Early childhood, from birth through school entry, was largely invisible worldwide as a policy concern for much of the twentieth century. Children, in the eyes of most countries, were 'appendages' of their parents or simply embedded in the larger family structure. The child did not emerge as a separate social entity until school age (typically six or seven). 'Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge: Early Childhood Care and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa' focuses on the 130 million children south of the Sahel in this 0-6 age group. This book, the first of its kind, presents a balanced collection of articles written by African and non-African authors ranging from field practitioners to academicians and from members of government organizations to those of nongovernmental and local organizations. 'Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge' compiles the latest data and viewpoints on the state of Sub-Saharan Africa's children. Topics covered include the rationale for investing in young children, policy trends in early childhood development (ECD), historical perspectives of ECD in Sub-Saharan Africa including indigenous approaches, new threats from HIV/AIDS, and the importance of fathers in children's lives. The book also addresses policy development and ECD implementation issues; presents the ECD programming experience in several countries, highlighting best practices and challenges; and evaluates the impact of ECD programs in a number of countries.

The authors examine the challenges facing Africa's youth in their transition from school to working life, and propose a policy framework for meeting these challenges. Topics covered include the effect of education on employment and income, broadening employment opportunities, and enhancing youth capabilities. The book includes a CD-ROM of case studies of four countries and household data on 13 countries.

On lit beaucoup de choses sur l'Afrique, souvent peu encourageantes. Au quotidien, le monde entend parler des maladies, du desespoir et de la mort. Une telle litanie de souffrances n'est pas sans fondement, mais il y a aussi des histoires d'espoir, des promesses et du potentiel. Elles aussi representent une part tres importante de l'histoire complexe de l'Afrique subsaharienne (ASS) dans les premieres annees du XXIeme siecle. Tout comme il existe de multiples histoires, il faut donc des perspectives multiples pour comprendre, prevoir, et planifier un avenir prometteur pour les enfants africains. Ce livre vise a atteindre un equilibre en decrivant les defis qui se posent aussi bien que les developpements en cours. Il cherche un equilibre des voix qui s'elevent, il ne retient pas seulement les voix du Nord commentant sur le Sud, mais aussi les voix venant du Sud, et celles qui parlent de concert avec le Nord. Il cherche une diversite d'opinions et de valeurs. Le livre est divise en six sections. La section 1, " Contextes ", ouvre le debat avec un apercu de la situation des jeunes enfants en Afrique subsaharienne . La section 2, " Perspectives sociohistoriques ", offre trois perspectives sur le developpement du DPE en Afrique. La section 3, " Le developpement de politiques ", fait le point sur des etudes de cas qui ont eu lieu en 2000-01. La section 4, " Les programmes ", aborde une serie d'approches qui offrent assistance aux jeunes enfants et a leurs familles. La section 5, " Evaluations et recherche ", offre une gamme d'approches recentes pour mieux comprendre l'impact des programmes. La section 6 resume le " Defis et voies a suivre ".