Following a trip to Malawi with Sightsavers, an international charity supporting blind people in third world countries, the MPs said that support during the earliest stages of life can overcome inequality by improving the health, nutrition and education outcomes of the most disadvantaged young people.
Mr Lewis, shadow secretary of state for international development and Ms Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, believe that the current Millennium Development Goals do not do enough to support early development and they are campaigning to see an integrated approach to early years in the succeeding framework.
The eight Millennium Development Goals, which range from halving extreme poverty rates and providing universal primary education all by 2015, form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and leading development institutions.
A post-2015 Development agenda will replace the goals in two years' time.
Mr Lewis said, ‘We know that you make the most difference in the earliest years of a child’s life but this is not reflected in the current development framework – nor is disability mentioned at all.
‘Getting it right in the early years is the morally right thing to do but also the smart thing, these children are the parents and workers of tomorrow.’
In July, Ms Jowell and Mr Lewis visited a drop-in centre at the Chilomoni Resource Centre in Blantyre District, Malawi, where mothers are given support in caring for their visually impaired babies.
New mothers who had remarked that their sight-challenged children did not respond in the same way as other children are educated at the centre about the importance of nutrition and stimulation in the first 1,000 days of the child’s life.
The charity champions the idea that good diet and encouragement in learning, playing and development are vital in early childhood development for creating successful, healthy adult lives.
Sightsavers director of policy Dominic Haslam said, ‘Early childhood development and education for children with disabilities is essential for the alleviation of poverty and sustainable development.
‘If children with disabilities are excluded from early childhood development and education programmes it means their future economic prospects are severely restricted, so this really is an issue of great importance.’
Ms Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, said, ‘All the evidence shows that the early years are where you can make the most difference in a child’s life. On this trip we’ve seen that even in the poorest places it’s possible to make a difference against the odds by bringing together learning, health, nutrition, parenting and play.
‘Sightsavers are championing for disabled people, children and parents and it’s starting to have an impact on the way Malawi sees disability, slowly but surely things are starting to change.’