In May 2009, a Program Learning Group (PLG) was founded in Sri Lanka in partnership with the Institute for Participatory Interaction in Development (IPID). Members include: ChildFund Sri Lanka, IPID, Plan Sri Lanka, Room to Read Sri Lanka, Sarvodaya, Save the Children Sri Lanka, and WorldVision.

Sri Lanka’s PLG will focus on two strands of work. The first are forums on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) which will be held to support the already existing network of ECCD practitioners in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Child Development & Women’s Empowerment and UNICEF, who lead the children’s secretariat in Sri Lanka, have both indicated that there is a need for such forums and have committed funding so that they can be held. The second is the development of a 4-module, one-year-long child protection curriculum at the Open University in Colombo. The Global Child Protection Classroom, a Columbia University lead, CPC Learning Network capacity building initiative, will be one of the four modules in this curriculum.

The first ECCD forum took place on November 20th, 2009, read the report here.