Who We Are

Our Origin Story

NurtureFirst was founded on evidence. In 2020, Spring Impact published a global study on support programmes for Home-Based Childcare Providers, covering ten countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe.

The recommendations were clear: invest in support programmes, build a global learning community, and develop quality standards for HBCC settings.
Based on these findings, the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) partnered with the Global Development Incubator (GDI) to design and launch NurtureFirst — with the goal of building the policies, training, and financing systems that Home-Based Childcare needs to thrive.

NurtureFirst began country operations in Kenya in 2022. In 2023, we conducted the most comprehensive mapping of Home-Based Childcare in Kenya's history, reaching 5,350 providers across three counties. Based on this, in partnership with governments and civil society, we designed interventions and engaged in policy design.

In May 2026, NurtureFirst, together with six founding partner organisations, co-founded the Global Home-Based Childcare Alliance in Kigali, Rwanda. NurtureFirst serves as the Alliance's Global Secretariat. The Alliance is driving global policy and funding advocacy.

Guiding Principles

01
Childcare is a fundamental human right and a public good. We treat it as such in everything we build.
02
Provider voices shape our strategy and our activities. We listen first.
03
Local organisations drive the work. We design for contextual and cultural relevance, not universal templates.
04
Governments lead, own, and sustain. We partner with and support governments and communities — our role is to enable, co-design, and build capacity alongside them. We build toward a future that does not depend on NurtureFirst.
05
We work at the systems level — on the policies, funding, and training infrastructure that individual programmes alone cannot create.
06
We measure our impact rigorously so we can improve, share, and prove what works.

We believe childcare is a fundamental human right,
and should be regarded as a public good that is accessible to all
We ensure HBCC provider voices are elevated and
prioritized throughout our strategy and activities
We enable local organizations to inform and drive the work
in ways that are contextually and culturally relevant

We maximize scale by sparking change at the system-level,
rather than duplicating existing childcare efforts
We prioritize the measurement of impact to allow for
continuous improvement and lesson sharing

Our testimonials

What they’re talking
about oxpins

This is due to their best service, pricing and customer support. It’s throughly refresing to such a personal touch. Duis aute irure lupsum reprehenderit.

Kevin martin

Volunteer

This is due to their best service, pricing and customer support. It’s throughly refresing to such a personal touch. Duis aute irure lupsum reprehenderit.

Jessica brown

Volunteer

This is due to their best service, pricing and customer support. It’s throughly refresing to such a personal touch. Duis aute irure lupsum reprehenderit.

Sarah albert

Volunteer

Become a Volunteers

Join your hand with us for a
better life and future

Discover More

Recently asked questions

People are frequently asking some questions from us

Proactively procrastinate cross-platform results via extensive ideas distinctively underwhelm enterprise. Compellingly plagiarize value-added sources with inexpensive schemas.

Learn how to get help

Nulla eu purus scelerisque, dignissim diam.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Quisque non diam porta, ullamcorper dolor sit amet.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

How can I make a change to my application?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Sed mattis neque sed commodo efficitur.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Our Team

Dr. Gacheri Njogu-Ndongwe

Chief Executive Officer

Annastacia Kumola

Head of Programs

Catherine Kamau

Senior Associate- National HBCC Providers Association Secretariat

Cindy Lithimbi

Kenya Policy and Partnerships Lead

Dan Ouko

Financial Inclusion Lead

Elise Shea

Global Strategy Lead

Jared Okwach

M & E Manager

Julie Wangui

Senior Associate- Operations & Programs

Leah Justina Anyanwu

Secretariat Lead, Global Home-Based Childcare Alliance

Persis Ashers

Director of Operations & Chief of Staff

Rahab Nderu

Kenya Delivery Lead

Alice Gugelev

Strategy & Implementation Advisor

NurtureFirst works alongside implementing partners, including the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET), Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani, and the Catholic Diocese of Murang’a. Their Project Officers are embedded within the NurtureFirst team, strengthening local ownership of our work while fostering mutual learning and supporting the sustainability of our interventions.