Child centres ensure development of new generation potentials

ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR government has established more than 10 child development centres across the islands to ensure children grow and develop to their full potential.

Manager for Social Services at the Central Government Monitoring Institution under the Office of the President, Dr Ibrahim Kabole, revealed this during training for Zanzibar journalists on Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCD) through the Integrated Early Childhood Development Programme (PJT-MMMAM).

The programme is being implemented nationwide through five interventions— health, nutrition, education, responsive caregiving and child protection—for children aged zero to eight years. It involves collaboration between government, the private sector and the media.

On the Mainland, the programme was launched in 2021 and runs until 2027.

Speaking over the weekend in Dar es Salaam, Dr Kabole said the Zanzibar government had built over 10 centres located in new hospitals and one district hospital. These centres provide all essential child care services, including trained caregivers.

“The goal is to ensure that children grow up safely while receiving essential services such as immunisation, good nutrition, child protection and education. We have supplied child-friendly learning materials and trained health workers in ECCD,” he said.

He added that plans are in place to extend such centres to markets so that businesswomen who get pregnant can continue operating while having safe spaces for their babies.

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“Some businesswomen are forced to close their shops during pregnancy or leave their children at home after delivery while they work. These centres will allow them to bring their children to work premises where care and services are available,” Dr Kabole explained.

The government has allocated a budget to ensure that all newborns benefit from the five core interventions and that communities receive education on child safety and protection. This, he said, will reduce stunting and violence at household and community levels.

According to nutrition data, 53 per cent of children in Zanzibar are not developing to their full potential, while only 47 per cent are on track.

“These are high figures. Our National Development Vision calls for strengthening social services, including ensuring children reach their full potential so that we have better leaders in the future,” he said.

Mr Kenneth Simbaya, Executive Director of the Union of Tanzania Press Clubs (UTPC), said his organisation has been training journalists on child care and development reporting.

“The goal is to ensure accurate reporting on children’s issues through the five interventions while also raising community awareness on integrated child care,” said Simbaya.

He added that UTPC’s strategy is to ensure journalists continue collaborating with stakeholders to deliver accurate and impactful childfocused stories from grassroots to national level.