Jordan meets Brazil: An inspiring leadership study tour

In February, a Jordan delegation of nine partners and the Van Leer team embarked on a leadership study tour across Brazil to learn from their work to improve the wellbeing of babies, toddlers and their caregivers.

The delegation visited three pioneering cities in early childhood development: Boa Vista, Jundiaí, and São Paulo. Eager to exchange learnings on how early childhood policies can be implemented on the ground, partners in Brazil and the Van Leer team shared insights into urban innovation, early childhood programmes and services, and governance and sustainability.

Boa Vista, nestled on the northern edge of Brazil, welcomed the Jordan delegation in its warm embrace. Here, early childhood is thriving. The city has developed holistic early childhood programmes that emphasise integration of health, education, and social services, which serve both local and Venezuelan communities. Boa Vista is a city that cares, in policy and in practice; the similarities and differences were eye-opening to new perspectives and possibilities for cities in Jordan.

In São Paulo, the municipality shared their exemplary work to integrate the perspectives of young children and caregivers into urban planning, programmes and services. There was significant excitement when learning about the ‘Bebeteca’ (baby libraries) concept, with the head of Irbid’s early childhood development unit eager to replicate the model in Jordan.

Jundiaí inspired the Jordan delegation to reimagine urban landscapes. Jundiaí’s public space innovations include its ‘Children’s Factory’ and ‘Children’s World Park’, both of which transformed abandoned spaces into havens of exploration. This part of the leadership study tour left the delegation thinking about how to bring such transformation to life across Jordan’s urban landscapes.

The leadership study tour was a profound learning journey, as well as a unique opportunity to forge connections and share learning across continents. The Jordan delegation are now busy turning the insights into action, for their communities and country.