Summary
Children cannot achieve their developmental potential without robust physical health. For children born in Sierra Leone, the barriers to achieving good health and surviving to successful, productive adulthood are immense. Although Sierra Leone has been politically stable since 2017, it remains one of the most perilous countries in the world to be a young child and, after the standard immunization schedule concludes at 23 months, two-to-six-year-old children typically have limited contact with the health system until they start school.
Project SHINE! Supporting Healthy Interaction, Nurturing, and Enrichment for Preschool Children will be implemented in Sierra Leone by ICAP at the Mailman School of Public Health, the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation and ICAP Sierra Leone, in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone.
Project partners will develop and test “wraparound health services” for preschool children , to include a preschool-based health unit, household health visits, and a nutritional teaching garden, as well as linkage to community health facilities and nutrition support. The project aligns with the Government of Sierra Leone’s commitment to improving access to both early childhood development and health services for young children and their caregivers.
Team
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Elaine Abrams
ICAP at Columbia UniversityProject LeadRead Full Bio arrow_right_altElaine Abrams is a global thought leader in the prevention and treatment of HIV infection and associated infectious diseases in pregnant women, children, and families.
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Amale Andraos
Columbia UniversityProject LeadRead Full Bio arrow_right_altAmale Andraos, HFRAIC, is a Professor and Dean Emeritus at Columbia University where she recently served as an Advisor to the President on the University’s Climate Initiatives and the Climate School.
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Mame_Toure
ICAP at Columbia UniversityProject LeadRead Full Bio arrow_right_altMame Awa Toure is ICAP’s country director in Sierra Leone. She is a trained public health physician and epidemiologist with over twenty- five years (25) of progressively increasing responsibilities...
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Allison Zerbe Buba
ICAP at Columbia UniversityProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altAllison Zerbe Buba is a public health professional with over 20 years of experience in the design and management of domestic and international research projects.
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Eric Ikoona
ICAP at Columbia UniversityProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altICAP Sierra Leone Technical Director, Eric Ikoona will be responsible for ensuring progress towards targets, meeting project milestones, addressing bottlenecks, supervising project staff...
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Matthew Lamb
Columbia UniversityProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altMatthew Lamb is an infectious disease epidemiologist, implementation scientist, and statistician with over fifteen years of experience in teaching, mentoring, and conducting evaluations...
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Amon Njenga
ICAP at Columbia UniversityProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altAmon Njenga is a registered nurse, public health professional, and project management specialist with over a decade of experience in designing and implementing innovative health workforce...
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Jennifer Zech
ICAP at Columbia UniversityProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altJennifer Zech is a public health professional with over 8 years of experience working on healthcare improvement programs and research studies at or in collaboration with nonprofits, academic...