Jakarta. Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) on Friday released its study on early childhood development in Asia, with a particular focus on China, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI) conducted the study with the support of the Tanoto Foundation as well as other APC members and philanthropists in the region. The research aims to help better understand the gaps and identify potential areas for collaboration in early childhood development.

“Early childhood is a crucial time for development that will have far-reaching impacts later in life. We wanted to fund this research to better understand the needs of ECD systems in these countries. The objectives of this research are aligned with our own efforts to catalyze support for initiatives that promote quality early childhood development across the region,” Belinda Tanoto, a  member of the Board of Trustees at the Tanoto Foundation, was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

The study indicates that the government has shown greater commitment to providing holistic support to children, families, and communities as seen in existing policies and significant investment into healthcare as well as early education. The implementation of these policies, however, sees challenges to their local implementation, including the lack of sustainable financing, among others. 

The common gaps across the region also include the paradoxical “double burden” of malnutrition and obesity. Malnutrition and stunting cases in Indonesia and the Philippines are still high, while there is a rise in the number of overweight and obese children across all four countries. This points to a potential lack of access to information for caregivers on the right nutrition and healthy food.

“Philanthropists across the region, including many of APC’s members, are already doing so much work around early childhood, but understanding the landscape enables everyone to be more strategic in their programming,” Stacey Choe, the chief operating officer at Asia Philanthropy Circle, said.