Call for campaign to address childhood stunting

DODOMA: THE Parliament has raised concern on the high rate of childhood stunting in some regions in Tanzania, asking the government to come up with a special campaign to address the problem.

The House raised an alarm on the problem when its Parliamentary Standing Committee on Local Government Affairs tabled its report in the House that assessed and scrutinised the performance of the Ministry of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) and its institutions between February 2024 and January 2025.

Tabling the report, Committee Chairperson Justine Nyamoga (CCM-Kilolo) said the committee learnt that some regions in the country face unprecedented high rate of childhood stunting.

According to the committee, once such a campaign to address the problem kicks off, a mechanism to monitor and evaluate its results should be put in place.

Stunting in children primarily occurs during the early stages of life, most significantly within the first 1,000 days which stretches from before conception through a child’s second birthday, although it can continue to be impacted throughout childhood if proper nutrition isn’t provided consistently.

“The rate of stunted growth in children in some regions is too high, threatening the prosperity of the nation,” Mr Nyamoga stated when tabling the committee report.

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Quoting the report presented by Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) Festo Dugange on May 7, 2024 in Dodoma during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of nutrition programme financed by USAID, Mr Nyamoga mentioned regions with high rate of stunted growth in children under five years of age.

The regions with the percentage rates in their brackets are Kigoma (27.1), (Katavi 32.2), Njombe (50.4), Songwe (31.9), Rukwa (49.8) and Iringa (56.9).

According to the 2015- 2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), about a third of all children under the age of five years in the country were found to be stunted.

Experts say a child becomes stunted when they fail to reach their full growth potential due to poor nutrition, recurring infections, or inadequate psychosocial stimulation. This condition further hinders physical and mental development.

The critical window for intervention is the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to the second birthday, when the foundations of optimal health, growth and brain function begin to develop.

In efforts to tackle the alarming rates of children with stunted growth in Njombe Region, a campaign was launched on January 27, 2024.

In her virtual address during the launch, President Samia Suluhu Hassan emphasised the critical need for community awareness on the best nutritional approaches to family diets, urging regional leaders to confront the root causes of stunting.

“Let us give our children and families a balanced diet rich in all essential nutrients,” President Samia was quoted as saying during the launch.