rates of overweight and obese children.  

The Regional Early Childhood Development Landscape Study concluded that a lack of coordination between key players remains rife and recommended convening policymakers, NGOs, funders, service providers, and community members to improve the implementation of early childhood policies. 

It recommended that donors in China “work closely with local and national government on commonly identified areas of need”. 

In Indonesia, better and “more complete data will contribute to evidence-informed decision making about where and how programmes need to be implemented, de-implemented, or modified to better meet the needs of the local population”.  

The report added that the Philippines has “gaps in understanding of the impact of programmes and policies on families and young children.”  

“Donors can help to build this knowledge base by supporting organisations to conduct evaluations and working with local government units (LGUs) to embed learning into programme implementation. Donors can also advocate for the national government to strengthen policymaking in areas of most need,” the report adds.  

The study, which took place over the course of a year in 2022, examined a total of 276 programmes, and 145 national and sub-national policies. 

Belinda Tanoto, daughter of the founder and a member of the Tanoto Foundation’s Board of Trustees, previously spoke to Alliance Magazine in December.  

“I feel our role is really to bring different stakeholders together and sometimes even the different government agencies. It’s important to create a forum for them to collaborate and coordinate,” she told Alliance.