Nepal introduces Care for Child Development Course – a first in WHO South-East Asia

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province - In a significant step toward improving care for child development, the Family Welfare Division (FWD) of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), with support from WHO Country Office for Nepal, has introduced the WHO/UNICEF Care for Child Development (CCD) course for the first time in Nepal – and the WHO South-East Asia Region.

The course equips health workers with the knowledge and skills to help caregivers in promoting the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of children aged 0-3 years through simple, everyday interactions. Primarily, the course promotes responsive caregiving and early learning opportunities for the development of children which are the key pillars of Nepal’s National Strategy for Early Childhood Development (2077–2088).

A participant (left) engages in interactive play with a child at Kanti Children’s Hospital, Nepal. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

Originally developed in 2012 with UNICEF, the course has been adapted to align with the Nurturing Care Framework for early childhood development published jointly by WHO, UNICEF, World Bank and partners. The course covers simple and practical topics such as early brain stimulation, play, communication and responsive feeding, emphasizing low-cost, high-impact actions that can be integrated easily into daily life to help children build strong emotional bonds and foster development.

In the absence of a dedicated course on child development for health workers, the CCD course complements the Government of Nepal’s efforts to strengthen the health sector’s role in delivering holistic care, as outlined in the National Health Sector Guiding Framework for Early Childhood Development (2023). It addresses a critical gap by equipping health workers with essential skills in ensuring responsive caregiving, early learning opportunities and safety and security – areas that are not yet fully integrated into existing health and nutrition services.

A participant (left) engages in developmentally appropriate play with a baby at Kanti Children’s Hospital, Nepal. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

In May, at the government’s request, WHO supported a five-day training, aimed at creating a national pool of experts to scale up the course across Nepal. Sixteen health professionals, including paediatricians, child developmental specialists, paediatric psychiatrists, nurses, obstetrician, public health professionals and representatives from the health ministry and partner organizations, completed the training. These trained facilitators then co-led a second batch of training sessions for 17 paediatricians and nurses from six provinces.

Participants (top row) and facilitators (bottom row) of the Care for Child Development course pictured ahead of the practical sessions at Kanti Children’s Hospital, Nepal. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/S.G.Amatya

The training sessions were delivered through a hybrid method, combining virtual lectures with in-person workshops and hands-on clinical practice at Kanti Children’s Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital between 14 May to 1 June 2025. The training sessions were facilitated by Ms Sheila Manji (WHO Headquarters) and Dr Rajesh Khanna (WHO South-East Asia Regional Office), ensuring global standards were tailored to Nepal’s context.

“The Government of Nepal is deeply committed to investing in the early years of life, recognizing that nurturing care lays the foundation for a child’s lifelong health, learning and well-being. This is not only a technical milestone – it is a promise to the children of Nepal to help them reach their full potential,” said Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, Director of Family Welfare Division at the Department of Health Services.

Participants actively engaged in both theoretical and practical sessions in Bagmati Province, Nepal. Photo credit: WHO Nepal

"With the introduction of the CCD course, Nepal is taking a significant step toward integrating responsive caregiving into routine health services, marking a new chapter in the country’s efforts to advance early childhood development. This locally-tailored approach will equip caregivers and health workers with the practical skills needed to lay a strong foundation for every child’s development. By investing in the early years, we are helping build a healthier and more resilient future for the country," said Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, WHO Representative to Nepal.

WHO will now support to develop a comprehensive resource package to guide service delivery and capacity-building efforts at the national level, with facilitation by national experts. The resource package will support in the capacity development of service providers as well as in integration of CCD into existing training programmes.

This initiative was made possible with support from the Myriad USA.

Participant testimonials