Plan International USA seeking support from The Children’s Place, as per the social change mandates of both organizations and most synergistic area of need has designed and developed a project known as Parenting the Children’s Place. The project realized the majority of the female workers arriving into Hawassa Industrial Park faced major challenges that if they have children and are able, they leave their children with their families in their home communities. Those without the option of family care, bring their children to Hawassa where the already scanty child care options are either too expensive or are focused only on vulnerable or orphaned youth and increasing reports of abandoned babies and children, as the workers do not have options or resources to provide adequate care while they are working their shifts within the IP. This issue has been raised by both workers and community members as well as the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth as a priority support service for the rapidly increasing young, female population. As a result, through its programs, plan international Ethiopia is currently implementing a project entitled as “establishing a community-based Childcare/Early Childhood Development center adjacent to the Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP) funded by The Children’s Place. The center is now providing:
- Service to 50 mothers whose babies are from six months to three years old. O these, 36 of them are mothers who are working at Hawassa Indutrial Park.
- The center has started providing full-fledged services since February 2022.
- It has a plan to expand its service in the future and host 150 babies in a year.
