Organisation targets to rescue 1.7 million children from poverty
TANZANIA: STARTING a new leg in its ongoing mission to assist needy children and poor families, Compassion International Tanzania targets to reach out to more than 1.7 million beneficiaries in the country, within the next five years.
That was revealed by the Director of Compassion International Tanzania, Mary Lema during the occasion to launch the organisation’s five-year strategy, an event which was held at their headquarters in Arusha.
“Ours is a five-year plan which targets to provide services and make positive changes to more than 1.7 million youths and children,” explained Mary Lema, adding that the compassion’s half-decade strategy runs from this year 2023 to 2027.
The five-year strategy of Compassion International Tanzania, runs under the theme of ‘Our Neighbour Promise.’
According to Ms Lema, the youth and children that Compassion International wants to seriously help and assist are mostly those that live under the most dangerous environment and dire conditions.
So far Compassion International Tanzania has managed to reach out to 115,000 children in 21 regions and more than 80 local councils, served through 550 churches in the country.
Compassion International started its mission in Tanzania back in the year 1999.
Dr Nandera Ernest Mhando is the Commissioner for Social Welfare in the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, who graced the occasion.
“The ministry is undertaking a special mission to identify the youth and children currently living under extreme poverty and those suffering in dangerous environments,” Dr Mhando explained.
According to the Commissioner of Social Welfare, a total of 335,971 children, among them 168,634 boys and 167,337 living under difficult conditions have been identified in the period between July 2022 and April 2023.
The youth have already been enlisted and have even started to be provided with basic services such as food, clothing and accommodation.
Dr Mhando added that there were other 26,000 rescued youths and children among them those who were abandoned, victims of domestic violence as well as the ones saved from cases of illegal human trafficking.
The Social Welfare commissioner explained that those youngsters are now being taken care of at special homes.
The Acting Board Chairperson of Compassion International Tanzania, Dr Elieshi Kisinza said during the compilation of the organisation’s five-year strategy, a lot was taken into consideration.
“We covered a number of challenges facing the youth and children in the quest to improve their lives and release their families from the chains of poverty,” explained Dr Kisinza.
The strategy launching event in Njiro was also attended by church leaders, Bishop Anorld Manase of the Baptist Church, Bishop Solomon Massangwa of the Arusha Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Bishop David Mollel of the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG).
