Necessity the Mother of Invention: Australian and Eritrean Early Childhood Educators Sharing Skills and Experiences

Abstract

Australian and Eritrean early childhood educators are working together to establish early childhood education in Eritrea. Eritrea, in East Africa, devastated by a 30-year war and severe droughts, is rebuilding from scratch with minimal resources. In a country with some nine ethnic groups and languages, as well as three main religions, fundamental questions have to be asked about the role and nature of early childhood education. Australian early childhood educators in Eritrea are learning a great deal about the management of multicultural and multilingual communities; Eritrean early childhood educators are in turn learning a great deal from their Australian counterparts about an holistic approach to education which, through a range of strategies, seeks to meet the social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and developmental needs of the Eritrean children. All members of this team are involved in a patient campaign to effect change and are aware that education in such an environment is a political act.