The Empowerment Disability Inclusive Development (EDID) program of the CBC Health Services has established three inclusive daycare centers in Yaoundé as part of the Support Tools Enabling Parents (STEP) initiative. The inclusive daycare centers are located in Ekoundoum Baptist Hospital, Etoudi – APESH, and Filles de la Charité – Nkoabang, all Partner Organizations (POs) being supported by the EDID program to provide holistic, inclusive early childhood development services for children with disabilities (CwDs) alongside their peers thanks to funding from the Liliane Foundation.
The inclusive daycare centers established between October 2025 and January 2026 aim at operationalizing the STEP (Support Tools Enabling Parents) and Inclusive Daycare Curriculum (IDCC) approaches, integrating rehabilitation, early learning, play, health, and nutrition. The name of the centers was adopted as Inclusive Rehabilitation Homes (InRehab Homes) which aligns with the mandate under the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The three daycare centers were set up, with all sites undergoing remodeling and utility installation to meet accessibility and operational standards. Ekoundoum had to rebuild their structure making room to accommodate more children, whereas Filles de la Charité and APESH, considering that they are renting their structures, had to do some adjustments to ensure that children are safe and that the play space is big enough. Accessibility and safety measures were installed, including ramps, gated compounds, safety guidelines, first aid boxes, and procurement of essential safety equipment such as fire extinguishers. The Director of Health Services then put together a committee headed by the EDID program Manager whose team moved around and provided accessibility guides and also ensured that the right equipment (local, affordable and sustainable) were bought.
Filles de la Charité also benefited from a complete solar system for her daycare in Nkoabang, and a bus was provided to transport children to the daycares across town. All these were supported with funding from the Liliane Foundation and MIVA.
Licensing processes with government authorities have been granted after a strong advocacy visit to the Minister of Social Affairs by the EDID Program Manager, Mrs. Agho Glory.
Staff training prior to enrollment has been critical for ensuring inclusive and safe service delivery from day one. To this effect, a 2-day training of all staff working in the three daycares held in November 2025. All the rehabilitation and early childhood staff received capacity building in Inclusive Daycare Curriculum and the Support Tools Enabling Parent (STEP) approach, early childhood care, feeding, swallowing, and child safeguarding. They rolled out operationalization of individualized care and learning plans, implementation of inclusive daily routines and services, transport provision, and financial sustainability measures.
All staff working in the InRehab Homes have had to go through background checks and were issued morality reports by the Commissioner of Police to ensure that those protecting children do not harm them.
An assessment done by parents and field workers show that they are very satisfied with the services, meaning that quality services are rendered in the centers. Aligning daycare routines with existing rehabilitation services improves efficiency and quality. Lessons from Bafoussam Baptist Hospital inclusive daycare were copied. “So, we were not inventing the wheel. This only gives room for improvements on what was already existing making the services better,” EDID Program Manager stated.
A total of 31 children with disabilities are currently benefiting from the three fully established and accessible InRehab homes. All 31 are children transported safely, fed, with daily routines ensuring rehabilitation, health, and education, with high caregiver satisfaction. Meantime, 15 parents/caregivers are engaged, with increased time for work, education, or rest. The EDID Program manager and her team visit the three inclusive daycare centers regularly to ensure that plans are well executed.
Parents are encouraged to pay for the services but majority cannot afford even half of what is required even considering that the services are the most affordable in the city of Yaoundé. The staff of the InRehab homes are trained Community Based Rehabilitation workers, early educators, Multiskilled rehabilitation technicians, Physiotherapists, all trained in the Rehabilitation Training Center of Excellence (RTCE), Mutengene. Other staff include: cooks, cleaners, bus driver, and a supervisor. All these staff are trained on child safeguarding and did a morality report with the police before working at the center. If you are interested in accessing these services or supporting children at any of these InRehab homes, kindly contact us on +237 678118811
