Compassion International supports 123,000 Tanzanians from vulnerable families

ARUSHA: COMPASSION International Tanzania reached more than 123,000 youth and children in the 2025/26 financial year, as part of its commitment to support vulnerable families across the country.

The organisation also disbursed over 119.7bn/- during the period to implement interventions benefiting children, youths and their families.

Speaking at the 2026 Bishops’ Forum for the Mount Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro Zones, the organisation’s Country Director, Mary Lema, said about 200,000 parents and guardians have been economically empowered through household strengthening and income-generating initiatives.

She said the programmes are designed to improve family resilience and ensure sustainable support for children.

“A total of 1,390 beneficiaries accessed quality clinical services through Compassion programmes, among whom 1,016 mothers delivered safely last year,” she noted.

The two-day forum, held under the theme “Strengthening the System for Positive Outcomes in Nurturing the Youth and Children in Tanzania,” brought together delegates from Arusha Region, Kilimanjaro Region, Manyara Region and Tanga Region.

Speaking at the event, Oral Sossy of the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) Bethel Church said the organisation has transformed community attitudes towards children.

“They have taught us that children belong to the whole community and that everyone has a role to play in nurturing them,” he said.

The forum was told that during the current financial year, the organisation facilitated access to clean and safe water for 44,216 households nationwide.

On his part,Dr Bishop Daniel Henry Mono of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania said that despite being a Christian-based organisation, Compassion serves children from all religious backgrounds, including those without any faith.

In addition to child-focused interventions, the organisation has been implementing community development projects, including the installation of rainwater harvesting systems, construction of wells and drilling of boreholes in underserved areas.

Through vocational training programmes, a total of 4,554 youth, among them 2,391 girls and 2,163 boys, have secured employment during the same period.

The organisation has also facilitated health insurance coverage for more than 96,824 children and youths through the Improved Community Health Fund (iCHF) and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).