AKF and Bezos Family Foundation expand partnership to boost early childhood development in Asia and Africa

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is thrilled to announce the second phase of its partnership with the Bezos Family Foundation to expand the Vroom early childhood development (ECD) programme to new countries and regions, including India, Pakistan, Kenya and Tanzania.

As the name suggests, Vroom aims to accelerate efforts to help children succeed and thrive by supporting families and caregivers in underserved communities as they engage children in healthy early brain development activities.

Since AKF launched their implementation of Vroom in 2021 to accelerate efforts to close the education gap, the science-based collaborative programme has empowered caregivers and frontline ECD workers in India and Pakistan by providing them with contextually relevant tools and resources that foster positive everyday moments for children from birth through five years old.

Building on the success of Phase 1, which ended in 2023, Phase 2 will expand to new regions in India and Pakistan and into Kenya and Tanzania. This strategic extension will reach nearly 67,000 parents and caregivers, helping them nurture their children’s growth and development in the all-important pre-school years.

“The programme has proven to be a game-changer in the way caregivers engage with their children, transforming everyday interactions into meaningful learning experiences,” said Tinni Sawhney, CEO of AKF India. “We are excited to extend this initiative to new regions within India, ensuring that more children have access to the critical support they need during their formative years.”

The Vroom programme offers more than 1,000 simple, actionable tips to help caregivers do more with shared moments and to add learning to mealtime, bathtime, bedtime or anytime. Vroom Tips enhance caregivers’ ability to create enriching environments for their children while fostering cognitive and emotional development. The programme is based on well-established early children development methods that set the foundation for lifelong learning.

The collaboration between AKF and the Bezos Family Foundation underscores a shared commitment to improving ECD outcomes and supporting families in their journey towards raising healthy, happy, thriving children.

The Bezos Family Foundation is an independent, nonprofit private Foundation founded by Mike and Jackie Bezos, who along with their family serve as the Foundation’s directors. Since 2001, the Foundation has partnered with remarkable organisations and individuals to transform how we prepare young people from prenatal through young adulthood to pursue their own path for success and meaningfully contribute to society. In addition to grantmaking, the Foundation runs two in-house programmes: Bezos Scholars Program and Vroom.