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Helping Vulnerable Children

Part of Hesperian's Early Assistance Series

Children develop faster during their first five years than at any other stage in their life. It is during this crucial time they learn to understand the world as they interact with people and things around them.

Research shows that children who are well nurtured and cared for in their earliest years, are more likely to survive, experience healthy growth, have less disease and fewer illnesses, and fully develop thinking, language, emotional and social skills. Hesperian's Early Assistance Series addresses the developmental needs of vulnerable children under age 6, and includes two volumes to date: Helping children who are blind and Helping children who are deaf.

Helping Vulnerable Children will be the third book in the series.

Hesperian's goal in developing this book is to address the developmental needs of children who have experienced grief, trauma, abuse, lack of care and prenatal toxic exposure. This book will include easily understandable, culturally appropriate materials to help caregivers, families and communities provide the best possible support and nurturing to children under age 6 who are facing difficult situations.

This 250-page manual will help them learn how to build stronger relationships, feel calm and safe, improve communication skills, make sense of their lives and create a sense of belonging in the world around them. The book's target audience includes non-governmental organizations, daycare workers, health workers, community leaders, social workers, and parents and extended family, particularly those in the developing world. Hesperian will produce Helping Vulnerable Children in English and Spanish, and work with partners around the world to promote its translation and dissemination.

Related Materials

We welcome your feedback on the sample draft chapters below. They will undergo review by community partners and people with particular expertise from around the world and then be revised based on this feedback. Please email with your comments.

• Chapter 2: Loss
• Chapter 7: Strong relationships help children grow well
• Chapter 11: Methods to help children feel calm and safe
• Chapter 14: Helping children make sense of their lives

Donate now!

We depend on the support of people like you, who share our vision of a healthier and more just world. Your gift will enable this book to be developed and distributed to communities around the world that otherwise could not afford it. Your actions make a difference. Please give online or call Leah Uberseder, Development Associate at (510) 845-1447 to make a donation over the phone.