250 million children under 5 are at risk of sub-optimal development, due to factors such as extreme poverty and stunting. Not only that but globally, 85% of children with disabilities are living in resource-poor settings (ECD Lancet Series, 2016).
The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health (2016-2030) outlines a number of strategies that need to be put in place in order to help these young children not just survive, but thrive.
One of which is ‘ensuring that all children have access to good quality early-childhood development’. And that’s where the MDAT comes in.